The Disagreements Over the Health Effects of Probiotics Essay

Dietary fiber is a source of carbohydrate that has benefits for intestinal health. It plays a role in the prevention of disease in the intestine and even throughout the body, such as obesity, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (10). Furthermore, when the bacteria in the gut ferment the fiber, metabolites are produced, which benefit the body. Short chain fatty acids are one major end product of this carbohydrate metabolism, which act to lower the colon’s pH, inhibiting pathogenic bacteria from growing. Some other metabolites include lactate, succinate and formate. Lactate is converted to butyrate by the bacteria in the gut, which induces mucin synthesis, which is a glycoprotein that maintains the gut epithelium integrity. Butyrate also acts to prevent bacterial transport across the epithelium and increases tight junction assembly (11). What this means, is that the fermentation of fiber allows these beneficial metabolites to be produced, causing a cascade of reactions that promote health and gut integrity. This shows the complex beneficial interaction between gut microbiota and fiber intake and its role in promoting health.

The health benefits of maintaining bacteria in the gut are a topic of interest. Grocery store shelves are stocked with probiotic goods such

If you're like many other people (including myself till I started researching this), you might only have a vague idea about what a healthy gut is. You likely know there are bacteria in your gut, that antibiotics destroy those bacteria and that you need to eat yogurt to put those bacteria back. You likely don't know you need to eat special yogurt containing active live cultures to bring bacteria back in your

Our formula also contains prebiotics. These guys are what feed the good microbes and help them repopulate. So, while the probiotic is kicking the bad microbes’ butt, our prebiotics, which use a unique combination of Mannan-oligosaccharide (don’t even try to pronounce it) feed the good guys helping them do their job more efficiently.

In 1953, Kollath introduced the term ‘probiotic’. Etymologically, the term ‘probiotic’ is originated from the hybridization of Greek words ‘προ’ and ‘βιοτος’, which brough the meaning of ‘for life’. In 1953, the term ‘probiotic’ was introduced by Kollath as “organic and inorganic supplements necessary to restore health to patients suffering a form of malnutrition resulting from eating too much highly refined food” (Hamilton-Miller et al., 2003). The probiotic word has evolved throughout the years. As indicated by the World Health Organization (WHO), probiotics are characterized as "live microorganisms that able to provide advantage to the host when consume in adequate amount (World Health Organization [WHO], 2001). Probiotics also classified

Escherichia coli is a gram negative bacteria which is the main aerobic commensal bacteria found in the intestines of animals; it can also become pathogenic if it gets into the urinary tract ot the blood (Erb et. al., 2007). Staphylococcus aureus is a gram positive bacteria. It is the leading cause of bacterial infections in humans involving the skin, blood, and lower respiratory tract in America (De Leo et. al., 2009); Natural selection of antibiotic resistance in S. aureus has led to the emergence of increased resistance to penicillin, methicillin, and vancomycin within the human population (De Leo et. al., 2009). One important difference between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria is the structure of their cell walls. The cell walls

In this week’s discussion, I will be speaking on Bifidobacterium animalis, Bifidobacterium animalis is a gram-positive, anaerobic, bacterium where it can be found in the large intestines (www.probiotic.org). This organism is called a type of probiotic, or bacteria that works to promote a healthy digestive tract. Bifidobacterium animalis is considered a probiotics, Probiotics is a bacteria brought into the body for all of its qualities. Probiotics competes between the food and space to help keep up a digestive balance. The type of creature Bifidobacterium animalis is a bacterium. As I was doing my research I read that it helps bacteria from growing in the digestive system and that also it fights so you do not catch a cold, infections or even

Calcium alginate encapsulation has demonstrated exemplary protective properties for probiotics exposed to low pH conditions [3]. In the above graphs, it can be substantiated that non-encapsulated probiotics (Fig. 1) are compromised immediately when subjected to simulated stomach acid over time. Given approximately 10 minutes, the non-encapsulated probiotic culture viability decreases drastically by 50%. Therefore, it is logical to assume that probiotics contained in yogurt, cheese, milk, and other dairy products are feasibly non-viable post digest. In addition, this situation creates ambiguity for the consumer that purchases an advertised probiotic product that is essentially useless. This review proposes a promising technology that implements the use of

Greek yogurt is a great source of probiotics. What’s so great about probiotics? They are tiny little microorganisms that help improve digestion and protect your gut from harmful bacteria. Research has shown that probiotics can help treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome, diarrhea, Crohn’s disease, and other gastrointestinal disorders. They can also help promote regular bowel movements.

has been studied on disease association with altered gut microbiota. The various species of Bifidobacterium which have been used as probiotics are B. bifidum, B. breve, B.lactis, B. longum, B. infantis and B. adolescentis [3]. It is important to note that all the species of Bifidobacteriumare not beneficial. Also, the species which have been used as probiotics have also been reported to cause infections especially in neonates and immunocompromised individuals (See Table 1). The case reports of Bifidobacterium sp. as significant pathogens are enlisted in Table

The human gut as an environment is very complex, sensitive and hostile. However these microorganisms are able to adapt and evolve with the changes of our body in order to survive. The gastrointestinal tract is sterile at birth, but colonisation naturally begins within a few hours of birth when Methanobrevibacter Smithii along with over 500 other distinct species of bacteria [1] are digested from their mothers milk and generally hand to mouth contact. The human guts microflora is established at three to four weeks of age, when the bacteria have colonised the colon. [2]

Probiotics help keep a balance between microorganisms in the intestine. They are especially beneficial to people who have digestive problems. The GI tract acts as a barrier against food and microorganism that may have entered the body. The response of probiotics or other microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract depends on the development of the microflora. Most of the effects we see from probiotics are brought about through immune regulation and cytokines. Probiotics can be used to normalize gut mucosal dysfunction, decrease inflammation, and decrease sensitive reactions (CITE). Probiotics also keep the gut healthy; thus, ensuring the immune system functions well. Epithelial intestinal tissue’s main role is protecting the intestines from harmful microbes and is dependent upon gut flora. In order for new epithelial lining to be made, adequate amounts of gut flora must be available for the body to access. Therefore, maintaining the proper balance of epithelial tissue is reliant on probiotics since probiotics increase the lifespan of the tissue cells. Probiotics can also enhance the body’s innate immunity, this helps lessen the amount of inflammation in the GI tract

To develop the clinical interest further, the section could have included information regarding what probiotic supplements are and their benefits, such as “probiotics are defined as live micro-organisms that confer a health benefit on the host when administered in adequate amount” (King, Glanville, Sanders, Fitzgerald & Varley, 2014).

Probiotics are ingestable microorganisms which gives the consumer a beneficial effect. First coined by the late eli Metchnikoff probiotics are described to be microorganisms which are ingested in small amount to increase the diversity of both flora and fauna inside the human body this reaction in turn affects the adaptation abilities for the human body to react to different surroundings, digest different things, or just improve the antibody or the mechanism that already exists in the human body.

One mechanism probiotics employ is competition with pathogenic bacteria in the oral cavity. They may compete for binding sites, growth factors and nutrition; thereby having an antagonistic effect against the pathogenic bacteria. Growth of pathogenic bacteria is inhibited due to the limited availability of resources and this may eventually lead to death (Rastogi et al. 2011).