Bacteria are small, single-celled organisms found almost everywhere on Earth, and they have a vital and important role in maintaining the planet's ecosystems.
Your body is filled with bacteria more than you think or imagine, as some studies estimate that the human body contains more bacterial cells than human cells (1), while other studies indicate that bacteria exceed the number of human cells in the human body by at least 10: 1 (2)
You might be asking yourself now, are so many bacteria harmful and causing you health problems?
The answer is no, as most bacteria in the body are harmless, and some are even beneficial.
There are relatively few types of bacteria that cause disease.
Among the bacteria that are useful to support and enhance your health are those bacteria in your gut, which are called "probiotics" and also called "healthy bacteria" or "friendly bacteria for human health". These bacteria have been linked to many health benefits, such as: weight loss, improving digestion, enhancing Immune function, obtaining healthier and fresh skin, in addition to reducing the risk of some diseases (3), so that some health benefits were attributed to this type of bacteria in enhancing immunity to confront the emerging corona virus. (4) To learn more about probiotics and their potential benefits, continue. We have the following lines.
A very important task of probiotics is to restore the natural balance of gut bacteria, that is, to maintain a healthy fit between the good bacteria and the bad bacteria.
Over time and with the use of some medications, especially antibiotics, the healthy bacteria in your gut can be depleted, because the antibiotics kill many of the natural bacteria in your gut, which changes the balance of the intestine and allows harmful types to grow. Also, some diseases and malnutrition can lead to the result. itself.
When probiotics are reduced, the consequences can include digestive problems, allergies, some mental health problems, obesity, and others, as well as your body may struggle to absorb and use nutrients from your food, and it also faces difficulties in fighting viruses and infection and maintaining a healthy body. (5)
You can get probiotics from nutritional supplements, as well as from foods prepared through bacterial fermentation.
Examples of foods containing probiotics include yogurt, kefir (a fermented milk drink), sauerkraut (cabbage), tempeh, and kimchi. (6)
Probiotics contain a variety of microorganisms, the most common of which are bacteria belonging to groups called "Lactobacillus" and "Bifidobacterium".
Different types of probiotics have different effects, for example if a certain type of "Lactobacillus" helps prevent a disease, this does not necessarily mean that another type of "Lactobacillus" or "Bifidobacterium probiotics" may do the same thing. (7)
Types of probiotics
According to scientific studies, there are a number of health benefits you can achieve from probiotics, including:
Manufacture of vitamins and processing fiber:
Intestinal bacteria perform many important health functions, as they manufacture some vitamins, including vitamin K and some B vitamins.
It also converts fiber into short-chain fats, which nourish the intestinal wall and perform many metabolic functions (8).
Impact on the health of the digestive system:
Probiotics may also help in the fight against irritable bowel syndrome, which is a common disorder that leads to many annoying symptoms, such as: gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, in addition to other symptoms, there is still conflict between studies in determining the extent of Efficacy of probiotic supplementation for the treatment of IBS.
While a review of 7 studies indicated an improvement in IBS with probiotic supplements, four studies did not confirm this. (9)
Probiotics and mental health support:
Research has shown that the gut and brain are connected to a system called the cerebral enterovirus axis.
This axis connects the central nervous system and the enteric nervous system in the body, where the latter controls the digestive process.
Some research shows that some gut microbes can affect your brain through this axis.
Some researchers suggest that for some people, taking certain strains of probiotics may be more effective for dealing with mental stress, loneliness and sadness than taking psychiatric drugs, which help treat cognitive and neurological disorders such as autism, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
A review of about 15 studies also found that taking Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus supplements for one to two months can improve anxiety disorders, depression, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and memory impairment (11).
Probiotics and facing skin diseases:
Probiotics are of great importance in facing some skin diseases, including acne.
According to Science Direct magazine, probiotics have been shown to have a very promising effect in dealing with chronic acne.
The effectiveness of probiotics in combating acne comes from their role in regulating bacteria, as they help prevent harmful bacteria to the skin from growing, which in turn prevents the emergence of acne, which is caused by harmful bacteria on clogged skin pores.
Therefore, probiotics are linked to a healthy, clear complexion (12).
Also, certain strains of probiotics may reduce the severity of eczema in children and infants. Eczema is a condition in which the skin becomes red and itchy, and it is a common disease in children, but it can occur at any age.
One study found that symptoms of eczema improved in infants fed probiotic milk fortified, compared to infants fed formula without the probiotics. (13)
Probiotics help prevent and treat diarrhea:
Diarrhea is a common side effect of taking antibiotics.
This happens because antibiotics can negatively affect the balance between good and bad bacteria in the gut, and several studies indicate that using probiotics is associated with a 42% lower risk of developing antibiotic-related diarrhea. (14)
Probiotics can also help treat other diarrhea conditions not associated with antibiotics, as they have been shown to reduce the risk of developing traveler's diarrhea by 8%. (15)
Probiotics may help boost your immune system:
Probiotics may help boost your immune system and inhibit the growth of harmful gut bacteria (16). Certain probiotics have also been shown to boost the production of natural antibodies in the body (17).
A large review found that taking probiotics reduced the likelihood and duration of respiratory infections. (18) Another study involving more than 570 children found that consuming some types of probiotics reduced the frequency and severity of respiratory infections by 17%. (19)
Some researchers suggest that improving your gut microbiome by taking probiotic supplements and including probiotic foods in your diet may be an effective strategy for improving your immune defenses against the emerging coronavirus. (20)
It is known that "Covid-19" harms the body's immune defense (21), by triggering the virus infection to an immune response known as a cytokine storm, during this response the body releases a storm of excessive inflammatory cytokines, with the aim of increasing the immune activity of cells.
However, these cytokines are thought to be the leading cause of disease deterioration and death.
Cytokines are glycoproteins, found in the dozens, that are used to communicate and transmit signals between immune cells.
In times of these "storms", these proteins spread to different places of the body, not just in the affected areas, and begin to attack healthy cells, devour white and red blood cells, and destroy the liver.
The increased number of these proteins exceeds normal levels, may render the immune system unable to control or stop them. (22)
In this regard, researchers believe that probiotic supplements may help speed up recovery from the Coronavirus by dampening or reducing a "cytokine storm". (23) People with "Covid-19" have also reported gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and pain. Abdomen and loss of appetite, some researchers believe that probiotics can help prevent corona virus by stopping the virus from invading gastrointestinal cells. (24)
Finally, imbalances in the intestinal flora are also associated with lung disease and respiratory infections.
So researchers suggest that correcting these imbalances may promote optimal lung health, which may help protect against pathogens such as the emerging coronavirus (25).
There are some probiotic-rich foods that you can include in your diet to get these healthy bacteria from their natural sources, including these foods (26):
Yogurt:
Yogurt is one of the best sources of probiotics. Eating yogurt is associated with many health benefits, including improving bone health, and it is also beneficial for people with high blood pressure.
Keep in mind that not all yogurts contain probiotics.
In some cases, live bacteria are killed during treatment.
For this reason, be sure to choose yogurt that contains probiotics.
Kefir:
kefir or Indian mushroom is a fermented milk that originates in the Caucasus region, this drink is made by placing kefir grains in fresh cow or goat milk.
Kefir is not a pill, but rather a colony of microorganisms, which contain a variety of yeasts and bacteria such as lactic acid bacteria, making it a versatile and powerful probiotic.
Kefir is associated with multiple health benefits, such as: improving bone health, treating some digestive problems, and protecting against infections.
Sauerkraut:
Sauerkraut is cabbage that is finely chopped and fermented with lactic acid bacteria.
Sauerkraut has a sour and salty taste and can be stored for several months in an airtight container.
In addition to being rich in probiotics, sauerkraut is also rich in fiber, as well as vitamins such as "C", "B" and "K", as it contains iron and manganese.
But be sure to choose unpasteurized sauerkraut, as pasteurization kills live and active bacteria.
Tempeh:
Tempeh is a fermented soybean product.
In addition to getting probiotics, fermented soy can also get some vitamin B12.Vitamin B12 is found primarily in animal foods, such as meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs.
This makes tempeh a great choice for vegetarians and anyone looking to add probiotics to their diet.
Pickles:
Pickles are like pickled cucumbers, which are cucumbers that are placed in a solution of salt and water, and then left to ferment for some time.
Through naturally occurring lactic acid bacteria, pickled cucumbers are a great source of probiotic bacteria.
But keep in mind that pickles are also high in sodium, so be careful, and it should also be noted that vinegar pickles do not contain live probiotics.
Curd:
The term
curd
refers to a group of fermented dairy drinks, and there are two main types of curd: traditional and cultivated.
Traditional buttermilk is the liquid left over from making butter, and it is the type that contains probiotics, and the cultivated yogurt commonly found in stores does not contain probiotics.
Some types of cheese:
Although most cheeses are fermented, this does not mean that all of them contain probiotics.
Therefore it is important to check the labels on the cheeses you buy to see if they contain probiotics or not.
As with anything, consuming probiotics is not without its side effects.
In the first few days of taking a probiotic supplement, you may experience digestive side effects, such as gas or mild stomach discomfort, and gradually your digestion should start to improve.
Probiotics can lead to serious infections in people with weakened immune systems, including those with HIV and many other conditions (27). If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before taking a probiotic supplement.
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