Bacteria. Those pesky little microbes that will be the death of us all. Right?
Not quite so fast. A little time reading the last of our three-part basic supplementation guide, A New You for the New Year, and you’ll see bacteria are not universally evil.
First we discussed a good, natural, whole food vitamin. Last week we looked at the host of benefits surrounding essential fatty acids, most of which we do not manufacture ourselves, and today we’ll have a quick look at probiotics.
Pro-bi-what? There’s been a lot of talk and interest generated over the last few years concerning probiotics. Let’s start with a definition, one from the World Health Organization (WHO, which under no circumstances should be confused with Pete Townsend and his cohorts.)
The good folks at WHO define probiotics as "live microorganisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host."
Right. You better, you better, you bet. In simpler terms: bacteria that are good for you.
As you sit here reading this you already have 400 – 500 strains of living, churning microflora or bacteria buzzing about in your intestine performing a myriad of functions.
These bacteria, flourishing in and about your body, are essential to proper immune function, digestion and protection against other disease-causing microorganisms.
Though a few probiotics are yeasts, most are bacteria falling into two broad categories, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, with various strains falling under each class. Many are found in naturally cultured or fermented foods such as miso, tempeh, yogurt and kefir.
If you doubt the need for these “good bacteria” think about the last time you or someone you know required heavy dosages of antibiotics. A healthy shot of antibiotic not only targets and kills the bad bacterial infection, it also eliminates the necessary good bacteria.
Can any one say diarrhea and spell it correctly?
In addition to replentishing the host with necessary flora, probiotics have been beneficially linked to several digestive conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, yeast and other urinary tract infections.
There are also studies underway that suggest probiotics may reduce the recurrence of bladder cancer and be helpful in teating eczema in children.
New Chapter cultures its bacterial strains in a whole food medium and then freeze-dries the culture-laden medium to preserve it.
Jarro-Dophilus remains stable at room temperature and promotes healthy intestinal flora.
So, there it is. A quick dose of supplementation in three easy steps - a new you for the new year. Time’s a wastin back here. Which vitamin do you want me box and ship?