Can Probiotics Help With Digestion?


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Digestion is a relatively complex process in the human body. As such, many different things can interfere with or cause problems with digestion. Any number of factors contribute to how well digestion occurs. For example, there are enzymes in your saliva that start to break food down while you are still eating. Stomach acid, obviously plays a role in digestion as well. An excess of stomach acid can be responsible for digestive troubles such as heartburn. Even the bacteria that live in your digestive system contribute to digestion. The balance of bacteria in your digestive system, sometimes called your “gut flora,” play a role as well. It is here that probiotics can help with digestion.

To understand how probiotics can help with digestion, it is important to understand what exactly probiotics are and how they work in relation to digestion and the digestive system. Probiotics are actually made from types of bacteria. The bacteria that probiotics are made from are different, however, than what we usually think of when we think about bacteria. The bacteria in probiotics, such as L. reuteri Protectis, actually help the body, rather than harm it. These sorts of bacteria are an important part of our body’s ecosystem, and we need these bacteria in order to be healthy.

The gastrointestinal tract is the most important part of the body where you will find these helpful bacteria, and it is the gastrointestinal tract that probiotics tend to help the most. You see, the bacteria in our gastrointestinal tracts perform several important functions. For example, they help in the process of digestion. Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract help the body to absorb minerals, and to synthesize vitamins. They also can help to boost the immune system. They do this by helping the developing of the immune system, as well as helping to create a barrier against harmful sorts of bacteria. Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract even play a role in protecting the body against infections.

Probiotics are a relatively new type of supplement. While more research is certainly needed to know for certain what effect probiotics can have on digestion, research so far has shown some success, and is truly promising.



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This entry was posted in Family Health.



 



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