Probiotics are living microorganisms that can help to promote gut health. Most commonly known are lactic acid bacteria, a probiotic found in dairy products like yoghurt and cottage cheese. Probiotics are also sold as nutritional supplements in the form of powders and capsules.
Probiotics are living microorganisms that can help to promote gut health. Most commonly known are lactic acid bacteria, a probiotic found in dairy products like yoghurt and cottage cheese. Probiotics are also sold as nutritional supplements in the form of powders and capsules.
Impervious to stomach acid
Most probiotics are lactic acid bacteria such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. In Micropia you can see one of the the best known of these, Lactobacillus casei, a bacterium that occurs naturally in the human body. Being more or less impervious to stomach acid, many kinds of probiotics can survive the journey into the intestines, where they can then boost gut health.
Bacterial balance
Illness and medications can disrupt the intestinal balance of good and bad bacteria. If harmful bacteria gain the upper hand, your health may be compromised. Probiotics can help to reduce intestinal complaints and allergic symptoms by restoring the gut's bacterial balance. They also rev up the immune system, making you less likely to get sick. To date, science has not yet been able to deliver conclusive evidence of the positive health effects of probiotics. However, Micropia Professor Remco Kort, affiliated with VU Amsterdam and the applied scientific research organisation TNO, has researched probiotics that are effective against antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. These are now listed in the Dutch National Guide to clinically proven probiotics.
Prebiotics
Complementary to probiotics are prebiotics. Prebiotics are nondigestible food fibres and carbohydrates that promote the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the large intestine. Found in many plant-based foods, including fruit, vegetables and grains, prebiotics can also be taken as supplements. Some supplements even contain prebiotics and probiotics, a combination known as synbiotics.