What if I tell you one supplement can cure your digestive issues and help you burn fat, would you believe me?
Yes,it is true. This supplementation is called Probiotics.
This Article will cover
- Definition of Probiotics
- Probiotics Vs prebiotics
- Probiotic Bacteria
- Colonization of bacteria
- Probiotic Benefits and supplementation
- Probiotic for kids
- Probiotic foods
- Probiotic Drinks
- Probiotic Side effects
Definition of Probiotics: -
- Probiotics are living microorganisms - Bacteria and Yeast , when consumed, will provide health benefits.
- It will improve our digestive health and will, thereby, have a positive impact on the well-being of the person.
All bacteria are not bad, some are Probiotics!!!
- Doctors, nowadays, are prescribing it as a proven cure for several health conditions - Traveller’s diarrhea, Antibiotic induced Diarrhea, Constipation, IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and Bloating.
All of it will be covered in depth later in the Article.
Probiotics Vs Prebiotics: -
- Probiotics and prebiotics are related, but not synonymous.
- Prebiotics is the term used for those Dietary fibers that feed the friendly gut bacteria.
- You know the Probiotics, right…!
Interesting: Our body has 37.2 Trillion cells and 400 Trillion Bacteria. Yeah, it's true.
Probiotic Bacteria: -
- As mentioned, they are the group of bacteria responsible for improving the gut (Intestine) health and cure some diseases.
- Maily, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are this kind of bacteria. They mainly regulate the gut microbiota - bacterial colonies for good.
- In supplements, they are marketed in the colony-forming units (CFU). In general, we should target for 5 billion or more CFU.
Why should you be taking Prebiotics?
- Let me tell you the root cause of how we fall sick, first.
- We have two types of live bacteria in our Gut - Gram positive & Gram negative. Gram positive is good ; Gram negative in moderation is okay, but when it gets too much , it will cause disease.
- When Gram Negative bacteria will get colonized more, they will exit the intestinal mucosa - by perforating it via lipopolysaccheride, they have in their cell membrane and will enter the blood. There they will cause inflammation - root cause of most of the diseases.
- So, we do not want to have more gram negative bacterias. What can we do?
- Increase the load of Gram positive bacteria in the body, they will not let other - gram negative bacteria grow….!
- Simple. How can we do that?
- Through Probiotics…
- Below given prebiotic is recommended for Healthy people and disease specific supplements are listed later in this article.
Colonization of Bacteria: -
- At the time of our birth, we do not have any bacteria in our digestive tract.
Also Know: As we do not have bacteria in Gut and Vit.K is made by them, Injection of Vit.K is given to all Newborn.
- As we take food and consume other things, our digestive system bacteria will start to make a colony there - Colonization. It will change according to our eating habits and lifestyle.
- Due to few disturbances, its balance will get disturbed; so, we will get disorders like Diarrhea, Constipation and Bloating.
- When we supplement good bacteria with Probiotics, the balance will get established again. This way Probiotic supplementations will work.
Which is the most beneficial probiotic strain?
- Lactobacillus Rhamnosus.
- For any Bacteria to cause disease, it needs to bind to the cell wall. It can do this, if the cell wall is not previously occupied by other bacteria.
- Studies have shown that L. Rhamnosus will bind tightly to the cells, not allowing other bacteria to take it’s position.
- So, the first step in the disease will not be completed and you can remain healthy. Remaining causes of the disease will be tackled by your immune system, Hope so!
- Now, you got it, why we need to take supplements.
Read on, we have classified the type of probiotics you need to take as per your condition.
Probiotic Benefits and supplementation: -
- It has numerous health benefits to offer and due to that only, supplementation of it is advised.
- Upcoming points will discuss its pros and specific probiotic supplements required for it in different diseases.
Diarrhea:
- Mostly all types of Diarrhea are due to disturbance in the gut flora. To balance that supplements containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus are helpful.
- When we take antibiotics, it will kill microbes in the Gut that are causing Disease. But, it will also kill friendly bacteria, which will cause Diarrhea - Antibiotic - Induced Diarrhea. When one takes supplementation of probiotics, good bacteria will colonize again and the gut will start functioning normally.
- Diarrhea due to IBS is because of Inflammation. Probiotics will sooth the inflammatory response and will provide relief in the situation.
Constipation:
- Probiotics containing B. longum, S. cerevisiae and a combination of L. acidophilus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum, L. rhamnosus and B. animalis is proved to improve the symptoms of Constipation.
- Type of IBS causing constipation will be relieved by probiotics by relief in inflammation.
Weight Loss:
- It is proven through clinical trials that when certain Probiotic supplements are given, subjects absorb less calories and fat, helping them to lose weight faster.
- Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and the combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium lactis are the bacteria in supplement suited for weight loss, as per research.
Gastric Ulcers:
- The main causative bacteria for it - Helicobacter Pylori will be killed due to probiotic supplementations.
Brain heath:
- There is a proven connection between the brain and the digestive tract, so much so that our food will also affect our mood by affecting the Vagus nerve.
- Supplements containing Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium infantis, Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus will help fight anxiety, depression and mood swings.
Sources of Probiotics: -
- Fermented Food
- Laboratory grown bacterias
- Colostrum - Initial breast milk
- Dairy source
Also Know: According to Ayurveda - Ancient Indian Medicine, we need to achieve balance in our body to stay healthy. Those who discovered it - Monks, used to live for 200 years or more! So, this is legitimate.
- Probiotics are the perfect supplements to achieve that balance.
Probiotics for Kids: -
- Kids have their microbiota developing and if given Probiotic supplements in the process, it will affect it for good, according to research.
- Which supplements to give are generally dependent upon the health of child and Doctor’s recommendations.
- We have given a supplement according to our research and it suits most of the kids.
Truth: We can reset our gut microbe via Probiotic supplements and Dietary Supplements.
Also, Exercise, Intermittent Fasting and healthy eating plays a role.
We also need to maintain a proper sleep/wake cycle - Circadian rhythm as bacteria in the gut also has circadian rhythm. Have you noticed when we do not sleep properly, we get constipation….It’s because of disturbed circadian rhythm of us and gut microbiome.
Interesting….!
Probiotic Foods: -
- There are certain food items - especially fermented foods - that have more quantity of good Bacteria.
- yogurt
- kefir
- sauerkraut
- Tempeh
- Kimchi
- Most of them have Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium that will help a person stay healthy. But, as we mentioned above, in diseases, supplementations are required.
Probiotic Drinks: -
- There are a lot of probiotic drinks available out there in the market, but their health benefits are not proven by studies. So, we do not recommend it to our readers.
Surprise: Microbiota is also called a “Forgotten Organ” as they work together like an organ, towards a common goal - Digestion.
Conclusion: -
- Probiotic supplements will increase the load of good bacteria in our gut and decrease the chances of disease. Almost all the body systems will be positively impacted by the effects of probiotics.
- Certain bacterial strains are must in probiotics depending on the condition for which you take the supplements.
That’s it. Everything about Probiotics….
Even after reading this, you have any questions or want to know more, feel free to leave a comment below...


