Dr Messina: Probiotics + Why You Need Them

Probiotics: What are they and why do we take them?

Probiotics are a combination of live bacteria and/or yeast that naturally occur in our bodies. Over the past few years, supplementing with probiotics has become more popular and with good reason. Probiotics play an important role in not only the health of our digestive system, but also in our overall health.

Why now?

Years ago, when our earth was cleaner and less polluted, our soil was filled with the good bacteria and spores from yeast.  Farmers or even individuals who grew their own vegetables would pick fruits and vegetables with their hands, rinse the produce and then immediately cook and eat. We naturally picked up a lot of these healthy organisms just through our lifestyle. But over the years, as food began being picked days and weeks prior to it ending up on our table. This delayed process kills off the bacteria, or in many cases, it was never present in the first place, thanks to depleted soil due to pesticides (but that’s a topic for another day!).

Another common reason people are taking probiotics is because of our overall declining health, particularly the imbalance caused in our gut by the extensive use of antibiotics. A typical 7-day course of antibiotics can disrupt the natural flora for up to two years.

Probiotics vs Antibiotics:

We’ve all heard of antibiotics and almost all of us adults have taken antibiotics at some point in our life.  Ear infections as kids, urinary tract infections, sinus infections, etc. The use of antibiotics is widespread.  So, what do they do? They kill the cells that have harmful bacteria in them in order for the bacteria not to spread. However, antibiotics do not discriminate against “beneficial” vs “harmful” bacteria. In other words, when you take a course of antibiotics for your ear infection, it’s also killing all the good bacteria in your gut.

Why is this important?

We have a community of microorganisms that live inside and on us, and that is called a microbiome.  The gut microbiome, hence, is the collection of microorganisms that live in our intestinal tract. This symbiotic relationship is important for our overall health. A balanced gut microbiome aides in digestion, helps with absorption, maintains regular bowel movements, helps maintain the integrity of our epithelial lining which in turn protects us from the invasion of foreign substances such as harmful bacteria or viruses from entering our body. These are just a few benefits of a healthy microbiome.

So, what’s the role of the microbiome, exactly?

The microbiome may also play an important role in making vitamins such as some of the B vitamins, Vitamin K, and folate.

It also turns dietary fibers into short chain fatty acids such as butyrate, proprionate, and acetate. These fatty acids feed the gut wall and help with metabolic function, while also stimulating the immune system and strengthenings the gut wall.

Do you really need probiotics?

I personally have taken probiotics daily for at least 20 years.  In my early 20s I was diagnosed with a parasite and suffered terribly from gut issues. My probiotic journey began then, and I have taken them daily since. Probiotics have been reported to help with reducing yeast overgrowth (such as Candida), decreasing the number of UTIs, and help with numerous other conditions, including:

-antibiotic induced diarrhea and C. difficile infection and traveler’s diarrhea

-constipation

-diverticular disease

-Inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel disease

-tooth decay and gum disease

-allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergy prevention

-acne

Dietary sources of probiotics include fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh, and kimchi. And when I say yogurt, I don't mean yogurts that are artificially sweetened with any added sugar.  Excess sugar increase yeast overgrowth and that can create further imbalance in the gut flora. Our gut flora is sensitive to diet, and an unbalanced gut is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and depression, to name a just a few. Most individuals who eat a traditional Western diet probably would benefit from supplementing with probiotics.

In general, a mixed probiotic containing a minimum of 20 billion CFUs is what I recommend. During times of stress, travel, or in the unfortunate situation where I need to take antibiotics, I increase this amount. I also alternate my probiotic, changing the one I take every 3 months in order to add greater diversity to my microbiome.  The most popular probiotics include Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, and the yeast Saccharomyces is also gaining popularity. At Infinity, we carry the Xymogen ProbioMax, which is a favorite among staff and clients. In general, a good rule of thumb is that unless you’ve been specifically told by your doctor not to take probiotics, you can go for it. As we’ve talked about, probiotics will help aid in healing a wide variety of conditions, but more importantly, they can prevent issues from cropping up in the first place.