One recent study showed college students who supplemented with probiotics for 12 weeks saw significant bolstering of their immune system. All students caught colds, but those taking probiotics experienced shorter duration of symptoms, 34 percent less severity of symptoms, and a higher quality of life during the illness. If an individual resorts to antibiotics, probiotics can still be used to reduce the negative side effects of those antibiotics.
Probiotics can also reduce the risk of diarrhea caused by antibiotics. RAND, a non-profit research organization, pooled results from studies that examined whether probiotic use can prevent and treat anibiotic-associated diarrhea, and found that probiotic use resulted in a 42 percent lower risk of diarrhea. This is good news for the 30 percent of antibiotic-users that commonly experience diarrhea while taking the drugs.
If intestinal integrity is weak from food allergies, toxins, malabsorption disorders, inflammatory conditions, or antibiotics, taking prebiotics too can help regrow a new and better gut. A study recently conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois demonstrated that supplementing the diet with prebiotics (fibers that beneficial bacteria use as food) called fructooligosaccharides will support intestinal healing and repair.
The research also demonstrates the supportive effects of probiotics during pregnancy. Supplementing with probiotics during the last trimester of pregnancy is associated with an increased immunity and anti-inflammatory effect. Probiotics can change the internal environment of the mother and may even prevent pre-term birth. Furthermore, a baby’s exposure to beneficial bacteria may even lead to better immune function and overall health over that child’s lifetime.
The microflora in the intestine has even been collectively considered an organ because of their ability to support the immune system, regulate intestinal health, support healthy metabolism, and contribute to overall health and wellness.
Probiotics May Help Prevent Pre-Term Birth: «Dietary supplementation with probiotics during late pregnancy: outcome on vaginal microbiota and cytokine secretion«, Beatrice Vitali, Federica Cruciani, Maria E Baldassarre, Teresa Capursi, Enzo Spisni, Maria C Valerii, Marco Candela, Silvia Turroni and Patrizia Brigidi, BMC Microbiology, 18 October 2012
Probiotics Are Secret Weapon for Fighting Symptoms of the Common Cold in College Students, Study Suggests: «Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG® and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis BB-12® on health-related quality of life in college students affected by upper respiratory infections«, Tracey J. Smith, Diane Rigassio-Radler, Robert Denmark, Timothy Haley and Riva Touger-Decker, British Journal of Nutrition, 2012 / Science Daily, Oct. 22, 2012
Probiotics Can Reduce Risk of Diarrhea Caused by Antibiotics, Study Finds: «Probiotics for the Prevention and Treatment of Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis«, S. Hempel, S. J. Newberry, A. R. Maher, Z. Wang, J. N. V. Miles, R. Shanman, B. Johnsen and P. G. Shekelle, JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2012; 307 (18): 1959 / Science Daily, May 8, 2012
Prebiotic May Help Patients With Intestinal Failure Grow New and Better Gut: «Intestinal Adaptation Is Stimulated by Partial Enteral Nutrition Supplemented With the Prebiotic Short-Chain Fructooligosaccharide in a Neonatal Intestinal Failure Piglet Model«, J. L. Barnes, B. Hartmann, J. J. Holst and K. A. Tappenden, Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 2012; 36 (5): 524 – «Probiotics Are Not a One-Species-Fits-All Proposition«, K. A. Tappenden, Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 2012; 36 (5): 496 / Science Daily, Oct. 15, 2012
(20 de noviembre de 2012)
