The intestines are the body's largest microbial ecosystem, home to over 500 species of microorganisms and responsible for approximately 70% of our immune function. When probiotics can actively maintain a balanced intestinal flora, the body's immune system becomes more robust, reducing the risk of various diseases. Therefore, probiotics have been hailed as the "natural vaccines" of the future, holding significant potential for promoting health and preventing disease.
Ten reasons why modern people need probiotic supplements:
1. The amount of probiotics consumed in our diets is decreasing. Many modern foods and packaging increasingly use synthetic ingredients and contain artificial additives such as preservatives, thickeners, flavors, and fragrances. Excessive consumption of these processed foods is extremely detrimental to the survival and growth of probiotics in the body.
2. In today's society, delayed marriage and childbearing are common, and many older women are more likely to choose cesarean sections when giving birth. At the same time, due to insufficient breast milk or other reasons, infants are forced to use formula. This can easily lead to low levels of probiotics in both mothers and infants, resulting in congenital probiotic deficiencies. This not only affects the balance of intestinal flora but can also have long-term effects on immune function and digestive health.
3. With the development of urbanization and industrialization, environmental pollution is becoming increasingly severe, the ecological environment is deteriorating, and the quality of the air and water on which human survival depends is declining. Urban drinking water often requires purification technology at water plants, especially chlorine treatment. Chlorinated drinking water can harm the growth and reproduction of probiotics in the human body.
4. Modern people live in a hectic work and lifestyle, leading to increased stress. Probiotics are highly sensitive to stress. Excessive stress can disrupt hormonal balance, leading to a decrease in the number of beneficial bacteria, thus impacting the health of the intestinal flora and overall immune function.
5. Furthermore, excessive use of oral steroids or steroids for asthma (such as prednisone and other adrenal corticosteroids) can also reduce the number of probiotics in the body, disrupting the balance of the intestinal microbiome and affecting normal physiological function. Therefore, despite lifestyle or medication influences, supplementing with probiotics can help maintain a healthy intestinal flora and overall body function.
6. Modern people's diets are not balanced. A diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugars promotes the growth of harmful bacteria and yeast while inhibiting the reproduction of beneficial bacteria. A diet high in meat and low in fruits and vegetables can weaken the activity of probiotics. Plant-based foods often contain high levels of prebiotics, which are the preferred foods for probiotics and significantly promote their reproduction and growth. Compared to Western diets and habits, Asian or Eastern foods actually have many advantages, but unfortunately, Asian dietary habits are becoming increasingly Westernized.
7. The widespread and overuse of antibiotics can cause numerous side effects. Antibiotics kill both harmful bacteria and beneficial bacteria.
8. Frequent use of antacids and other acid-reducing medications reduces the acidity of the entire gastrointestinal tract, hindering the survival of probiotics.
9. Synthetic estrogens or certain hormone replacements taken in the form of oral contraceptives can significantly reduce the number of beneficial microorganisms in the body.
10. With economic globalization and the internationalization of markets, people are increasingly traveling across the country and around the world. The types and abundance of microorganisms in different environments and diets vary. Therefore, those who have just arrived in a new place are more likely to experience dysbiosis (a condition characterized by a disruption of the balance between normal microorganisms and the host, resulting in a series of symptoms characterized by disturbances in the normal microbiome) and a decrease in beneficial bacteria, which can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea and acclimatization.
Therefore, experts point out that to maintain human health, modern people need to regularly supplement with probiotics in the face of these adverse factors. In daily life, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and regularly consuming foods rich in probiotics, such as yogurt, cheese, kimchi, and other fermented foods, is the most economical and effective way to supplement with probiotics.
Probiotics and Digestive Health - Diarrhea
Diarrhea is an extreme symptom of abnormal excretion caused by an imbalance in intestinal flora. Severe diarrhea can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, while long-term chronic diarrhea can lead to anemia, vitamin deficiencies, malnutrition, and a weakened immune system.
Probiotics can quickly relieve diarrhea, produce acid, and create an environment that is inhospitable to harmful viruses and bacteria. They also inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and form a tight microbial barrier on the intestinal mucosa, blocking the invasion of pathogenic bacteria.
Probiotics and Digestive Health – Poor Diet, Picky Eating, Anorexia, Food Indigestion, and Bad Breath
When the number of probiotics in the body decreases, putrefactive bacteria may proliferate in the upper digestive tract, leading to poor appetite, picky eating, anorexia, and even bad breath. Therefore, while gums and teeth may be healthy, bad breath must originate from the digestive tract.
Some people believe that Chinese medicine practitioners are the preferred treatment for these problems. However, this is not the case. As the saying goes, "All medicines are toxic," and all medications should be used with caution. Probiotics, especially Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus acidophilus, can improve body function, spleen, and stomach function, increase appetite, and aid digestion and absorption. They have both protective and nutritional benefits and are hailed as the "vaccines" of the future. The human body must rely on its own strength to resist disease before resorting to medication. Therefore, the use of probiotics to address digestive issues deserves significant promotion, especially among children.
Probiotics and Colon Health
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): There are many causes, including food allergies, stress, lactose intolerance, mood swings, environmental factors, and hormone use. Mainstream medicine currently cannot fully explain this discomfort, nor can it completely cure it with medication. Multiple studies have found that patients have an imbalanced intestinal flora, with lower numbers of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium compared to healthy controls. Studies in Sweden and elsewhere have shown that taking a daily dose of probiotics can alleviate symptoms such as gas and cramping, or even completely cure them. Common symptoms include diarrhea, constipation, and bloating.
Inflammatory colitis: Symptoms include abdominal pain, bloody stools, intestinal cramping, and tenesmus.
Other diarrhea conditions: Improve diarrhea caused by acclimatization; alleviate rotavirus diarrhea; and prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea (pseudomembranous colitis). Probiotics with therapeutic effects on diarrhea include Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Saccharomyces boulardii.
Probiotics and Elderly Health
As society ages, greater attention needs to be paid to the health of the elderly. Aging leads to weakened organ function. Adequate nutrition, necessary dietary supplements, and regular exercise can help delay aging, prevent disease, and maintain health.
Constipation: Probiotics improve intestinal flora balance, promote spontaneous bowel movements, and reduce fecal enzyme activity. Combining specific probiotic strains with prebiotics or fiber can effectively address constipation in the elderly.
High cholesterol and high blood lipids: Probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus) have a cholesterol-removing effect; they can lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) and inhibit the reabsorption of cholesterol-carrying bile acids in the liver. Consistent daily supplementation with high-potency probiotic strains can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 6%-10%.
Prolonging life: A low-fat, low-calorie, high-fiber, high-probiotic diet is conducive to longevity; healthy elderly people have a large number of bifidobacteria in their intestines, which helps activate immune surveillance and immune clearance functions, and reduce aging and mutant cells; probiotics help the elderly achieve a high-quality life.
Probiotics and Skin Health
Allergies, Acne, and Eczema: Adequate probiotics reduce leaky gut, preventing toxins and allergens from entering the circulatory system, and achieving detoxification and skin-beautifying benefits. Studies in the 1960s found that probiotics regulate the gastrointestinal tract and significantly improve skin conditions in people with acne after two weeks. Children are more susceptible to eczema because their gastrointestinal flora is not yet fully established.
Biological Beauty and Detoxification: Healthy skin requires healthy gastrointestinal function. Skin problems indicate that toxins are trying to find a way through the skin. Probiotics can effectively address constipation, bloating, diarrhea, and allergies. They improve health from the inside out and maintain radiant skin. (This article is sourced from the internet and has been slightly modified. If there is any infringement, please contact us for prompt removal.)