Probiotics became a buzzword in the early 2000s and have only become more popular in recent years. Lauded as an effective treatment for everything from brain fog to IBS, probiotic supplements are sold just about anywhere you will find health care items. But sourcing and efficacy matter when it comes to choosing a probiotic complex. Unlike many popular supplements, a good probiotic is actually scientifically researched for improving health and addressing a range of conditions. So just what are probiotics and what can they do for you?
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics translated means “for life”. These living microorganisms occur naturally in fermented foods such as yogurt, miso, and sauerkraut and help to balance the bacterial environment of the body. The gut, the skin, the mouth…these places are all breeding grounds for both good and bad bacteria. In a healthy person, the good bacteria outnumber the bad. However, with some environmental factors (such as the use of antibiotics, which kill off good bacteria along with the bad), the balance can become disrupted.
Probiotics help boost the number of good bacteria, and because the health of the gut ties in with the health of so many other systems, you will see benefits across the board. Here are the top five benefits of taking a probiotic complex.
Probiotics Can Improve Mental Health
A series of studies found that subjects taking a probiotic supplement saw improvement in a variety of mental issues. One study conducted over a one-to-two-month period observed positive results in the use of probiotics for anxiety, autism, OCD, depression, and overall memory. Another done over a 6-week period found that a daily probiotic capsule improved depression, anxiety, and the effects of stress in workers. Yet another study conducted on patients with depression only saw decreased levels of depression along with reduced inflammation markers.
Probiotics Improve Digestion
With plenty of anecdotal evidence of improved bowel health, even for people without digestive disorders, probiotic supplementation has also been proven to decrease symptoms of ulcerative colitis, with one study finding that probiotics performed just as well as prescription medication at maintaining remission. Early studies look promising for the treatment of IBS using a probiotic complex. Probiotics are a proven treatment for common stomach upsets such as nausea and diarrhea.
Probiotics Boost Immunity
By inhibiting harmful gut bacteria, a good probiotic complex will give your body the edge it needs to produce natural antibodies and immune cells such as T Lymphocytes, IgA producing cells, and natural killer cells. This improves immunity across the board and helps reduce the appearance and severity of upper respiratory complaints and other infections. Among studies proving a connection between probiotic supplementation and immunity was one that found a 50% reduced risk of UTI in women.
Probiotics May Aid in Weight Loss
Though further studies are needed, probiotics have shown a promising effect in different mechanisms of weight loss. Certain probiotics can prevent the absorption of fat in the intestine so that it doesn’t become stored in the body. Probiotics also offer a feeling of fullness and affect hormone levels so that more calories are burned and less fat stored. Several studies have shown that test groups of dieters lost up to 50% more weight than the control group, and that belly fat was significantly reduced.
Probiotics Boost Heart Health
As if all the other benefits of probiotics are not enough to convince you, certain strains are also able to lower bad cholesterol, with a slight increase of the good. There are also studies that support probiotics lowering blood pressure. Taking a probiotic complex is a simple addition to your daily routine that can lead to better heart health.
Probiotic supplementation is an excellent broad-spectrum health booster that is scientifically proven to benefit the body in a variety of ways. However, as with any supplement, quality counts for efficacy. You need to find a probiotic complex that has several strains of probiotic, offered in a clinically significant amount, like the ones found at Hey Nutrition. Their highly rated and trusted probiotic complex has 7 powerful probiotic strains that are offered in 20 billion CFU (colony forming units) in each serving. In addition, these strains are housed in vegan-friendly capsules that are non-GMO and pesticide-free.
The bottom line is that by taking a high-quality probiotic complex, you can experience health benefits across the board. Many even use probiotics as a beauty booster for vibrant and healthy skin. Gut health is essential to overall health, so treat it right by building your supply of healthy bacteria with a proven probiotic complex.
Citations:
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Moayyedi P, Ford AC, Talley NJ, Cremonini F, Foxx-Orenstein AE, Brandt LJ, Quigley EM. The efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review. Gut. 2010 Mar;59(3):325-32. doi: 10.1136/gut.2008.167270. Epub 2008 Dec 17. PMID: 19091823.
Akkasheh G, Kashani-Poor Z, Tajabadi-Ebrahimi M, Jafari P, Akbari H, Taghizadeh M, Memarzadeh MR, Asemi Z, Esmaillzadeh A. Clinical and metabolic response to probiotic administration in patients with major depressive disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Nutrition. 2016 Mar;32(3):315-20. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2015.09.003. Epub 2015 Sep 28. PMID: 26706022.
