POLOKWANE – Most of us are familiar with probiotics as many doctors prescribe them along with antibiotics.
They do this to try and replace any ‘good’ gut bacteria destroyed along with the ‘bad’ bacteria targeted by antibiotics. In this way, probiotics helps to keep your gut healthy, promotes digestion so that you get optimal nutritional benefit from nutrients, and boosts your immunity and overall health.
What are prebiotics?:
These are non-digestible carbohydrates which provide food for your normal gut bacteria.
There’s growing evidence that having a healthy ‘microbiome’ (the 100 trillion microbes that populate our gut) can help you ward off or treat conditions from bloating and flatulence to diarrhoea, constipation, inflammation, damage to the gut lining, which can result in leaky bowel syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal infections, urinary tract infections (UTI) and candida (vaginal thrush).
Taking probiotics and prebiotics when prescribed, may help build a healthy microbiome, as we become microbial wildlife managers in a fascinating new approach to health.
Benefits of a healthy microbiome: Evidence is mounting that a healthy microbiome can help us fight infectious diseases and treat disorders that may seem entirely unconnected with bacteria, including obesity and diabetes. It may even promote mental and emotional health, as a large proportion of brain chemicals such as serotonin are made in your gut. In fact, your gut’s health affects the functioning of everything from your nervous system to your hormonal balance and reproductive system and the ability of your liver to rid your bodies of toxins.
Sources of probiotics and prebiotics: Today probiotics and prebiotics are available in tablet, powder and liquid form, which is useful if you’re unable to eat properly. It’s far better to get them naturally and it is easy with a healthy diet which we will discuss next week.
Lizel Britz 072 243 7707
