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Medical implications of probiotics
Benefits of probiotics
Medical implications of probiotics
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Probiotics are the good and 'friendly' bacteria that can have many health benefits. These health benefits include aiding in a better immune system with patients who suffer from irritable bowel diseases or syndromes such as crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.Probiotics assist in digesting dairy products for those with lactose intolerance (Duvauchelle 1). They also give a balance to those who have to take antibiotics and helps relieve with side effects such as gas and cramping("Probiotics Symptoms, Causes, Treatment” 2). Vitamin A,Vitamin K,calcium,potassium, and protein are a list of many supplements provided in probiotics (Jerkunica,Bailey,and Gall 1). Probiotics play one of the biggest roles in the immune's response system (Jerkunica,Bailey, and Gall 1). However, there are many different types of probiotics claiming to work better than others. With refrigerated and non-refrigerated probiotics out on the market many have wondered what is the huge difference.
There are various types of beneficial bacteria for Probiotics. Though there are billions of beneficial bacteria, they branch off from a strain. Top probiotic strains include Lactobacillus, Probiotic Acidophilus, Lactobacillus GG, Bifido, Bifidobacterium Lactis, and Bifidobacterium Infantis (Jerkunica, Bailey, and Gall 1).
The most popular bacteria strain for probiotics is Lactobacillus acidophilus.It's been known for acting as a defense system against harmful bacteria when taking antibiotics (Jones 1). Lactobacillus has at least 140 known benefits dealing with liver functions,the immune system, digestive track and more (Jerkunica,Bailey, and Gall 1). This bacteria has been well known for fighting off cramps, diarrhea, and gas. Scientific evidence has shown prob...
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...s, Causes, Treatment - What Are the Health Benefits of Probiotics on MedicineNet." Medicinenet.com. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .
Terry, Sarah. "Recommended Probiotics | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. 26 May 2011. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .
VSL#3. Advertisement. VSL#3 The Living Shield. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. .
Wasserman, Robin. "Probiotics That Don't Need Refrigeration | LIVESTRONG.COM." LIVESTRONG.COM - Lose Weight & Get Fit with Diet, Nutrition & Fitness Tools | LIVESTRONG.COM. 28 Mar. 2011. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .
According to the article The mechanism and efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea there is a great concern about increasing incidence of C. difficile infection due to use of broad spectrum antibiotics. Clindamycin, third generation of cephalosporins and flouroquinolones are considered high risk antibiotics. It is believed that normal gastrointestinal flora has potential effect in inhibition C.difficile growth and toxin A,B release which offen associated with sever diarrhea resulting in patient’s mortality and other comorbidities. After first episode, there is a high chance for relapses due to reduction serum IgG antibodies to toxin A and colonic IgA secretion cells.
Gut micorbiota has been a large-scale research in recent years. It is shown that the gut microbiota coevolves with us (Ley et al, 2008). Over 100 trillion of gut microbiota are produce by the body which have an large impact on the immune system, human physiology, metabolism and nutrition (Ley et al, 2006). Disablility of the gut to harbour the community of microbial cells has been linked to gut diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompasing ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diabetes, obesity (Zhang et al, 2009) and malnutrition (Kau et al, 2011). It is also known as the hidden metabolic 'organ'. The gut produces a variety and complex microbial community which acts an important role in human health. It has been estimated that 1000 bacterial species and 100-fold genes can be found in human gut (Ley et al, 2006). The newborn's digestive tract was sterile, gut microbiota starts to colonised rapidly after birth and continue its evolution throughout life. Enterobacter, Enterococci, Bifidobacteria, Clostridia, Streptococci are the early colonizers. The composition of gut microbiota is unique in each individual, with a small phylogenetic overlap between people. Even in twins they share less than 50% of species phelotype (Turnbaugh et al, 2010). It is shown that there is a stable core microbial colonies in an individual even though it can be influences by aging, diet, environment and health status (Qin et al, 2010).
To understand the human gut health and aetiology, the first step is to understand the gastrointestinal (GI) microflora and its distribution through the digestive system [2]. The human GI tract is inhabited by trillions of microorganisms, which together is known as the microbiota [5]. These microorganisms come from both archeal and bacterial domains. Bacteria are the predominant kingdom of organisms and it is composed mainly by five bacterial phyla: Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Verrucomicrobia [3]. The great majority of mammalian gut microbiota belongs to the three phyla: the Gram-negative anaerobe Bacteroidetes, the Gram-positive Actinobacteria and Firmicutes [5].
In certain foods there are good bacteria or probiotics that are needed. They help boost your immune system and also helps protect against bad bacteria. The different types of foods that contains good types of bacteria are: Yogurts which is fermented dairy products and contains live bacterial cultures, Buttermilk is produced by fermentation as lactic acid bacteria, and also different types of cheese, but only aged cheese have live cultural bacteria. Furthermore, prokaryotes help in the production of sour cream, pickles, olives, vinegar and sourdough bread. Why, because prokaryotes are useful to some food production by converting textures, providing flavors, manufacturing ethanol, and protection from unwanted microbes known as food preservation. Food preservation is a method that is projected to keep microorganisms out of foods, removing microorganisms from contaminated foods, and obstruct the growth and activity of microorganisms already in foods. Also, bacteria breakdown proteins and fats into a complex mix of amino acids amines, and fatty acids, which lead to processing altars, the food product.
“Healthy Eats – Food Network Healthy Living Blog: Food Network's Healthy Eats: Healthy Recipes, Weight Loss Tips & Nutrition Information." Healthy Eats Food Network Healthy Living Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013
applied probiotic capsules for bacterial vaginosis and other vaginal infections: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, 168(2013), 75-79. doi: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.12.031p
Hats off to bacteria! This article summarizes that bacteria are good for our body and help us function a lot better. Bacteria live in our guts, in our mouths, and on our skin. Overuse of antibiotics has disturbed the bacterial ecosystem, possibly so much that it is irreversible. In 1999 Lawrence Brandt a professor of medicine and surgery at the Albert Einstein College of medicine had success when trying to help a patient combat diarrhea induced by clostridium difficile. A patient developed diarrhea after taking a course of antibiotics for sinusitis; nothing could shake her C.difficile infection. Brandt reasoned the initial antibiotic treatment had killed gut bacteria that promote digestive health; not knowing which strain to replace, he transplanted stool form her husband. That night she reported marked improvement- for the first time in six months. This procedure has helped patients, but hopefully in the future doctors will be able to administer the particular strain of bacteria that is needed. 99% of the bacteria we harbor are resistant to culture in the lab. It was this impossible to study bacteria until the last decade or so, when DNA sequencing techniques allowed researchers to obtain gene sequences from as little as one bacterial cell. With this researchers found that bacteria cells in our bodies outnumber our human cells. Bacterial exposure throughout our lifetime is needed for our wellbeing, thinking, and functioning, contributing to conditions such as diabetes, obesity, allergies, asthma, and atherosclerosis, as well as to anxiety and mood and cognition disorders. These conditions have become more prominent because of our obsession with sanitation has eliminated the exposure to bacteria humans used to routinely get throu...
Whitney, E., Debruyne, L. K., Pinna, K., & Rolfes, S. R. (2011). Nutrition for health and health
Bacterial fossils have been discovered that date back 3.5 billion years ago. There are over 5,000 different species of bacteria known, many of which are harmful or pathogenic (i.e. can cause disease) and some of which are beneficial and can have many uses, for example, the bacterial species Lactobacillus is used in the production of cheese and yoghurt. The bacteria Bifidobacterium adolescentis is used for yoghurt making and Brevibacterium aurantiacum is used for cheese making. Also yeast is used in the production of beers and alcohols like wine and it also plays a role in bread rising. As well as bacteria being used for food production there are also many types of bacteria used in medicine production with nearly a different bacteria used for each different disease contractible in humans, for example the bacteria Moraxella lacunta is used to produce medicine for conjunctivitis and Klebsiellapneumoniae would be used to produce medicine for pneumonia.
Barret, Amy, John Carey, and Ellen Licking. "Are Bio-Foods Safe?" Business Week 20 Dec. 1999: 70-76.
Bacteria are found nearly everywhere within the body and most types are harmless or even helpful to bodily function (Novitt-Moreno). While it is important to have these bacteria in the body, pathogenic invaders can cause serious illnesses. Pathogenic bacteria work by either actually attacking a part of the victim’s body or releasing toxic waste products into the body. Bacteria are single-celled and contain all of the cellular mechanisms needed to live, grow, and reproduce (Novitt-Moreno). That means, when treating a bacterial infection, it is critical to have a highly specific antibiotic that can destroy the unwanted
Prebiotics are carbohydrates that probiotics use as fuel. Kefir has both of these. A recent study in animals found this fermented milk probiotic decreased inflammation, both of which markers of pre-diabetes and obesityⅱ. Though it is made from a type of yeast, kefir may also help fight harmful yeast in the gut. If you are a woman that suffers from recurrent yeast infections or easily gets a yeast infection after being on antibiotics, plain kefir can help restore the proper balance of good bacteria in the gut. People with lactose intolerance can often eat kefir without problems, since the lactic acid bacteria have already pre-digested the
Anyone who regularly find themselves afflicted with colds or flus can benefit from the respiratory fighting properties of yogurt. Research have found that yogurt containing the Lactobacillus casei DN-114 001 probiotic strain can actually decrease the odds of ending up with a respiratory infection. It can also reduce the duration of the infection if it does occur and also reduce nasal congestion (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19747410).
"MedlinePlus - Health Information from the National Library of Medicine." National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Web. 06 Mar. 2011.