Probiotic supplements are one of the best things you can do for your body. The unique microorganisms that we call beneficial bacteria dwell in your gut (intestinal tract), where they help maintain a healthy, balanced environment critical for overall health.
Although you can get probiotics from fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchee—and you should enjoy these foods–many people find that taking a high-quality probiotic supplement makes the most sense.
One primary reason to take a probiotic supplement is because you’ll know you are getting large amounts of many different beneficial bacteria. Another reason is that the prebiotic benefit you get from selected foods, though helpful because it feeds the bacteria you have, doesn’t provide sufficient active bacteria, nor the varieties that your body and mind need, for optimal function and well-being.
Also, if the foods have been pasteurized or processed, the likelihood of getting a viable prebiotic effect is even less.
Probiotic supplements, or just probiotics, aren’t just one kind of bacteria; Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are the primary types, with many different species within each genus and many strains in each species. You want to ingest a variety of probiotics because different strains provide other health benefits.
What are those benefits? Here are ten reasons you should take probiotics.
- Prevents and treats antibiotic-associated diarrhea. If you ever have to take an antibiotic for an infection such as bacterial pneumonia, there’s always the risk of developing diarrhea. Research has shown that probiotic supplements can help treat this condition successfully.
- Healthy cholesterol. How could beneficial bacteria lower cholesterol? That’s what scientists have been trying to find out. For now, investigators are working on several to uncover the mechanisms behind the ability of probiotics to reduce cholesterol and, as a result, help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Probiotics could be a part of your cholesterol-lowering plan.
- Banish depression and anxiety. Is there anyone who wants to take antidepressants or other drugs? Two probiotic strains, L. helvecticus longum and stress, have been effective in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression in people who have been diagnosed with clinical depression.
- Avoid diabetes. Studies suggest the intestinal environment significantly impacts critical factors of diabetes, including insulin resistance, inflammation, and body weight. Therefore, using probiotics makes sense to maintain a healthy bacterial balance in the gut. For example, a new study in the British Journal of Nutrition found that probiotic supplementation effectively prevented diet-induced insulin resistance in adults.
- Ward off the side effects of chemotherapy. The use of chemotherapy, especially 5-fluorouracil, is often associated with diarrhea. Those patients who receive chemotherapy for cancer may benefit from probiotics to help ward off these side effects. Another study reported that patients treated with 5-fluorouracil who were also administered L. rhamnosus GG experienced fewer stomach problems, less severe diarrhea, and had a shorter stay in the hospital than patients who did not take the probiotic.
- Probiotics beat drugs for diverticular disease. Those who experience uncomplicated diverticular disease (e.g., diverticulitis, diverticulosis) may benefit from probiotics. A one-year study compared a standard treatment medication (mesalazine), a probiotic (L. casei subsp. DG), and a placebo in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 210 individuals. The authors found that L. casei was as effective as mesalazine and that the combination of the two worked best.
- Bulletproof immune system function. In a recent study, numerous probiotic strains have been shown to boost immune function and help prevent common infections, such as the common cold and flu. It was reported that among children and adults with acute respiratory tract infections, the use of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains, compared with a placebo, was associated with fewer days of sickness, fewer days of illness per person, and fewer days missed from school or work. Another study found that using probiotics (L. plantarum and L. paracasei), compared with a placebo, reduced the risk of acquiring common cold infections and significantly reduced symptoms.
- Soothe symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Probiotics could be the answer to this gastrointestinal disorder. Beneficial bacteria can help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, including diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, and abdominal pain. For example, a recent double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment showed that a multi-strain probiotic supplement significantly improved gastrointestinal symptoms over 12 weeks.
- A lean, healthy body. Some strains of probiotics have been associated with dropping excess fat. Specifically, the use of Lactobacillus gasseri resulted in a loss of 8.5 percent of belly fat mass over three months in one study of more than 200 individuals, and the fat returned within four weeks when they stopped taking the supplement.
- Other research has shown that L. rhamnoses and Bifidobacterium lactis are beneficial for obesity prevention and weight loss.
- Eradicate ulcers. Helicobacter pylori has been linked to the development of ulcers, and probiotics can tackle these bacteria. Several studies, including a new review in Heliobacter, suggest probiotics can effectively reduce H. pylori infection and the occurrence of ulcers.
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