1:55pm | In conjunction with the Whole Foods market in Long Beach and the Meetup.com group “Health Lovers Club,” I recently spoke on the ‘Power of Probiotics’ to a health-conscious group of folks.
So what are Probiotics?
Meaning “for life,” probiotics are living microorganisms that provide health benefits to the host. First discovered by Nobel Laurete Eli Metchnikoff, he observed a group of individuals in Bulgaria who had incredible longevity, from drinking milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria. The strain later isolated that showed to produce the health effects was titled “Lactobacillus Bulgaricus.”
The effects probiotics have on the human organism have yet to be fully realized but research has shown benefits in the following areas.
– Increase Immunity: Increase T helper cells, cytokines and natural killer cells.
– Decrease Allergy: Food allergy, and other hypersensitivity reactions
– Improved Digestion
– Decreased Inflammation
Where do Probiotics work?
They have been shown to strengthen the digestive system also known as the Gut. The Gut has been titled the “second brain” because it produces more neurotransmitters such as serotonin than the brain does.
The best source of food to get probiotics are: fermented foods and beverages such as Kefir, Organic unprocessed Olives, Sauerkraut, and Kombucha tea to name a few.
There is a current Probiotic craze with many different foods containing “Probiotics.” But many products are being found to not contain the strains that the product claims. For instance, there is a current lawsuit against Activia yogurt over the suspected charges that the yogurt contained no beneficial strains of microorganisms.