Effects of the Probiotics on Human Health
Probiotics, by definition, are living microorganisms, for example bacteria such as Lactobacillus or yeasts. They can form food ingredients with a beneficial effect on health and more specifically on the human microbiota. The microbiota includes the commensal microorganisms that make up our digestive system. An alteration of the human microbiota, leads for example to infectious diarrhea, food allergies, inflammation of the intestine and other pathological syndromes.
Benefits of probiotics
The development of probiotics over the past two decades has been an important step forward in the food industry. In addition to providing nutrients and energy, they beneficially modulate one or more of the target functions of the human body. They also improve some physiological response and / or reduce the risk of certain diseases. An intervention, or more clearly, a supply of probiotics through the diet can restore the microbiota and maintain it to avoid these pathological syndromes. So the goal of probiotics is to promote a beneficial microflora for the host. In other words, they do not let pathogenic bacteria and other bad microorganisms settle.
Healthiest probiotics
Kefir is one of these probiotic foods; being a fermented drink, it is able to modify the bacteria / yeast ratio present in the digestive system, even the microbial strains. It contains mainly Lactobacillus bacterial strains that have a beneficial effect on the intestinal and stomach flora. Kefir provides resistance against several pathogenic microorganisms, it improves the immune system and is able to reduce the diseases caused by these bacteria.
Kombucha is also part of probiotic foods, it is also a fermented drink that has the capacity, thanks to its bacterial content (mainly formed by Acetobacter bacteria), to promote the immune system by improving the intestinal flora, and which has antioxidant properties.
Probiotics and Spirulina
Scientists have demonstrated in laboratory that the presence of Spirulina increases the number of Lactobacillus casei, it increases the probiotic effect of kefir and kombucha, the beneficial effects on the bacterial flora are then increased.
Source :
Ouwehand AC, Salminen S. & Isolauri E. (2002). Probiotics: an overview of beneficial effects. Lactic Acid Bacteria: Genetics, Metabolism and Applications
Isolauri E., Salminen S., & Ouwehand AC (2004). Probiotics. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology
Parvez S., Malik Ka, Ah Kang S., & Kim H.-Y. (2006). Probiotics and their fermented food products are beneficial for health. Journal of Applied Microbiology
Mauricio J. (2012). Aqua Kefir and Its Probiotic Properties. Probiotic in Animals
Vīna I., Semjonovs P., Linde R. & Deniņa I. (2014). Current Evidence on Physiological Activity and Expected Health Effects of Kombucha Fermented Beverage. Journal of Medicinal Food.
Probiotic Efficiency of Spirulina platensis – Stimulating Growth of Lactic Acid Bacteria (2009) ; Dola Bhowmik, Jaishree Dubey and Sandeep Mehra; Lab of Phycology, Department of Botany, HS Gour University, Sagar, MP India.
