Probiotics For Women Are Suitable For Your Gut
Studies suggest that the GI systems of women are often more sluggish than those of men, thus increasing their risk for digestive issues. Therefore, a probiotic supplement can promote a healthy gut microbiome and support digestion.
You can think of probiotics as your little helpers that will restore order. Probiotics can also help maintain harmony in your gut ecosystem. They may outnumber and antagonize unwelcome pathogens. They may also include unfavorable bacteria, yeast, and parasites.
Probiotics may also help manage common digestive issues like bloating. And, according to a large review, it was found that probiotics helped reduce travelers diarrhea.
Dr Formulated Probiotics Once Daily Women’s 50 Billion Cfu Benefits:
- Supports vaginal, digestive and immune system health
- 50 billion CFU¹ 16 raw probiotic strains
- Has added L. reuteri and L. fermentum probiotics
- Requires no refrigeration
- Has Shelf-stable Potency Promise50 billion live probiotic cultures, shipped in a desiccant-lined bottle to ensure your probiotics Arrive Alive and Stay Alive.
Are Probiotics For Women Safe
In general, probiotics do not cause any potential side effects. If any, these are digestive side effects such as constipation and diarrhea, and this happens usually only if you took too many probiotics than your body actually needs.
Again, if your gut is in good shape, you may not need probiotics or you may not need to consume it regularly unlike most supplements.
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Probiotics Women Should Consider
Probiotics come in several forms including fermented products like yogurt, some types of cheese, and pickled vegetables, explains Healthline. Probiotics also come in supplemental form.
When you are picking out the right probiotic for you avoid looking at brand names and focus on the bacterial strain instead. These strains work in different ways to keep you healthy. Most probiotic manufacturers measure bacteria count according to colony-forming units, or CFU. A higher CFU number means the product contains more bacteria says Medical News Today.
Keep in mind finding the right probiotic can take a bit of trial and error. If you dont see any benefits within a few weeks, then you might want to try a different strain of bacteria.
What Has Science Shown About The Effectiveness Of Probiotics For Health Conditions
A great deal of research has been done on probiotics, but much remains to be learned about whether theyâre helpful and safe for various health conditions.
Probiotics have shown promise for a variety of health purposes, including prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea , prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis and in premature infants, treatment of infant colic, treatment of periodontal disease, and induction or maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis.
However, in most instances, we still donât know which probiotics are helpful and which are not. We also donât know how much of the probiotic people would have to take or who would be most likely to benefit. Even for the conditions that have been studied the most, researchers are still working toward finding the answers to these questions.
The following sections summarize the research on probiotics for some of the conditions for which theyâve been studied.
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Probiotics Can Aid Digestion And Help Maintain Gut Health
What are the benefits of taking probiotics? Bacteria have a reputation for causing disease, so the idea of tossing down a few billion a day for your health might seem literally and figuratively hard to swallow. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that you can treat and even prevent some illnesses with foods and supplements containing certain kinds of live bacteria. Northern Europeans consume a lot of these beneficial microorganisms, called probiotics , because of their tradition of eating foods fermented with bacteria, such as yogurt. Probiotic-laced beverages are also big business in Japan.
Some digestive disease specialists are recommending probiotic supplements for disorders that frustrate conventional medicine, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Since the mid-1990s, clinical studies suggest that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills, delay the development of allergies in children, and treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women.
Self-dosing with bacteria isn’t as outlandish as it might seem. An estimated 100 trillion microorganisms representing more than 500 different species inhabit every normal, healthy bowel. These microorganisms generally don’t make us sick most are helpful. Gut-dwelling bacteria keep pathogens in check, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function.
What Does A Probiotic Do For Your Body
The role of a probiotic supplement is to keep the bacteria in your body balanced. Probiotics are microorganisms that live in your gut called good bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. Probiotics are in foods like yogurt, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, and miso or supplements like the ones provided by Bio-K+®.
Good bacteria in your system keeps you healthy by supporting your immune system, and can reduce inflammation, help your body digest food, synthesize vitamins, and help prevent harmful bacteria from entering your blood system7. Learn more about what probiotics do to create a balanced gut here.
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Probiotics And Atopic Diseases
Atopic diseases are thought to be the result of an imbalanced immune response to our environmental or dietary allergens. The three involved here are allergic rhinitis , atopic dermatitis, and asthma.
The fact that there are more atopic diseases in the developed countries as compared to underdeveloped countries may be the result of reduced microbial pressure, or exposure to microbes during childhood.
Probiotics taken during pregnancy have been shown to confer protection against atopic disease in newborn infants. Supplements with âBifidobacterium lactisâ or âLactobacillus GGâ reduced the extent and severity of atopic eczema in infants and young children.
A 2006 study found that probiotics are effective in treating allergies caused by pollen, if you can believe it! Same goes for allergies caused by dust mites.
In summary, scientific evidence suggests that probiotics can prevent or treat a variety of womenâs health problems, such as post-menopausal osteoporosis, fertility problems and endometriosis, atopic diseases, hormone imbalance, pH imbalance and vaginal infections, skin diseases, breast cancer, bacterial vaginosis, issues with weight loss, and pregnancy-related issues.
Some probiotics that have shown promise in treatment of womenâs health issues include L. gasseri, S. thermophiles, L. helveticus, L. reuteri, L. lactis, and L. rhamnosus.
Is Align A Suitable Probiotic For Women
Absolutely. Both women and men can enjoy the health benefits of Align.After talking with your doctor about taking a digestive probiotic, you are likely to find that theyâve recommended Align more than any other probiotic. For one thing, Align Digestive Support offers Bifidobacterium 35624â¢, which may be exactly the strain you need for the health outcome you want. This strain provides live bacteria that contribute to a natural healthy intestinal flora and helps support your gastrointestinal health. With daily use, the Bifidobacterium 35624⢠in Align Digestive Support provides relief of Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms such as abdominal discomfort, gas, and bloating.Align is also the #1 doctor and gastroenterologist recommended probiotic brandâ¡, so your doctor may recommend Align based on positive results with other patients.
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Reasons To Use Probiotics If You Are A Woman
Now that you have an understanding of WHICH probiotics are the most helpful, let’s talk about the potential benefits of using probiotics daily.
And before you ask:
The benefits of probiotics are NOT too good to be true.
Your gut is responsible for modulating hormone levels, influencing your appetite and managing neurotransmitters.
Through these pathways, your gut is capable of influencing symptoms of cells in your brain, muscle tissues, and even fat tissues.
This entire system is known as the gut microbiome and its importance in regards to your overall health cannot be understated.
Small changes to your microbiome can result in big symptoms, which is why taking probiotics can influence so many systems in your body for the better:
#1. Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections
Probiotics help to prevent urinary tract infections in the following ways:
- Certain probiotic species out-compete and kill unhealthy vaginal bacterial species.
- Probiotics improve intestinal bacterial health which translates to changes in vaginal bacterial concentrations.
- Probiotics suppress the growth of known vaginal bacterial pathogens.
- Certain species of probiotics improve the acidity of the vagina which promotes growth of healthy bacterial species.
If you suffer from any of these vaginal health related issues then a trial of high-quality lactobacilli based probiotics should be seriously considered.
#2. Help Reduce Sugar and Food Cravings
#3. Weight management and Weight Loss
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Aid In Weight Loss And Burning Off Belly Fat
Probiotics can have certain weight-loss and fat-burning effects on our bodies. Here are some of the ways that probiotics can help you lose that excess weight or fat:
- Probiotics can help you feel fuller for a longer period of time partly by increasing levels of some hormones such as GLP-1. Since you wont be eating much, this allows your body to burn calories and stored fats.
- Certain probiotics prevent your body from absorbing dietary fat. The fat will then be dumped through the bowel instead of being stored as body fat.
- According to onestudy, women who underwent dieting and took Lactobacillus rhamnosus for 3 months lost as much as 50% weight compared to women that didnt take the said probiotic strain.
Here are just some of the interesting ways of how probiotics can help you lose weight. But needless to say, regular exercise and proper diet are still key if you want to lose weight and burn fat.
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Probiotics For Women: For Your Intestinal Flora Imbalance
The problem is that a lack of good bacteria in the intestine does not manifest itself in concrete terms such as pain. However, there are non-specific symptoms that are often not even directly associated with it. The following can be signs of an imbalance in gut bacteria:
- Autoimmune problems such as thyroid problems
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Trouble sleeping
Reduce The Severity Of Certain Allergies And Eczema
The gut houses the majority of the immune system, which is directly related to allergies. Keeping the digestive tract healthy has been of interest in helping relieve allergies and skin conditions like eczema.
In many studies that used the probiotic strains of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium among adults, positive effects have been shown, including reductions in symptoms and in the prevalence of eczema.
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What Else Can You Do To Maintain A Healthy Digestive System
In general, there are a couple steps you can take to help keep your body â including your digestive system â healthy.
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Are Probiotics Good For Promoting Vaginal Balance
Although probiotics benefit everyone, for women specifically, they can help promote normal vaginal health and defend against conditions that cause unpleasant discharge and itching.
The vaginal canal typically has a pH level around 4.5, which is highly acidic. Research suggests that bacteria in the vaginal canal are responsible for producing lactic acid, which causes the vaginas acidity, rather than the human body itself. This low pH, in turn, helps to fight off harmful organisms that can take hold and cause issues.
Diet, age, hormone levels, sexual practices, douching, and medications also affect the vaginal microbiota. Eating a diet high in sugar, as well as the use of certain pharmaceutical drugs and particularly antibiotics cause an overgrowth of the fungal yeast Candida albicans. When unchecked, Candida causes yeast infections and thrush.
Gardnerella vaginalis is the primary bacteria species that causes bacterial vaginosis, and some strains of Lactobacillus have been found to inhibit G. vaginalis from adhering to vaginal epithelium the thin tissue lining the vaginal walls. Loss of vaginal lactobacilli is a contributor to imbalances in the vaginal microbiota, making probiotic supplementation crucial.
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Make Sure Any Supplements You Buy Are Coated
Some probiotic strains can’t survive the acidity of your gut. So if you’re taking a supplement, make sure it’s coated the outer shell will help it reach your intestines intact. If you can find only an uncoated version, take it with food to help protect it from the aggressive environment.
This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of Womens Health. For more intel on how to live a happier, healthier life, pick up an issue on newsstands now.
The Current State Of Womens Health
In recent decades, the United States has seen significant improvements in womens health, including fewer deaths from heart disease, a decline in cancer rates and better access to physical and mental health care. Still, nearly 14 percent of all women 18 and older are considered to be in fair or poor health according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, experts at the Mayo Clinic tell us that many of the leading threats to womens healthincluding heart disease, stroke and Alzheimers diseasecan be prevented by adopting a healthier lifestyle. This includes eating the right foods, maintaining a healthy weight, staying active, managing stress and visiting the doctor for routine checkups and recommended screenings.
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Benefits For The Immune System
Up to 70% of the bodys immune cells are found in the gut. Keeping the gut healthy is key to keeping the immune system functioning normally.
Specific probiotics have been shown to improve the immune response. For example, the probiotic strain Bifidobacteria infantis has been shown to increase T regulatory cells. These cells help prevent autoimmune diseases and can help limit chronic inflammation diseases.
The Benefits Of Probiotics
In every healthy digestive system, there is a balance. Probiotics help to keep the digestive system in balance. There are many reasons a digestive system becomes unbalanced. These include illness, taking antibiotics, a poor diet, or an overgrowth of bad bacteria. Gastrointestinal problems can result from such an imbalance.
More research on probiotics is needed. However, there is evidence that:
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Probiotics For Women: L Rhamnosus And L Reuteri
For the treatment of bacterial vaginosis, non-specific disinfectants, oral or local antibiotics such as metronidazole or clindamycin, as well as immune stimulants are available. To restore the normal intestinal flora, one of the central goals of the therapy, lactobacilli are an amazing solution. Appropriate probiotics for women for promoting and maintaining a healthy vaginal flora, that they can use orally, are now available. Best probiotics for women combine the two lactobacilli strains L. rhamnosus and L. reuteri. According to recent study data, both vaginally and orally are good to restore and maintain normal vaginal flora.
Here’s Why Probiotics For Women Are So Beneficial + How To Pick The Best One
Probiotics seem to offer an ever-expanding list of superpowers.* These beneficial bacteria can help support gut health, digestion, and even emotional well beingjust to name a few benefits.*
And for women, in particular, probiotics come with a specific set of perks. For starters, women tend to be affected by digestive issues more than men, so keeping this balance of bacteria happy is important. Not to mention, probiotics can have an impact on vaginal health, among so many other valuable benefits of probiotics for women.
Chronic stress can throw the microbiome out of whack, and excess sugar and processed foods also has a negative effect. Bacterial infections, parasites, and yeast can also wreak havoc.
And as you might guess, antibiotics are another culprit. Although sometimes necessary, they do more than just wipe out “bad” bacteriathey disrupt the “good” bacteria in the microbiome as well .
While everyone is susceptible to an imbalanced gut, there are reasons women, in particular, should be thinking about it.Women report higher levels of stress than men, are more likely to be prescribed antibiotics, and are more likely to suffer from gastrointestinal issues. On top of all that, the vagina is home to its own delicate microbiome that needs to be cared for.
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They Can Help With Weight Management*
Studies have also found that probiotics and weight management are connected, specifically in women.* In one study, researchers found that overweight women who underwent a weight loss diet for 12 weeks while taking a certain strain of probiotic supplements lost more weight than a group of overweight women who did the same weight loss diet for 12 weeks without taking a probiotic supplement.*
The women who took the probiotic also continued to lose weight during the 12-week maintenance period afterward, while the other group’s weight remained stable.* Interestingly, the researchers did not see the same weight changes in men.
One of the potential ways probiotics can aid in weight management is by affecting the hormone leptin , leptin levels were higher in the group who took the probiotic.*
