5 Benefits of Probiotics for Overall Health

More and more studies show that the balance or imbalance of bacteria in your digestive system is linked to overall health and disease. An imbalance means there are too many bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria. It can happen due to illness, medication such as antibiotics, poor diet, and more.

Probiotics promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria and have been linked to a wide range of health benefits. Probiotics are live microorganisms found most commonly in foods like yogurt, miso, tempeh and other fermented soy and dairy products. Unfortunately, consuming foods that contain probiotics do not contain enough organisms to improve and restore health.

5 Benefits of Probiotics

1.  Prevent and Reduce GI Issues. Probiotics are widely known for their ability to prevent diarrhea or reduce its severity. Diarrhea is a common side effect of taking antibiotics. It occurs because antibiotics can negatively affect the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. Probiotics can also help with other forms of diarrhea not associated with antibiotics.

2. Improve Mood. An increasing number of studies link gut health to mood and mental health. Research shows taking probiotics may help improve symptoms of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, stress, and memory, among others. Ninety percent of the neurotransmitter, serotonin, which controls our mood, appetite, and sleep, is produced in the gut.

3. Keep Your Heart Healthy. Probiotics may help keep your heart healthy by lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and blood pressure. Certain lactic acid-producing bacteria may reduce cholesterol by breaking down bile in the gut. Bile, a naturally occurring fluid mostly made of cholesterol, helps digestion.
By breaking down bile, probiotics can prevent it from being reabsorbed in the gut, where it can enter the blood as cholesterol.

4. Give Your Immune System a Boost. Probiotics may help give your immune system a boost and inhibit the growth of harmful gut bacteria. Probiotics are beneficial to the host organism in many ways and may support a healthy immune system. Gastrointestinal health is important because eighty percent of our immune system is found in our gut. Also, some probiotics have been shown to promote the production of natural antibodies in the body.

5. Weight Loss. Probiotics may help with weight loss through a number of different mechanisms. For example, some probiotics prevent the absorption of dietary fat in the intestine. The fat is then excreted rather than stored in the body. Probiotics may also help you feel fuller for longer, burn more calories and store less fat. This is partly caused by increasing levels of certain hormones, such as GLP-1.