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Probiotics

Probiotics are bacteria or micro-organisms that are beneficial to the health of an individual. They are essentially an opposite of antibiotics, which are inhibitory to other bacteria, including probiotic bacteria. Dietary supplements containing viable probiotic bacteria are increasing in popularity in the marketplace as their health benefits become recognized. The beneficial effects include improvement of the microbial balance of the intestinal microflora or by improving the properties of the indigenous microflora. Probiotics are normal commensal bacteria of the healthy human gut microflora. The most frequently used genera are lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. Probiotics are used as functional food. Functional food is foodstuff, consumed additionally to usual food and containing bio-preparations (incl. probiotics) or other components favourably influencing human health or decreasing disease risks. Probiotics enjoy the advantage of causing no side effects such as those resulting from the abuse of antibiotics, and inhibiting the abnormal proliferation of harmful microorganisms to maintain normal intestinal flora and to prevent the occurrence of illness. The best-known probiotics are the lactic acid-producing bacteria (i.e., Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria), which are widely utilized in yogurts and other dairy products. Lactic acid bacteria, primarily from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera, that are capable of improving or maintaining intestinal health and function are termed probiotic bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are indigenous microflora of mammalian gastrointestinal tract that play an important role in the host microecology and have been credited with an impressive list of therapeutic and prophylactic properties. These probiotic organisms are non-pathogenic and non-toxigenic, retain viability during storage, and survive passage through the stomach and small intestine. Since probiotics do not permanently colonize the host, they need to be ingested regularly for any health promoting properties to persist. The therapeutic and prophylactic properties include the maintenance of microbial ecology of the gut, physiological, immuno-modulatory and antimicrobial effects. Other LAB associated attributes include enzyme release into the intestinal lumen that act synergistically with LAB adhesion to alleviate symptoms of intestinal malabsorption. Furthermore, the LAB enzymes help regulate intestinal pH which results in increased aromatic amino acid degradation. Probiotics are known to reverse the increased intestinal permeability characteristic of children with atopic eczema and food allergy, and to enhance gut-specific IgA responses, frequently defective in children with food allergy. Promotion of gut barrier function by means of probiotics also includes normalization of the gut microecology, alterations in which have been demonstrated in allergic subjects. Probiotics have been suggested to play an important role in the formation or establishment of a well-balanced, indigenous, intestinal microflora in newborn children or adults receiving high doses of antibiotics. Probiotics can be used in food preparation safely and are used extensively in the manufacture of dairy products such as yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, and cheeses. They are used in dairy products primarily to preserve milk over a long period of time due to their ability to digest sugars and produce beneficial organic acids. They also make these food preparations flavorful.

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