Pro-B

Probiotics are the “good” or “friendly” bacteria that are normal inhabitants of the intestinal tract. Although the word bacteria is usually associated with germs and illness, friendly bacteria help the body to function, maintain health and fight illness and disease. “Bad” or “pathogenic” bacteria on the other hand, can cause intestinal microflora imbalances and lead to illness and disease.

“Probiotics as live micro-organisms that when consumed in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.’’
Definition by WHO and FAO Expert consultation.

A healthy human GI tract contains 85% to 90% friendly bacteria. Everyone’s GI tract harbors some “unfriendly” bacteria and yeast organisms, but when they are present in small numbers (10%-15% of the GI bacteria population) they do not cause problems.When the balance between friendly and unfriendly bacteria is in disorder, however, dysbiosis will develop. Dysbiosis refers to the symptoms and problems resulting from an unbalanced or dysfunctional intestinal micro flora.

Pro-B in Antibiotic recovery: The purpose of antibiotics is to kill harmful bacteria. Unfortunately, they are not selective in their action, and frequently kill normal bacteria as well, resulting in disruption of the bacterial flora, which causes diarrhea and other intestinal disturbances. Replenishing the normal flora with beneficial bacteria during and after antibiotic therapy seems to minimize the disruptive effects of antibiotic use.

Pro-B in Diarrhea: Perhaps the best evidence for the powerful effectiveness of probiotics is in the extensive research done with those who suffer from various forms of diarrhea.

Pro-B in Immune enhancement: Studies suggest that probiotics can enhance the immune responses by, activating immunoreactive cells (e.g. macrophages, lymphocytes), increasing levels of cytokines & increasing natural killer cell activity (NK) &/or increasing levels of immunoglobulins.

Pro-B in IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional bowel disorder that can be characterized by symptoms of abdominal pain, cramps, gas, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. The natural intestinal Bifidobacterium populations have been shown to be much lower in people afflicted with IBS. Some studies have shown that supplemental B. infantis alleviates symptoms of IBS in woman. Lactobacilli spp. such as plantarum are also being investigated for the potential beneficial effects for IBS patients.