Skip to main content

Food Trends: The guts on probiotics

To explain probiotics simply, they are the beneficial bacteria found in food or supplements that help destroy the ‘bad bacteria’ and maintain gut health.  Some food products such as yogurt, fermented and unfermented milk, and miso have probiotics in them.  You can find out if products you eat contain probiotics by checking out the ingredient list.  If the ingredient list states live or active cultures, lactobacillus, or acidophilus you can bet the product contains probiotics.

It is thought that probiotics can help treat diarrhea, prevent yeast infections and urinary tract infections, help with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, and also help heal eczema or skin disorders.

I have a lot of clients ask me what my thoughts are on probiotics.   As there is not a lot of research that ties definitive results from probiotics, I think there is enough published information that allows for a hypothetical conclusion that probiotics are beneficial for specific situations.  Read on to see some examples.

Research from my alma mater, Virginia Tech in conjunction with Ohio State University found that newborn pigs that received a vaccine similar to one for the rotavirus infection who paired it with a probiotic had a better immune response than newborn pigs who received the vaccine alone.  Also, in September 2010 Pediatrics published that a daily dose of "good" bacteria may help infants cry less. At initiation of study all infants were crying five to six hours a day.  After three weeks of treatment with a probiotic or placebo, babies who received probiotics cried for an average of a half hour a day, while the placebo babies cried for an hour and a half a day.  Perhaps this study suggests how probiotics can ease gastrointestinal symptoms related to colic?

Pediatrics also published an article in 2005 that showed that children who attend daycare and consume probiotics had a significance decrease in onset and duration of diarrhea.  Another study completed in China produced significant results with children who drank a mixture of probiotics in milk twice a day during the winter and spring.  Guess what?  Children with fevers, coughs, or runny noses receiving probiotics recovered faster.

In 2004, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published results of a study that proved that humans and animals ingesting probiotics significantly reduced H. Pylori, a precursor to ulcers.

If you or someone you know suffers from ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, or consistent GI symptoms talk to your practitioner and see what he or she recommends.  An easy way to initiate and do a self assessment is to try any of the yogurts containing probiotics. Take one a day and see how you feel.  Good luck and be well!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Truth Behind Clean Eating

A quick trip to the grocery store or chain restaurant and you will likely be bombarded with the concept of “clean eating” foods that claim to be “organic”, “natural”, “non GMO”, and “gluten free”. There is also the laundry list of foods you should avoid such as high fructose corn syrup, processed foods, and various toxins or chemicals. As a consumer it can be very overwhelming and intimidating to choose which foods are best for you.
While clean eating is not a new sensation, it has become increasingly popular in part due to misinformation on social media. Fear mongering is the latest marketing strategy in which companies are deliberately arousing fear in consumers to help sell their product. For example, products claim to be non-GMO when in fact it is not produced as a GMO food in the first place. There are only 8 genetically modified crops commercially prepared in the U.S. Products that have never contained gluten have a “Gluten free” label on them. Then there is the irrational conce…
Post a Comment
Read more

You are what you eat BUT it takes longer than a day!

Recent research by Cornell University published a week ago in the New England Journal of Medicine proves that holiday weight gain does happen and most of it is from October to about ten days after Christmas.  The study analyzed 3,000 individuals over a years time focusing on daily weights that were collected and analyzed by a wireless Withings Scale.

Although the average weight gain from October to November was only 1.3 pounds this may prove that holiday weight gain is not a myth. Of interest, the study also showed that fifty percent lost the weight shortly after the holiday season while it took the other fifty percent about five months to lose the excess weight, shortly after Easter.
Author Dr. Wansink advises “Instead of a New Year’s resolution to lose weight, have an October resolution not to gain too much weight in the first place. Then you won’t have to worry about five months of struggling."
At Kindred Nutrition we tend to agree with Dr. Wansink's advice.  Our society is s…
Post a Comment
Read more

Make it Happen

Parents, I see you. I see you putting everyone else's needs in front of yours. I see your dark circles under your eyes, your gray hair, that your wasting away, or that you've collectively gained weight over the years. It's time to put yourselves first because if you don't take care of yourself you won't be around to keep taking care of everyone else.

So often friends, acquaintances, or clients say to me, "I don't know how you find the time to exercise." "How can you take the time away from everything else and get away to exercise?" "I wish I could actually focus on myself and exercise."

Exercise to me is self care. It produces endorphins faster than any other activity I engage in. It  reduces my stress, keeps me healthy, increases flexibility, and gives me more energy to be on point with my busy kids and my demanding job.

My exercise isn't extravagant and it doesn't take too much time. Here's my secret. I always work e…
Post a Comment
Read more