The bacteria living in your gut are known as probiotics, while prebiotics are components that help feed these probiotics. Probiotics are also known as friendly bacteria. Stores sell food products and dietary supplements with probiotics. Probiotics are offered as accessible health drinks that can benefit every person. These mass produced food are also being offered online. Some firms even go for door to door campaigns. Some are in the form of supplements. These items are perishable and must be within the refrigerator when someone does not intend to consume them when possible. The shelf life of foods with probiotics is very short.
Aside from Pharmax, one can find many products around that come with probiotics. Some familiar products that contain probiotics are fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir are the most common sources for probiotics. Cheese and buttermilk products also make great food that contain probiotics. These products can neutralize stomach acid, which makes them ideal as probiotic supplements.
So far, the efficacy of probiotics remains to be up for debate. Inflammatory bowel illness and infections of the gut are allegedly prevented by taking probiotics supplements. This is the reason why many shoppers acquire these dietary supplements and products.
Among the studies, it is interesting to notice that some studies are devoted to the determination of probiotics effects on vitamin K deficiency and immune system operation. Most individuals consume probiotics daily.
Some individuals wonder if they need these probiotic dietary supplements at all. It is normal for someone to have an abundance of friendly microorganisms. But stress, antibiotics and poor diet can decrease the number of probiotics in the gut. This could cause bacterial imbalance in the intestines. It is dangerous to maintain an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the gut. This is one way for someone to acquire a bowel disease.
Now, on to prebiotics. Prebiotics are food components that are non-digestible and their function is to serve as food for gut flora. There are also some dietary supplements created for the release of prebiotics in the gut. Like probiotics, these prebiotics may be selectively fermented. Oligofructose and inulin are two fructooligosaccharides that may also be considered prebiotics. Galactooligosaccharides and lactulose are also prebiotics.
Ingesting prebiotics rather than probiotics can be beneficial if you have abundant natural gut bacteria. Nourishing the naturally growing gut bacteria can help improve digestion. But there may be no way of knowing if you have an adequate amount of good bacteria to help ward off pathogenic types.