Go Pro-biotics

Not all bacteria is bad, after all.

Your body is home to a lot, and I mean A LOT of teeny tiny creatures called microbes. You have trillions of them on and throughout your body — but mostly in your digestive tract. Collectively known as the gut microbiome, this community has a remarkable affect on your health. It’s a combination of fungi (including yeasts), bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.

Within your digestive tract, there are thousands of different species of bacteria, both helpful and potentially harmful kinds. The key is balance, and a number of factors can throw it off — for example, sleep deprivation, stress, or poor diet.

If imbalanced, a number of cellular functions may be disrupted, which brings me to probiotics. I’m sure you’ve heard of them, they’re all the rage these days because they may influence the composition of the gut microbiome by adding good bacteria to the gut. Having more good than bad bacteria can assist in disease prevention and treatment, as outnumbered bad bacteria wouldn’t stand a chance.

Everything from mood, metabolism, immunity, inflammation, digestion and nutrient absorption depends on the state of your microbiome.

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are live microorganisms that are mostly bacteria, but also include yeasts, “which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host” (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization).They are naturally found in fermented foods and also available for supplementation.

Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics are said to improve gut health by enhancing digestion and vitamin production, as well as fight against disease-causing microorganisms, remove toxins from the body, promote immunity, weight loss, and general health. Probiotics can benefit treatment and prevention of diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, intestinal tract infections, and others.

Supplementing Probiotics

Probiotic supplements are a good way to increase the friendly bacteria in the gut, creating the environment needed to keep things in tip-top shape. That being said, I know probiotic supplements are not the easiest to decipher, so let’s break down the labels to bring some clarity. Rest assured, it’s easier to understand them than you think.

Interpreting Probiotic Cultures’ Names

Somewhere on the packaging, the product will list the cultures it contains — because remember, not all bacteria are the same, and each strain will have different effects. Each culture is identified by 3 parts: its genus, species, and strain.

In lactobacillus acidophilus LA02, for example, “Lactobacillus” is the genus, “Acidophilus” is the species, and “UALa-01” is the strain.

USA Labs explains it best: “Genus is the strain’s extended family. It shares the name, ‘Lactobacillus’ with several other species, but their mutual traits are fairly general.”

“Species is the strain’s immediate family. It has siblings with similar traits and properties, but like you and your siblings, different species of probiotics have different abilities and serve different purposes.”

“Then the strain is the simplest level of identification, like a person. Just like you, a strain can be unique in some of its properties while remaining recognizable as a member of the family.”

Measuring Probiotics

Probiotics are measured in colony forming units (CFU), or viable cells. This can range, but most contain 1 to 10 billion CFU per dose, and some even up to 50 billion CFU or more.

Be sure to check the label for the number of CFU at the end of the product’s shelf life and NOT just at the time of manufacturing, since probiotics must be alive for their benefits. This should be indicated on the packaging.

Shelf stable or Refrigerated

Probiotic strains can be very delicate and need to be protected from elements like light, heat, oxygen, and humidity. Otherwise, they may break down or die. Refrigeration can keep them viable to ensure you receive optimal benefits.

Again, read the label for proper storage instructions and consume within the expiration date.

Choosing Probiotic Supplements:

• Opt for at least 10 billion CFU of the two most researched bacteria likely to help you: Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. Probiotics are also made up of good yeast. The most common type of yeast found in probiotics is Saccharomyces boulardii.
• Research or talk to a health care provider to know which strains you need for the benefits you are looking for, because — and I hate to sound like a broken record — but not all strains are the same, and different strains can provide different benefits.
• Get a probiotic with a special coating, known as an “enteric” coating, that is said to increase the number of cells that survive past the acidic stomach and into the small intestine.
• Check for reputable brands.
• Stick to the same probiotic for at least 4 weeks, as it takes time to notice a positive change or not.

Probiotics in Food

Fermented dairy products and foods — think yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso, and kombucha — are rich sources of live and potentially beneficial microbes. However, not every kind contains probiotics, so look out for products that contain “live and active cultures” so you get the benefits.

Feeding the Good Bacteria

Consuming probiotics is like planting a garden of bacteria for our microbiome, it doesn’t come without feeding that good bacteria, and prebiotics are its favourite food. Prebiotics are non-digestible carbohydrates that feed the gut microbiota and produce beneficial short-chain fatty acids as a result.

With many health benefits, they are quite the hot topic in human health, and a number of supplements exist already — there’s even supplements that that combine pro- and prebiotics, and it’s called a synbiotic. And contrast to probiotics, you can effectively get prebiotics from food, and without having to worry about storage conditions! Just up your fibre with plant intake, such as greens, onions, garlic, chicory root, and artichokes.