Mild, occasional indigestion is generally transient and self-limiting without the need of medical care. But when indigestion becomes a chronic problem that accompanies practically every meal, then you have a serious problem. Often overlooked by the medical profession is that a significant cause of indigestion and even irritable bowel syndrome is not necessarily oversecretion of hydrochloric acid but the result of inability to digest and assimilate food—particularly when we have experienced constipation, diarrhea, and mineral depletion on a long-term basis.

This disorder is often the result of our old friend, dysbiosis. Lactobacilli are indispensable to healthy digestion because of their ability to produce digestive enzymes including proteases, beta-galactosidase, and lipases that digest protein, sugar and fats, respectively. This in turn produces acids that support a healthy pH and enhance nutrient assimilation.

Another key benefit is that beneficial bacterial populations stimulate peristalsis, the wave-like motion of the smooth muscles of the digestive system as they expand and contract and move along food that is being digested. Very often, poor peristalsis is the result of inadequate fiber and fluids. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) aids peristalsis both as a bulking agent and by liquefying the contents of the colon.

The large intestine is an anaerobic environment and home to the digestive system’s highest concentration of bacteria with 100 billion to 1,000 billion microorganisms per tablespoon. When food has reached the large intestine, it is very loose and watery. Its nutrients have been absorbed, and the body must now transport out the waste. To do so, this liquid watery mass must be reconverted into a solid then excreted. It is important that this process occurs quickly otherwise the wastes putrefy and produce toxic, often carcinogenic, substances that can cause chronic disease including cancer. The large intestine’s populations of beneficial bacteria help to accelerate this process as well as offer protection against toxicity. They stimulate peristalsis and prevent conversion of toxins into carcinogens. Their healthy population prevents pathogenic bacteria from taking up residence.

And if you are lactose intolerant, here’s another bonus. Probiotics’ beneficial effect on friendly bacterial populations may help alleviate lactose intolerance caused by deficiency of the lactase enzyme. That is because friendly bacterial strains like Lactobacillus acidophilus produce enormous quantities of lactase enzymes that can help to digest the milk sugar, lactose more fully. This in turn should help to relieve the bad breath, bloating, gas formation and stomach cramps associated with lactose intolerance.

So be sure you give lactose intolerant kids probiotics. Probiotics can also help during pregnancy to reduce lactose intolerance in children. Consult your doctor.