The market for probiotics is expected to rise from $16 billion in 2008 to $69.3 billion in 2023. This is an increase of 427% in only 15 years.
Research suggests that these minuscule organisms can provide a range of health benefits, especially in regards to the stomach. Their potential to treat a wide range of diseases and provide relief from symptoms explains the recent increase in usage.
Despite their popularity, you may not be familiar with these emerging methods of improving the body’s overall health. You may have several unanswered questions.
What are probiotics?
What can they do for me?
How should I take them?
Read our guide to understand everything you need to know about probiotics and learn the answers to these questions and more.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are a relatively complex type of microorganism. Despite years of research, the scientific community is not entirely sure how to describe them and the changes they tend to cause in the body.
To truly understand probiotics, you must learn about every part of them. This includes how they affect the microbiome, how they differ from other microorganisms, how they’re classified, and how they perform their critical functions.
The Microbiome
The body’s microbiome is made up of a wide variety of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Some are harmful, but some provide a range of health benefits and must be maintained in the proper amounts.
Microorganisms outnumber human cells 10 to 1 but only make up 1-3% of the body’s overall mass. Despite their small size, they have a major impact on our overall health. This makes it important to understand every part of the microbiome.
One of the most important components of the microbiome is probiotics. These live microorganisms provide a range of health benefits. They live throughout the human body, primarily residing in the stomach.
Probiotics are so crucial to our overall health that babies automatically receive the most necessary types upon exiting the birth canal.
Probiotics vs. Prebiotics and Synbiotics
As previously mentioned, there is a wide range of different types of microorganisms living in the body’s microbiome. Differentiating between them is a critical part of understanding how they all work.
Probiotics and prebiotics are often confused, but they are different in several ways.
A prebiotic is a nondigestible carbohydrate. It lives in and feeds all the bacteria in the stomach, including probiotics.
Prebiotics provide a similar range of health benefits such as treating gastrointestinal issues and aiding the immune system. They’re not as popular but can still be found in several types of medications and/or foods.
Synbiotics is a term for the effect that occurs when probiotics and prebiotics work together in the body. They combine both beneficial microorganisms to ensure that the best possible health benefits are achieved.
Classifying Probiotics
There are several types of probiotics to choose from. Each one is identified by factors such as its genus, species, and strain level.
Some of the most common types are lactobacillus, bifidobacteria, Saccharomyces boulardii, Streptococcus thermophilus, Enterococcus faecium, and Leuconostoc.
Each of these types comes from a different source. Some of the most common places to find probiotics are yeast, manufacturing, and the bodies of humans or various types of animals.
Each type also performs different functions that can provide different benefits. Examples include reducing lactose intolerance and maintaining the health of the entire digestive system.
Maintaining the proper levels of each type is the best way to maintain the body’s overall health. The body won’t work at its best without enough of each strain.
Strain level refers to how many microorganisms are in a specific source. More is not always better, but not having enough typically means you won’t notice any changes.
Once you know how to classify probiotics, you can make a proper choice when deciding which one to take. This makes it a necessary first step before adding them into your health routine in any way.
How Probiotics Work
Probiotics live throughout the body but tend to gather in the stomach and other places in the digestive tract. Doing so requires a difficult, long, and perilous journey.
In order to reach the stomach, probiotics must be able to withstand strong acid and other dangers. The more individuals in a colony, the more resistant they’ll become.
Once a probiotic reaches the stomach, it can begin its work. They perform several functions including releasing essential substances, aiding digestion, and more.
Probiotics that reach the stomach can provide a range of health benefits for anyone. It’s important to understand these to explain their increase in popularity and why you should also consider taking them.
What Are The Benefits of Probiotics?
Answering a question like what are probiotics is only the first step in adding these bacteria into your health routine. The next step is to learn the potential benefits they can provide.
Probiotics affect each body differently depending on factors such as age and gender. It’s important to know these potential effects ahead of time to see what a probiotic can treat.
Benefits for Children and Infants
As humans age, their nutritional requirements and the things they need to keep them healthy change. There are several unique benefits that probiotics can provide to infants and young children.
Colic is a common digestive problem in infants that causes severe pain. Probiotics can help relieve these symptoms and give parents peace.
Probiotics provide benefits to the entire body, and this includes the skin as well. Children with atopic issues like eczema may experience relief by taking probiotics.
Children are also more likely than adults to suffer from potentially severe allergies. Probiotics help regulate their impact by lessening the overactive immune response that causes any and all symptoms.
Benefits for Adults
Probiotics provide a range of additional health benefits to all adults who choose to take them. Examples include improved stomach health, less harmful bacteria, and improved immune response.
The human body contains trillions of bacteria, 80% of which live in the stomach. That is why maintaining a proper balance is so critical to digestive health.
Maintaining the proper balance of bacteria in the stomach is essential to keeping it healthy. Probiotics help the body do this in several ways.
The body can’t digest certain substances like fibers and resistant starches, but probiotics can. They also release helpful substances like fatty acids that strengthen the gut barrier and keep substances from escaping.
Probiotics are also effective at treating a variety of types of diarrhea thanks to their positive impact on the digestive system.
Probiotics are a type of bacteria that’s capable of reducing the numbers of other potentially harmful types of bacteria in the body.
Probiotics use the space and nutrients that less beneficial bacteria need to survive. This is one way that they reduce their numbers.
The other method is by producing bacteriocins. These substances resemble an antibiotic and are used by the immune system to remove harmful bacteria.
Probiotics can even improve your mood and alleviate the symptoms of mental illness.
The health of your stomach and brain are closely linked. Studies suggest that probiotics may reduce symptoms of depression. Signals from the stomach reach and affect the brain, and regulating them can provide relief.
Benefits for Women
There are specialized probiotics for women, but these aren’t necessary to get the full benefits. The important thing to understand is the specific benefits that a probiotic regiment can provide to all women.
Yeast infections are caused by an overabundance of bacteria. Probiotics can remove the offending microorganisms and speed up healing.
Probiotics are an essential part of overall vaginal health. The area contains a rich microbiome that must be carefully regulated.
Women are also more prone to mental health issues such as depression or severe stress than men. Probiotics can provide relief in this area while also keeping the body’s microbiome happy and healthy.
Women, men, and children can benefit from adding probiotics into their healthy routine as long as they choose the best one for their needs at the right dosage.
How Can I Get Probiotics?
Probiotics aren’t just numerous in the human body. They’re easy to find in a variety of other sources, but you must know where to look if you want to enjoy the numerous benefits they provide.
Supplements and other forms of medication are the most common ways to get more probiotics. There are also food and drinks to add to your daily diet that are rich in these beneficial bacteria.
Supplements and Medication
Due to their popularity, there are currently a range of different supplements and pills that can be taken orally to increase your body’s overall concentration of probiotics. They differ in a variety of factors such as colony size and effectiveness.
The concentration of bacteria in a supplement is measured in CFU or colony-forming units. The research has not determined the exact CFU that any single person needs, and you must remember that more is not always better.
A probiotic prescribed by a doctor will provide the most benefits. They can help you choose which one you truly need and which strains will help relieve any symptoms or treat any diseases you may suffer from.
Food and Drink
Providing infants with enough probiotics is not as difficult as it sounds. Breastmilk naturally contains several colonies, and many brands of formula are fortified with them as well.
It becomes more difficult to regulate your microbiome when you start eating solid foods. Fortunately, there are several types of food you can eat to get more probiotics into your diet. Some of the best are fermented options like sauerkraut and kimchi. Other options include yogurt and kefir.
There are also probiotic drinks available. Fermented drinks such as kombucha will provide the most powerful effect.
Dairy products in general have some of the highest concentrations of probiotics. Consult with your doctor on how to change your diet to allow for a higher concentration of these beneficial bacteria.
Adding Other Microorganisms
As previously mentioned, the organisms in the body’s microbiome must work together to maintain health. Even if you’re getting plenty of probiotics from food and supplements alone, it may be worth considering adding other microorganisms as well.
Prebiotics are an essential food source for probiotics and other microorganisms the body needs to survive. Taking both at the same time will increase the odds of large colonies surviving, leading to the largest health benefits.
A synbiotic environment is the best for your overall health, as it allows all the microorganisms in your body to work together to keep you healthy. Try to find products that utilize probiotics and prebiotics whenever possible to get this effect.
Whichever method you choose to get more probiotics into your body, make sure that you can implement it into your daily routine. Consistency is essential here as the proper gut bacteria ratios must be constantly maintained.
What Are The Best Probiotics?
There’s an insane number of different types and formulations of probiotics available today. It can be difficult to choose the best one for your needs.
You should always talk to your doctor first before you consider adding probiotics to your health routine. They’ll help you determine the best brand and dosage.
Not all probiotics are made equal, and their quality differs greatly. Some options are not as powerful or beneficial as others. Try ProbioZen, a brand that offers effective probiotics for everyone.
The best probiotic for you depends on your individual needs, age, gender, and a variety of other factors. It’s important to carefully choose the best strain and brand to get the most benefits.
Where Can I Learn More?
It’s important to understand the answers to questions like what are probiotics and how can they help me. The microbiome is a widespread part of the body that affects our total health in a variety of ways.
Each individual who takes probiotics may experience different effects. An option that works for one patient may not be as beneficial for another.
Consult with your doctor to choose the best possible probiotic. Read the rest of our content and keep checking back for more information.
