Contents:
- Medical Video: Nutrition Tips : What Are Probiotics?
- What is probiotics?
- Where can we find probiotics?
- How many probiotics can you consume per day?
- Are there any side effects from taking probiotics?
Medical Video: Nutrition Tips : What Are Probiotics?
Reporting from MayoClinic, basically you don't need probiotics to make your body healthy. However, these microorganisms can help nourish your digestion and protect it from harmful bacteria, just like the "good" bacteria in your body that have done it. So, if you really don't have to add probiotics, will your body still benefit from this microorganism? See the explanation below.
What is probiotics?
Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms in the intestine. The normal human digestive tract contains around 400 types of probiotic bacteria which can reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and improve the health of the digestive system. Most probiotics used in health supplements are bifidobacterium strain and lactobacillus.
Probiotics help restore the amount of good bacteria in the body that may have been exhausted by the use of antibiotics or certain medications. Probiotics are recommended for people who suffer from chronic fungal infections, constipation (constipation), diarrhea, and gastrointestinal infections and urinary tract infections. Probiotics are also believed to be able to boost the immune system and control body weight.
Where can we find probiotics?
You can take probiotics from fermented food products such as yogurt, sauerkraut, dark chocolate, pickles, and also Kimchi. Yogurt contains high levels of lactobacillus and acidophilus which increase levels of good bacteria in your body.
In addition to food, probiotics can also be found in supplements. Probiotic supplements are currently available in various types of preparations. Starting from capsules, syrup, to powder.
How many probiotics can you consume per day?
There is no definite dose to determine how many probiotics should be consumed every day. Research from the University of Maryland Medical Center states that Lactobacillus acidophilus, that is, the most commonly used type of probiotics may be recommended in doses of around 1 billion to 15 billion CFU (colony forming units) per day. However, in yogurt packs and similar products it is rare to list the number of CFUs.
Consumer Reports noted in 2011 that most yogurt products containing CFU ranged from 90 billion to 500 billion per serving. While probiotic supplements generally offer 20 to 70 billion CFU.
In addition, what you need to note is that the number of probiotics needed by each person is different, depending on several factors such as body condition and certain illnesses suffered.
Are there any side effects from taking probiotics?
When you first take probiotics, you may experience symptoms such as bloating, headaches, or skin rashes. Generally these symptoms will decrease with time. You can take probiotics indefinitely. Unless you have allergies to milk. If you have an allergic reaction to lactobacillus, acidophilus, bifidobacterium, or Streptococcus thermophilus, then you need to think again about taking probiotics.
You still need to consult your doctor when deciding to take probiotic supplements. Talk to your doctor if you have a health problem that might cause probiotics to react negatively to your body.
If you have a weak immune system, usually you will not be advised to take probiotics because it can increase the risk of certain infections.
