Probiotics are foods and supplements containing live bacteria, which can promote gut health. Our digestive system is home to all kinds of ‘good’ bacteria. Consuming probiotics that contain these good bacteria can support a healthy gut. Probiotics often contain one of two types of bacteria: lactic acid (LAB) or bifidobacteria. Lactic acid bacteria are commonly used in fermented foods like yoghurt.
What are some sources of probiotics?
Yoghurt
The most readily available probiotic products in supermarkets are yoghurts and yoghurt drinks. These are popular because they’re easy to add to your diet. Yoghurt with fresh fruit can be a great breakfast, dessert or afternoon snack. Yoghurt can be a healthy addition to your diet. Research has shown that eating yoghurt can be associated with lower obesity and reduced risk of heart disease.
Yoghurt can also be a great source of protein. The most common varieties (dessert, fruit, flavoured and organic yoghurts) often have 4.0-4.5g/100g of protein per portion. This can be helpful if you follow a particular food plan and want to reach a protein goal.
Other probiotic foods
Probiotics can be found in many fermented foods (foods with added bacteria). Simply adding these kinds of foods to your diet could help you get more good bacteria into your gut:
- Kefir – a fermented milk drink
- Tempeh – a fermented soybean product
- Kimchi – salted and fermented vegetables, normally radish or cabbage
- Kombucha – fermented black or green tea
- Miso – Japanese seasoning made from fermented soybeans
- Natto – fermented soybeans
- Sauerkraut – fermented cabbage
Soft or aged cheese and green olives are also good sources of probiotics.
Remember, a healthy diet is balanced and varied, with carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Read our healthy eating guide for more advice.
Food supplements
Do you struggle to get probiotic-rich foods into your diet? Supplements are another option that means you won’t need to change your diet. These can be bought from your local pharmacy or health food shop. Probiotic supplements tend to come in capsule, tablet, or chew form, or sometimes as a powder.
Popular probiotic supplement brands include:
- Nutri Within
- Bio-Kult
- Pink
- HealthAid
The NHS suggests taking probiotic supplements or eating a probiotic food every day for four weeks to see if there’s any effect on your digestion and gut health.
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What are the potential benefits of probiotics?
Probiotics are thought to have a few benefits for the body. If you’ve been sick or had a treatment that’s affected your gut, taking probiotics could help restore normal gut health. For example, the NHS advises that probiotics can help ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and prevent diarrhoea when taking antibiotics – you can learn more about this in the sections below.
More generally, probiotics are thought to do the following:
- Increase the amount of ‘good’ bacteria (healthy organisms) in your gut
- Reduce the amount of ‘bad’ bacteria in your gut
- Strengthen the digestive system against harmful substances
- Reduce inflammation in the gut
Probiotics for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) causes stomach pain, cramps, bloating, diarrhoea, or constipation. IBS symptoms are often triggered by alcohol, caffeine, spicy or fatty foods, stress and anxiety. If you think you have irritable bowel syndrome, you should visit your GP. They may suggest trying probiotics to ease the symptoms described above.
Probiotics when you’re taking antibiotics
Taking antibiotics can strip out the ‘good’ bacteria from your gut, allowing ‘bad’ bacteria to thrive. This is why antibiotics can sometimes cause diarrhoea. If you must take antibiotics, your GP may recommend probiotics to help avoid an upset stomach.
Does gut health improve mental health?
There have been recent and surprising scientific findings suggesting that having a healthy gut could contribute to better mental health. It’s thought that if the bacteria in our gut are unhealthy, including if they are affected by diseases that damage the gut, they could increase symptoms of mental health conditions.
Mental health and similar problems that may be impacted by gut health include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Memory loss
One way to try and look after your gut bacteria is by eating a healthy diet to ensure you get all the nutrients you need.
It can be challenging to change what you eat and just as hard to stick to your new diet. Our guide to creating healthy habits can give you the motivation and guidance to make positive health changes.
What is the gut-brain axis?
The gut-brain axis is an idea from scientists who found connections between the gut and brain work both ways. While it’s long been understood that the brain can affect the gut through nerve signals, it wasn’t known how much the gut could affect the brain. The gut can release signals through nerves, hormones or other chemicals, affecting your brain. These signals may be affected by your diet, gut health or the microbes that live inside you.
The bacteria in your gut (sometimes called the microbiome) are sensitive to its health. If your gut is inflamed, chemicals produced by the bacteria can leak into the blood, affecting your brain and altering your mood.
Are probiotics safe and effective?
Probiotics are considered a food or supplement rather than a medicine. This means they aren’t regulated in the same strict ways as medicines, and it’s not always easy to tell what a product contains. In clinical studies, probiotics are an effective treatment for gut problems. A health food shop or supermarket product may not contain enough bacteria or the right kind of bacteria to make a difference.
The NHS considers probiotics safe for people with a healthy immune system. If you aren’t sure whether probiotics are right for you, you should speak to your GP before taking them.
A final note on probiotics
Probiotics are available in a wide variety of foods. They may be helpful to some medical conditions or even to improve your general health. There may even be a link between probiotics and better mental health.
To find out if probiotics can work for you, explore our probiotics and friendly bacteria options. For more advice about living a healthy lifestyle, discover guides to supplements on a vegan diet and the 13 essential vitamins.
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References
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6144340
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641835
https://patient.info/digestive-health/irritable-bowel-syndrome-leaflet/probiotics-and-prebiotics
www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/top-probiotic-foods
www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/good-foods-to-help-your-digestion
www.nhs.uk/conditions/probiotics
www.nhs.uk/conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs/symptoms
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