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Synbiotic Synchronicity: Understanding the Prebiotic-Probiotic Connection
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Oct 15, 2015 - 8:40:15 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Many of us understandably get confused between prebiotics and probiotics and the connection between the two.

It is also sometimes a bit of a mystery as to what they can do to improve your digestive system and how they can be beneficial to your overall health.

You can fill in some of your educational gaps by checking out information available at sites like GutSpace.com and the details put together here.

Probiotics and prebiotics explained

The question that plenty of us would initially like answering is what probiotics and prebiotics are and what benefits to your digestive system can be derived from consuming them.

Probiotics are referred to as the good bacteria that work hard to keep your digestive system healthy, which it does by controlling the growth of harmful bacteria. The connection with prebiotics is that prebiotics are carbohydrates that are indigestible to the human body but serve as food for the probiotics.

The primary reason why you need probiotics and prebiotics is because they are believed to provide your body with assistance in maintaining a healthy digestive system.

Good foods

Yogurt is considered to be one of the best sources of probiotics as it contains some good bacteria such as lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.

When you are shopping for a yogurt that contains these good bacteria, the key is to check the label and see whether the yogurt contains live or active cultures. There are other foods that are considered as good sources of probiotics like soft cheeses and miso soup for example.

The common factor amongst these foods is they are created using a fermentation process which is a process that produces probiotics.

You will not be able to find a natural food which contains both probiotics and prebiotics as they are created differently, although you can find some supplements that are contain both.

Symbiotic yogurt

When you combine probiotics and prebiotics they form a symbiotic.

Products such as yogurt and kefir are good examples of fermented dairy products which are considered to be symbiotic as they contain the live bacteria and fuel necessary for these bacteria to thrive.

It is this symbiotic synchronicity that makes probiotics and prebiotics combine to create what are considered good bacteria for your digestive system.

Helping hand

Although it is not actually essential to include prebiotics and probiotics in your diet and you don't necessarily need this so-called good bacteria to remain healthy, it is a helping hand for your digestive system which is worth including in your diet when you consider the potential benefits.

Healthy foods like yogurt and natural foods like bananas, garlic and honey contain either probiotics or prebiotics and there is enough positive evidence around to suggest that probiotics can help relieve symptoms such as irritable bowel syndrome and reduce the prospect of suffering from flu or a heavy cold.

Looking after your intestines

The key to overall health is to be healthy on the inside as well as on the outside, which means you should consider looking after your intestines amongst other things.

It is not a bad analogy to describe your intestines as a bit of a battle ground when good and bad bacteria are constantly fighting each other to establish a level of superiority over their adversary.

Your aim is to give the good bacteria an unfair advantage in this war for supremacy and the way that you can do this through the use of probiotics in your diet.

Not only can regular doses of probiotics help common problems such as vaginal and urinary tract problems, you may also find that probiotics can offer some positive help if you are prone to eczema or allergies, as they can help to calm down an overactive immune system.

Working to make you healthier

Probiotics are basically working to create their own version of antibiotics for your body.

They achieve this goal by blocking and restricting pathogens from adhering to your gut and at the same time, encouraging production of chemical messengers known as cytokines, which are the communication tool for the immune system throughout your body.

Complicated process

Our bodies are wonders of science and are internal workings are extremely complicated, as borne out by the fact that you can find in excess of 3,000 different species of good bacteria in your gut.

Each of these bacteria have different characteristics and abilities, so you can appreciate that consuming probiotics through products like yogurt could be beneficial but are not absolutely guaranteed to target a specific issue you are trying to resolve.

When you weigh up all the available information, the symbiotic synchronicity of probiotics could turn out be a good thing for your digestive system.

Jennifer Spaz is a mom, wife, and a chef in the San Francisco Bay Area. She believes that a healthy gut is vital to good mental and physical health and thus she started this blog to try to help people navigate the confusing and evolving world of probiotics.


 



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