Do you ever think about what goes into your body each day? You should. The key to feeling good and being healthy is eating nutritious food and taking care of your insides, particularly the gastrointestinal tract, which consists of the stomach and intestines. The GI tract is an important component of your digestion, which works to process food and waste.
As I have written in past books on the subject of probiotics and digestion, I believe that digestive health is a significant contributor to overall health.
So we really do want to keep our digestive health up to par. Probiotics can really help.
As we have discovered, from the day we are born until the day we die we need large quantities of beneficial bacteria within us. Unfortunately, in this world, it is much easier to kill these bacteria than to keep them in residence. This is due to a number of reasons including the intake of refined foods, chlorinated water and quick-fix antibiotic medications.
Earlier, I have noted that the first step to understanding your digestive system is to know what it’s made up of. As we eat, food passes from our mouth through our esophagus and down into our stomach and intestines. There, under normal conditions, enzymes break down food into nutrients, which our body absorbs and uses for energy. (The remaining, unused portion is passed through to our large intestine and colon where it is excreted from our body.)
A variety of bacteria and other microorganisms, which make up what is called the intestinal microflora help keep the digestive system running optimally by efficiently digesting food and processing waste. These bacteria can be classified as “good” and “bad” bacteria, both of which are essential for keeping the intestinal microflora in equilibrium. Whereas the bad bacteria have the potential to cause disease and illness, the good bacteria counteract by fighting off disease and illness, helping us stay healthy. Everything is in balance, what is known as “dynamic homeostasis.”
Our friendly bacterial cultures (probiotics) are a major component of the interior of our digestive systems. Probiotics are intimately involved in nearly every process including detoxifying, digestion, absorption, even producing nutrients by themselves. Without a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria, the bad bacteria will take over, causing toxicity. If your GI tract is toxic, maldigestion and malabsorption of nutrients will occur. This can cause nutritional deficiencies or even overt symptoms of illness.
Many nutrients are dependent upon probiotic cultures for adequate digestion and proper utilization. Though we may get nutrients from a variety of sources, absorption of optimum amounts may depend in large part on the overall health of the intestines and their resident “guests.” For example, our ability to absorb and utilize minerals such as calcium, zinc, iron, manganese, copper and phosphorus is very much dependent upon our bacterial populations. Proteins also require our bacterial friends in order to be properly broken down and digested. Many of the B complex vitamins also require a healthy population of beneficial bacteria in order to be properly utilized or even manufactured.
Dysbiosis or bacterial imbalances can be a significant factor in many health problems, in part because of poor nutrient assimilation. In the human large intestine, beneficial bifidobacteria synthesize vitamins that are slowly absorbed in the body. Bifidobacteria are known to produce thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamins B6, B12 and K, Bifidobacteria can also synthesize amino acids for absorption in the gut. Adaptation of the gastrointestinal tract with bifidus enhances nitrogen retention, while resulting in a 400 percent increase of vitamin B6 content in stools.
This is really important. We now know that many of the problems associated with aging such as senility, depression, loss of energy and even atherosclerosis are sometimes caused by low levels of the B vitamins or other key nutrients. And without beneficial bacteria to help produce these important nutrients, our bodies simply can’t manufacture enough of these vitamins. That’s why reinvigorating populations of friendly vitamin B complex-producing bacteria is so beneficial to all persons, but especially the elderly.
Even aching joints and bones may be helped. That is because lactobacilli help the body to produce vitamin K. This vitamin helps to build strong bones. A lack of vitamin K may predispose the body to osteoporosis-related bone loss. Improved digestion—this alone is a good reason to supplement your daily diet with probiotics. There are a lot of other good reasons, too.
Without a steady supply of probiotics to replenish the gut, we cannot continue to benefit from these intestinal flora.