Can I Take Or Eat Something To Increase The Good Probiotics In My Body
You can increase the amount of good microbes in your body through foods, drinks and supplements. You may already have certain foods in your daily diet that contain probiotics. Fermented foods in particular are home to a host of good bacteria that benefit your body. There are also fermented drinks like kombucha or kefir that introduce extra probiotics into your diet.
Apart from food, you can add probiotics to your diet through dietary supplements. These arent drugs, so they do not need to be approved by the Federal Drug Administration . Its important that you always talk to your healthcare provider before starting any kind of supplement or major change to your diet.
Industry Reacts Positively While Flagging That Further Moves Are Needed For A Unified Labelling Approach
03 Nov 2020 — The Spanish agency for food and nutrition safety is allowing the term probiotic on food and food supplements labeling, both domestically manufactured and from other EU Member States. The move has been welcomed by many in the industry, however some urge for even more green lights from other countries to reach a more harmonized EU approach.
Following Italy, AESANs decision makes Spain the second major European probiotics market to allow the terms use on-pack labels something which has been hailed a small victory for the gut microbiome industry.
Even though AESANs move only applies to the Spanish market for now, key players are calling for other regions to take note and follow suit.
Spanish microbiome consultancy company Sandwalk Bioventures is praising the move. Its a small victory because it is indeed a long-time demand from the industry, Dr. Luis Gosálbez, managing director at Sandwalk, tells NutritionInsight.
Fostering a favorable environment for probiotics will not only benefit the serious and innovative industry in Europe, but also European consumers, Rosanna Pecere, executive director at the International Probiotics Association Europe, also shares with NutritionInsight.
Industry implications of AESANs decisionAccording to AESAN, the conditions of labeling a product with probiotics is that they must meet standard food safety requirements stipulated in Regulation No 178/2002.
Strict And Confusing Market
As well as there being no EU-wide legal framework for use of the term “probiotics”, there is also no consistent definition of the necessary amount of bacteria present in a food or supplement to have a beneficial effect. In fact, there are at least three different views on the necessary CFU from different bodies.
Food business operators have to obtain a prior-authorization from the EU Commission to be entitled to communicate on the beneficial effects of their products on the product label or in advertising, ie Health claim approval.
Almost 400 health claim applications with probiotics have been submitted for authorisation. Only one was authorised an article 13.1 claim on live yoghurt and improved lactose digestion for the microorganisms L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus .
All other probiotic health claims applications have been either rejected or withdrawn due to the uncertainty of the assessment of EFSA. The most common reason for rejection was the insufficient characterization, but in some cases, application on well-characterized microorganisms were also rejected. As there is no health claim authorized for individual strains , probiotic is considered by the European Commission as a health claim.
Italian Ministry of Health: indication for use in food and food supplements of probiotic microorganisms traditionally used for intestinal microflora balance .
Also Check: Do Probiotics Help With Reflux In Infants
The Best Probiotic For Women
The best probiotic for women is one that meets the following criteria:
- Has multiple species and strains
- Contains both bifidobacteria and lactobacilli species
- Contains high enough dosages to get optimal results
- Contains variability in strains to promote weight loss, hormone balance, and mood balance
With that in mind, it doesn’t mean that there is one single best probiotic out on the market that EVERY woman should be on.
Instead, it means that you will want to find a probiotic that fits this criterion and monitor for changes over time.
In addition, I have also put together several tips for using probiotics :
- Use probiotics concurrently if you are ALSO taking probiotics .
- Use probiotics daily as a preventative measure to reduce the incidence of both urinary tract infections and vaginal yeast overgrowth.
- Use probiotics during pregnancy to prevent bacterial vaginosis. Bacterial vaginosis is known to increase infant mortality and increase the risk of preterm labor .
- Use probiotics daily to treat intestinal issues including conditions like IBS, IBD, acid reflux, SIBO/SIFO, constipation or diarrhea.
- Use daily to help with weight loss.
- Use daily if treating autoimmune conditions or attempting to boost immune function.
- Use multispecies, multi-strain probiotics to increase intestinal health and colonization of healthy bacterial species.
Finally, I’ve included my recommendation for which probiotic to start with – you can read more below:
The Best Probiotic for Women:
How to Use
The Certainty Of The Evidence Supporting Health Claims
All the web pages discussed interventions in relation to at least one health claim. In total, there were 133 different health claims for which probiotics, yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, fibre and prebiotics were portrayed as beneficial . The most frequently reported reason for eating the food or taking the supplement was to reverse an altered gut microbiome secondary to an unbalanced diet or stressful lifestyle, treatment with antibiotics or disease. The four primary and most widely portrayed health claim topics for all interventions were gastrointestinal health , vague claims about maintaining or improving health without any reference to a specific condition , cardiovascular health and immune system health . The immune system-related health claims for kefir were over-represented compared with fibre . For fibre, the over-representation of health claims related to cardiovascular diseases was higher and statistically significant compared with probiotics and the over-representation of health claims related to cancer was higher and statistically significant compared with probiotics and prebiotics . The over-representation of general health claims for kombucha was higher and statistically significant compared with fibre and prebiotics .
Web pages informing about probiotics, yoghurt, kefir, kombucha, fibre and prebiotics that meet each information quality criterion
Don’t Miss: Best Vegan Yogurt With Probiotics
How Might Probiotics Work
Probiotics may have a variety of effects in the body, and different probiotics may act in different ways.
Probiotics might:
- Help your body maintain a healthy community of microorganisms or help your bodyâs community of microorganisms return to a healthy condition after being disturbed
- Produce substances that have desirable effects
- Influence your bodyâs immune response.
Why Women Need Probiotics
The combination of yeast infections, urinary tract infections, and bacterial vaginosis are estimated to affect 1 billion women per year.
That is an insanely high number which means that these conditions are FAR too common.
The good news?
These conditions can be prevented with the use of targeted and specific probiotics.
What’s even better is that certain probiotics not only help vaginal health , but they also provide other benefits such as normalization of stooling patterns and may even help with weight loss.
So how do you get these benefits?
You have to use the right strains and species.
Remember that not all probiotic strains and species are created equal.
Certain species of bacteria have benefits that others don’t provide.
This means that you need to be making sure you use the right TYPE and DOSE of probiotics to get these benefits.
Below I’ve outlined the most beneficial probiotic species and strains that have been clinically proven to help women:
Vaginal health strains ->
These three lactobacilli probiotics have shown great promise as it relates to improving vaginal health.
They work by leading to a transfer of organisms from the rectum into the vagina which acts to normalize vaginal bacteria concentration and prevents vaginal yeast infections.
In addition to reducing vaginal yeast infections, these probiotics also help to reduce the incidence of urinary tract infections.
Weight loss strains ->
Intestinal issues strains ->
Don’t Miss: Probiotic That Helps You Sleep
Can I Use Probiotics To Help With Medical Conditions
There is currently a large amount of research happening around the idea of what probiotics can do for your body. Even though there are a lot of possibly positive outcomes, researchers are still working to find definitive answers about how probiotics can help with various conditions.
However, there are some medical conditions where probiotics may help. This can vary between people meaning that what works for one person may not work for another. These can also vary based on the certain probiotic that is taken.
Some of the conditions that might be helped by increasing the amount of probiotics in your body include:
- Upper respiratory infections .
- .
Google Searches And Selection Criteria
In line with Neunez et al, we conducted searches on using the Google Chrome browser and employing phrases based on search term popularity as provided by AnswerThePublic. The chosen phrases were: por que tomar probioticos, qué yogur tiene más probióticos, por que tomar kefir, por que tomar kombucha, fibra beneficios and que son prebioticos y para que sirven. The searches took place in August 2021 in Tarragona, Spain. We decided to choose phrases containing words without accents because, according to Google Trends, that is the most common way in which users search. Consequently, the results returned are what most users would find . Before searching, we logged out from any Google accounts and cleared caches and browsing histories to limit any personalisation of the search results.
You May Like: Probiotic Suppository For Yeast Infection
Which Probiotics Can You Find In Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is a delicious and versatile fermented food that can complement many meals or serve as a yummy snack by itself.
Its also chock-full of essential nutrients and gut-boosting probiotics, making it one of the rare superfoods to offer mouthwatering flavor in addition to numerous potential health benefits.
To understand more about a few of the powerful probiotic strains that can make sauerkraut so beneficial, read on for our Cleveland Kitchen Guide to Probiotics in Sauerkraut:
Importance Of Microorganisms For Your Gut
The complex community of microorganisms in your gut is called the gut flora, gut microbiota, or gut microbiome .
The gut microbiota includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and helminths with bacteria comprising the vast majority. Your gut is home to a complex eco-system of 300500 bacterial species .
Most of the gut flora is found in your colon, or large intestine, which is the last part of your digestive tract.
Surprisingly, the metabolic activities of your gut flora resemble those of an organ. For this reason, some scientists refer to the gut flora as the forgotten organ .
Your gut flora performs many important health functions. It manufactures vitamins, including vitamin K and some of the B vitamins .
It also turns fibers into short-chain fats like butyrate, propionate, and acetate, which feed your gut wall and perform many metabolic functions (
Probiotics and prebiotic fibers can help correct this balance, ensuring that your forgotten organ is functioning optimally .
Summary
Your gut flora consists of hundreds of types of microorganisms. These microorganisms perform numerous important bodily functions.
Probiotics are widely researched for their effects on digestive health .
Evidence suggests that probiotic supplements can help cure antibiotic-associated diarrhea .
When people take antibiotics, especially for long periods of time, they often experience diarrhea even long after the infection has been eradicated.
These unknowns include :
Summary
47 ).
62 ).
Also Check: How To Give Dog Powder Probiotic
Should I Give Probiotics To My Kids
Probiotics can be beneficial for both adults and kids. If your child has an illness that requires an antibiotic medication for treatment, taking a probiotic can help shorten symptoms. Probiotics can also be used to help relieve constipation, acid reflux, diarrhea, gas and eczema in children.
Introducing probiotics into your childs diet through food is typically a safe way to give them probiotics. Foods like yogurt and cottage cheese are often part of a balanced diet and can add in good bacteria without much risk.
There are commercially available probiotic supplements specifically designed for infants and children. However, it is important to talk to your childs pediatrician before giving them any probiotic supplement or changing the childs diet to include probiotic-rich foods.
Conditions Related To Allergy
Allergic Rhinitis
- A review of 23 studies in which probiotics were tested for treating allergic rhinitis found some evidence that they may be helpful for improving symptoms and quality of life. However, because the studies tested different probiotics and measured different effects, no recommendations about the use of probiotics could be made. Few side effects of probiotics were reported in these studies.
Asthma
- A review of 11 studies of probiotics for asthma in children had inconclusive results.
Atopic Dermatitis
- Atopic dermatitis is an itchy chronic skin disorder thatâs associated with allergies but not caused by them. Itâs most common in infants and may start as early as age 2 to 6 months. Many people outgrow it by early adulthood. Atopic dermatitis is one of several types of eczema.
- A 2017 review of 13 studies of probiotics for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in infants and children did not find consistent evidence of a beneficial effect. A review of 9 studies in adults provided preliminary evidence that some strains of probiotics might be beneficial for symptoms of atopic dermatitis.
Prevention of Allergies
Read Also: Dr Formulated Probiotics Women’s Daily Care Review
Spanish Authorities Approve The Use Of Probiotic Term
AESAN, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, says the term probiotic will be allowed on labels of food products, infant formula, and supplements on sale in Spain, providing it is not accompanied by any health claims.
A report published by AESAN notes that the lack of harmonised regulations around the labelling of probiotics in Europe mean that according to the principle of mutual recognition which guarantees that any good lawfully sold in one EU country can be sold in another the term probiotic may be used on food labels in Spain, so long as the wording is not accompanied by specific health claims that are not authorised under European health claims regulations.
While there is no European legal framework defining the probiotic category, or providing a harmonised framework for the sale of probiotics in Europe, a decision by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Commission that the term probiotic is itself an implied health claim means that it falls foul of EC regulation 1924/2006 on health claims and cannot be used on-pack.
According to the Commission: the term implies that a product provides a health benefit, which could be misleading to consumers unless it can be scientifically substantiated.
Commenting on the report, Luis Gosálbez Managing Director at Sandwalk BioVentures, said the capacity to use the term probiotic on product labels is a small victory for the microbiome industry.
How Effective Are Probiotics
Researchers are currently unsure how effective probiotic supplements are for treating conditions. Theres constant research on the topic. While many research studies have had positive results on the impact of probiotic supplements, more research is still needed.
Its also important to keep in mind that unlike medications, dietary supplements do not need to be approved by the FDA. This means that manufacturers can sell supplements simply with claims of safety and effectiveness.
Always talk with your healthcare provider before taking a supplement or giving one to your child. Supplements might interfere with medicines you may be taking. If you are pregnant or breast feeding, check with your provider before taking any supplement.
Don’t Miss: What Are The Benefits Of Taking Probiotics
Examples Of Probiotic In A Sentence
probiotic PEOPLE.comprobiotic The Salt Lake Tribuneprobiotic The Salt Lake Tribuneprobiotic The Salt Lake TribuneprobioticThe Salt Lake Tribuneprobiotic The Salt Lake Tribuneprobiotic The Salt Lake Tribuneprobiotic Scientific American
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘probiotic.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Fermented Foods And Probiotics
The probiotics present in fermented foods vary from one food to the next. The most common, however, are the micro-organisms that belong to Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces boulardii, and Bifidobacterium groups.
But, before you go and purchase some beer and wine in the hopes of increasing your probiotic intake, know that probiotics may not be present in all fermented foods. According to Harvard Health Publishing, beer and wine remove the probiotics before bottling. High heat during baking and canning inactivates micro-organisms, as does pickling with acids like vinegar.
Incorporating fermented foods into your diet is a no-brainer. They help keep your gut healthy, which, in turn, can alter your mood and may even stop the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Just be sure to look for labels that state they are naturally fermented or contain live cultures .
Read Also: What To Look For When Buying A Probiotic
How Safe Are Probiotics
Because microbes used as probiotics already exist naturally in your body, probiotic foods and supplements are generally considered safe. They may trigger allergic reactions, and may also cause mild stomach upset, diarrhea, or flatulence and bloating for the first few days after starting to take them.
There are certain people who need to use caution when using probiotic supplements. There is a risk of infection in some people. These people include those who have:
- A weakened immune system .
- A critical illness.
Caution should also be used when giving probiotics to very sick infants.
Always talk to your healthcare provider before starting a probiotic supplement.
How Are Probiotics Regulated In The United States
Government regulation of probiotics in the United States is complex. Depending on a probiotic productâs intended use, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might regulate it as a dietary supplement, a food ingredient, or a drug.
Many probiotics are sold as dietary supplements, which donât require FDA approval before they are marketed. Dietary supplement labels may make claims about how the product affects the structure or function of the body without FDA approval, but they arenât allowed to make health claims, such as saying the supplement lowers your risk of getting a disease, without the FDAâs consent.
If a probiotic is going to be marketed as a drug for treatment of a disease or disorder, it has to meet stricter requirements. It must be proven safe and effective for its intended use through clinical trials and be approved by the FDA before it can be sold.
Read Also: Do Probiotics Help With Allergies
