Probiotics are essential food for your gut. These are live microorganisms that offer a range of health benefits to boost your health by operating in your digestive system. It can be found in fermented foods and drinks, as well as in certain supplements.
By a process called lactofermentation that breaks down sugar and increases nutritional value, some aliments go through fermentation and become probiotics.
Therefore, foods and drinks like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso and tempeh are considered probiotics.
Research shows that when consumed regularly, they tend to restore and balance the gut microbiota, keeping a well-regulated digestive system, thus playing a significant role in the complete health of the body system.
07 potential benefits of probiotics are:
1- Improve gut health
The gut is often referred to as the "second brain". It holds a complex network of neurons responsible for regulating many digestive processes, while communicating with the body system via various pathways.
Therefore, eating and drinking probiotics promotes the balance of gut microorganisms, thus promoting overall gut and, consequently, body health.
2 - Minimize digestive disorders
Since those microorganisms found in probiotics are considered "friendly bacteria". They not only fight the bad ones, but also help to cultivate a good environment to keep a healthy gut.
Many digestive disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and lactose intolerance, involve an imbalance in gut bacteria.
Probiotic foods help restore this balance.
Besides, research also suggests that probiotics minimize bloating, abdominal pain, and constipation or diarrhea.
3 - Assist weight loss and blood sugar control
Probiotics can support weight loss efforts in several ways because it improves digestion and increases nutrient absorption.
For once, the satisfying sense of healthy meals can balance the body metabolism, especially in the long term. A diet plenty of nutrients provided by probiotics helps against cravings for sugar as well as for other unhealthy foods.
Likewise, it improves metabolism and increases the body's ability to burn fat, reducing storage and increasing the production of certain hormones that help burning fat.
4 - Reduce inflammation
By consuming probiotics, the body tends to avoid foods that are high in sugar, saturated fats, and processed foods, thus reducing inflammation that can be associated in many healthy problems.
Including probiotics in a daily diet helps the organism in fighting natural inflammation that occurs throughout the body by poor diet, environmental toxins, chronic infections, stress, lack of exercise, and other.
Besides, certain strains of probiotics have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce inflammation and lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
5 - Improve mental health
As said, the gut contains a complex network of neurons connected with the entire body system. Hence, it affects people’s general well-being, reverberating in mental health quality.
As recent research demonstrates, the gut microbiome plays an import role in mental health, as the consumption of probiotics tend to improve mood, reduce anxiety, and minimize episodes of depression.
6 - Improve skin health and oral health.
In both cases, skin health and oral health, probiotics can help by improving the digest system.
More specifically, probiotics may improve the skin health by reducing inflammation and promoting the growth of healthy bacteria on the skin's surface.
As relate to oral health, probiotics can reduce the growth of harmful bacteria in the mouth, preventing dental decay as well as bad breath.
7 - Boost immune system
The gut is a major part of the immune system, as it is home to numerous immune cells that help protect the body from harmful pathogens.
Probiotics help to maintain a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which can support the immune system and improve overall health.
Besides, probiotics have been shown to stimulate the immune system by increasing the production of antibodies and white blood cells, which can help prevent infections and other illnesses.
Last but not least
Summing up, it is possible to note the importance of including probiotics to your diet in a daily basis. As said, these ‘friendly bacteria’ benefit the entire body systems when combined to healthy meals, given excellent results in keeping your general health and wellbeing.
However, it is important to note that the benefits of probiotics can vary depending on the strain and dose consumed. For this reason, add it slowly to your daily diet, in and consult with a healthcare professional to find the best way to start it.
When starting, observe how your body responds to it and choose foods that you already know. If you go for new types of food that are not part of your culture and you never tried, get all the information about it and check if it is also good for your general heath.
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