Facts Everyone Should Know About Probiotics And Gut Health

Prevent And Treat Diarrhea

Both children and adults can get diarrhea for a wide variety of reasons, but various research studies have shown probiotics may be able to help both prevent and treat diarrhea in many different cases. Some of the most promising evidence has been seen when treating diarrhea in children with certain probiotic bacteria strains, especially in cases where the diarrhea is the result of rotaviruses. Antibiotics are another common source of diarrhea and another area where taking probiotic supplements may help. Although antibiotics obviously help kill harmful bacteria, they can also destroy some of the beneficial gut bacteria, which individuals can restore by taking probiotics throughout their antibiotic treatment and for a few days after.

Finally, there have also been studies that have shown probiotics may be able to help in treating certain other bacterial infections, such as C. difficile, and when treating inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. This effect seems much stronger when treating ulcerative colitis, but the fact is probiotics have shown to be beneficial in treating both short-term and chronic causes of diarrhea.

Certain Strains Boost Heart Health

The bacteria in an individual's gut can have both a direct and indirect effect on almost every aspect of their health, including how much someone weighs and also their blood pressure and cholesterol level. As a result, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise to learn studies have also shown a link between probiotics and improved heart health. Specifically, it seems certain strains boost heart health, but also different strains may do so in different ways. For instance, Lactobacillus reuteri was shown to potentially help lower cholesterol, while patients taking Lactobacillus curvatus were shown to have significantly reduced blood triglycerides.

The strain Lactobacillus plantarum was also shown to have this same effect. In fact, it may just be the most beneficial strain in terms of heart health as studies have also shown it may be able to lower cholesterol levels and reduce blood pressure. As a result of this evidence, it definitely seems there is great promise in using certain probiotics to help improve heart health.