Have you ever heard of the good bacteria in your body, particularly in your intestines? Yes, they're called probiotics. With this bacteria's booming popularity in the medical field, everyone must be saying that you need them. Guess what? That's true. But before that, you must know first how probiotics work for women's bodies, what exactly they are, and their role in your health.
Simply put, probiotics are largely known to be the 'good' type of bacteria. They're the type of microorganisms that live in your gut. While most people may think that having a variety of bacteria in their body may cause harmful effects to their health, probiotics provide various health benefits. Yet sometimes, a little help from outside sources may help you secure those benefits, which is why getting an extra hit of probiotics through food is advised by experts.
For a fantastic read, you may check on several professional doctors' online sites and blogs about gut health and seek their expertise regarding the matter. Also, always seek your doctor's advice and wait for their go signal regarding probiotics to ensure favorable results.
In this article, you'll learn more about probiotics - what it's all about, what exactly they are, the role they play in helping you maintain a healthy body, and how they work for women.
Probiotics, The Good Bacteria
Probiotics or the 'good' bacteria may significantly boost the immune system and help maintain digestive health. This is what probiotics are primarily known for. Being relatively known to promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria, you can have them from yogurts or take them in a dietary supplement. Aside from keeping your body healthy, they can also be of great use in fighting bad bacteria that cause illnesses and severe health conditions.
Many healthy people take probiotics to improve digestive health. Despite the need for more clinical researches and studies to provide reliable data about their safety and efficacy, probiotics are ideal for both older and younger healthy people. Researchers discover that probiotics may affect not just your gut flora, but also determine your moods. Their benefits not only involve promoting a good balance of gut bacteria, but also offer benefits for digestive health, weight loss, immune function, and improve overall health.
Below are some things that you ought to know about probiotics:
- Also known as good bacteria, probiotics are a group of healthful bacteria and yeast, which naturally reside in your body. Despite bacteria usually viewed on the negative side of the spectrum, probiotics are the type of beneficial bacteria that helps keep your body in a good condition.
- These bacteria also help people fend off harmful bacteria that cause illnesses and diseases.
- Aside from that, probiotics are also a part of a wide variety of bacteria in your body, also known as your biome. Figuratively speaking, you can imagine a microbiome as a varied group of microorganisms that work with each other to maintain your body in its healthiest version. Some of these microorganisms include:
- Bacteria
- Protozoa
- Viruses
- Fungi
Probiotics, Women-Friendly Bacteria
Probiotics supplement the natural beneficial bacteria in your body, further improving your health. Below are five benefits of probiotics for women that you must know.
1. Improve Vaginal Health
Experts suggest that aside from helping women to maintain a bacterial balance, probiotics may inhibit the growth of bacteria associated with bacterial vaginosis. It's one of the most prevailing vaginal infections in women of childbearing age. Aside from that, bacterial vaginosis is also relatively associated with an overgrowth of harmful microorganisms, such as Prevotella or Gardnerella vaginalis. These microorganisms usually outnumber 'good' types of vaginal bacteria, including Lactobacillus.
Studies also suggest that taking probiotics, which contain Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus fermentum RC-14, a strain of these bacteria inhibit bacterial growth associated with vaginosis, and reduces the risk of vaginal infections. Women with a yeast infection can most likely benefit from probiotics.
Not just that, probiotics may even ward off a vaginal yeast infection, urogenital infection, and improve fertility by keeping the vaginal microbiome in balance. Apart from that, adopting gentle and safe vaginal hygiene practices may also help lessen the possibility of developing vaginal diseases.
2. Prevent or Treat Diarrhea
Several studies show that probiotic is relatively associated with a lesser risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Taking antibiotics commonly produce side effects like diarrhea. That's mainly because some antibiotics disrupt the balance between the beneficial and harmful bacteria in your body. Researchers also found a 42% reduction in the occurrence of antibiotic-induced diarrhea after taking probiotics.
Additionally, probiotics may also help treat other types of diarrheas which aren't caused by antibiotics. Moreover, a certain group of students discovered peculiar strains of probiotics, which fight off transmissible diarrhea. Probiotics may also significantly reduce threats of diarrhea among travelers by 8% and is ideal for both children and adults. Strains like L. casei, L. rhamnosus, and Saccharomyces Boulardii are types of probiotics that are usually identified to reduce the risk of diarrhea.
3. Help with Gut Health
Like any other type of good bacteria, probiotics are crucial in keeping your organs healthy. These bacteria are also essential in boosting your gut health and pose a positive impact on your overall health. After all, gut health's primary responsibilities include: assisting the process of ingestion, storing and absorbing nutrients, and excreting waste properly.
The human body is connected in a complicated way in which you may not easily comprehend. For example, the gut interacts with the brain and other organ systems through the help of probiotics. As you probably know, probiotics are used to keep your gastrointestinal tract (GI) healthy and functioning properly. Probiotics are also women-friendly bacteria as they provide comfort and convenience for them and improve their bowel movement.
Said simply, probiotics may improve the balance of organisms in your gut, promote more rapid recovery from imbalances, fight harmful pathogens and their toxins, and reduce gut inflammation. Apart from that, it's also important to note that probiotics are antibacterial, anti-parasitic, and antifungal, which means they help promote a healthier community of organisms in your gut. Eating healthy food, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep are also some of the alternatives for you to have a healthy gut microbiome
4. Prevent Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Popping probiotics may significantly help you with some regularity if you're one of the 40-60% of women who experience urinary tract infections. Experts assert the role of probiotics in reducing the frequency of experiencing this condition. In particular, these microorganisms may help subdue the not-so-fun symptoms which accompany UTIs.
Another good thing about probiotics is that they can also be immunity boosters if you get sick so often. By replenishing and enriching the good bacteria in your body, probiotics may be of great help in strengthening your immunity. Also, it's easier for your body to produce enzymes and vitamins when you regularly eat food with probiotics.
5. Clear Up Skin Problems
What's good about probiotics is that their benefits don't stop at internal health. Researches show that probiotics, whether taken orally or applied, may potentially help patients with a skin condition, such as eczema, rosacea, and acne. However, seeking professional advice, especially that from your dermatologist is essential before changing your regular self-care routine.
Conclusion
Despite the notion that bacteria are harmful to your health and body, it's important to know that there's an exception to that. In particular, taking probiotics as part of your diet may significantly help you resolve many health issues. Probiotics also offer many health benefits, such as improving vaginal health, preventing or treating diarrhea, helping with gut health, preventing UTI, and clearing up skin problems.
Probiotics can be of great help in maintaining good health. However, it's important to know that they're not your typical supplement. Further clinical studies are still needed to prove their efficacy and benefits in humans.
