Your body is home to trillions of bacteria, the majority of which reside in your gut. Most of these bacteria are harmless to you, and some are even helpful. While some bacteria can be dangerous and cause disease, having a good balance of bacteria ensures the harmful kind won’t take over.
Having balanced bacteria in your gut has been linked to numerous health benefits such as weight loss, good digestion, high immune system function, healthy skin, and a reduced risk of disease.
Probiotics are food or supplements that can help improve the bacterial environment of your gut, and your overall health as a result.
Because probiotics can be so beneficial for your gut health, Ven Kottapalli, MD, CNSP, and our team at GI Physicians, Inc. in Lima, Ohio, want to review what you need to know about probiotics, including exactly what they are and where you can find them.
Probiotics are live microorganisms such as bacteria or yeasts that you ingest in order to reap certain health benefits. They’re able to restore balance to your gut if it’s been thrown off due to an illness, a course of antibiotics, a diet lacking nutrients, or an overgrowth of bad bacteria. This can help boost digestive system and immune system function.
You can find probiotics in foods prepared through bacterial fermentation such as yogurt, cheese, kefir, pickles, kimchi, kombucha, and sauerkraut. But it may be more helpful to take a probiotic supplement.
While experts still aren’t quite sure about how probiotics work or what the full range of benefits are, these are a few things that have been shown to improve through probiotic supplementation:
Some research has even suggested probiotics can help manage skin conditions, increase cognitive function, boost urinary and vaginal health, and improve mood.
Probiotics are considered safe for those who are in generally good health. However, if you’re immunosuppressed, the risks of bad bacteria being in a probiotic are too high to be considered safe for you.
You may also want to consider probiotics if you’re struggling with symptoms of an unhealthy gut such as constipation or abdominal pain.
When picking out a probiotic, we recommend considering these guidelines:
Make sure you’re also eating a nutritious diet that’s full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber. Probiotics feed off of fiber and use it to grow more healthy bacteria.
If you’d like to learn more about probiotics, such as which supplements are best or if they would work well for you, schedule an appointment with our team by calling our office or booking online today.
