Home Should you try out probiotic drinks?
Local News

Should you try out probiotic drinks?

health supplement
(© Pixel-Shot – stock.adobe.com)

Probiotics are good bacteria that are naturally found in the body. Your body produces both good and bad bacteria constantly. The harmful bacteria increase when your body has an infection that knocks the immune system out of balance. On the other hand, good bacteria aid in getting rid of excess harmful bacteria and maintain balance.

Probiotics are substances that aid in keeping your body healthy and functioning as it should. They help to eliminate harmful bacteria and enhance the process of recovery. Probiotics involve your microbiome (a group of organisms in your body that work together to keep it healthy).

Mostly, microbes or probiotics are found living in the gut, particularly the large intestines. However, several other locations host probiotics in or on your body, including the mouth, stomach, vagina, urinary tract, lungs, and skin.

Sometimes, the body can deplete the good bacteria leaving harmful bacteria to work. This makes it difficult for the body to fight them off and hence weakening the immune system. To prevent this, you can load up on probiotic intake to help keep the body healthy and well-functioning. You can obtain plenty of probiotics from food products, supplements, and even a probiotic drink can go a long way. Drinks containing probiotics include yogurt and other fermented beverages of your choice.

i. Bring balance to the bacteria in the system

Consuming probiotic drinks helps to strike a balance between the bacteria in your digestive system. As mentioned, probiotics can restore and regulate the natural balance of bacteria in the gut. This means that when there are too many bad bacteria in the gut, the good bacteria outnumber and overpowered. The imbalance leads to digestive complaints, allergies, obesity, and even mental health conditions. Taking fermented drinks rich in probiotics will increase the good bacteria in the gut, which will help fight the infections.

ii. Treating and preventing diarrhea

When there is a bacterial imbalance in the gut, it causes diarrhea. This can occur as a side effect of consuming antibiotics. The consumption of antibiotics renders the good bacteria in the body useless, which increases the harmful bacteria. Drinking probiotic drinks can help reduce the severity of diarrhea and prevent it. How effective the probiotic drink is will depend on the type and consumption.

iii. Promote healthy heart

Probiotic drinks lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. These drinks also increase lactic acid production in the body, which breaks down bile in the gut, hence reducing cholesterol. Probiotics also prevent the broken-down bile from reabsorption into the gut.

iv. Reducing allergy and eczema severity

Introducing probiotic drinks to children and infants can help reduce the severity of eczema. Additionally, having probiotic drinks while pregnant minimizes the development of eczema in children during their first two years. If you have allergic reactions to milk or dairy products, consuming probiotic drinks can reduce inflammation responses.

 v. Boost the immune system

Probiotics are good microbes that mostly live in the gut. Therefore, consuming probiotic drinks help increase in number and promote good bacteria. Doing this also prevents the growth of harmful bacteria in the stomach, thus boosting your immune system.

Some probiotics help produce natural antibodies in the body to boost immune cells. People who consume probiotic drinks are not easily affected by respiratory infections. Even if they get the infections, the probiotics help minimize the severity and frequency.

vi. Losing weight

Studies show that consuming probiotic drinks may help cut down on weight and belly fat. Some probiotics in the drink inhibit the absorption of dietary fat in the gut, excreted in the form of fecal matter. Probiotic drinks get you full for long, which prevents you from eating more, thus burning more calories.

Conclusion

Probiotic drinks are beneficial to people from all walks of life as they help lead a healthy lifestyle. The best way to consume your probiotics is mainly through drinks.

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.