Having a balance of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract is critical for maintaining low levels of systemic inflammation and overall good health. In adults, the flora in the intestinal tract is comprised of 100 trillion different species and makes up 15 lbs of our body weight. When we’re born, the flora is balanced between favorable and unfavorable bacteria (both are necessary!) but unfortunately, most of what we do in our day-to-day life causes an imbalance of these flora promoting the production of the latter. This leads to digestive issues such as bloating, IBS, gas, fatigue, irritability, weight gain and a variety of other health issues.
Why Do We Need Supplemental Probiotics?
It’s incredibly difficult to get enough probiotics from the food we eat to make an impact on the GI tract. Yes, certain foods contain probiotics but unfortunately the quantity and diversity of bacteria available in the food isn’t strong enough to make a beneficial impact. When we’re consuming a food with a very low volume of available probiotic strains, the likelihood of these strains making it down the 20 feet of the digestive tract into the intestines and being readily absorbed is slim to none.
It’s important to note that in order for probiotics to be effective, the intestinal tract needs to have the following readily available:
- hydrochloric acid for breakdown and absorption
- strong mucousal and epithelial surfaces for bacteria to adhere to, and to prevent unfavorable pathogens
- bile salts to promote antimicrobial activity
Most Americans are suffering from some level of leaky gut, and/or some form of gut related disorders, which means that they’re lacking in the above digestive secretions. This makes breaking down and absorbing anything that we put in our body extremely difficult, including probiotic strains. This is why it’s so important to assess and replace dietary secretions before adding in probiotics or any other gut-healing compounds. Because if we can’t break them down, we’re essentially wasting our money.
Breaking Down A Probiotic Label
Below are a few things that I always look at when choosing a probiotic:
CFU count: the CFU count tells you the number of active organisms in each capsule. The higher this number, the better.
Probiotic blend: the larger the variety of strains you see here, the better (generally). Finding blends that lead with the lacto family is important as these feed the gut’s bacteriodes.
Other Ingredients: this will tell you what the bacteria is packed in and any fillers. Fillers such as dairy, rice, soy or seed oils can be pro-inflammatory.
Recognize that different people are affected differently by different strains. Some strains may work very well for some, and cause bloating and discomfort in others. A general rule of thumb for probiotics is that not feeling anything upon or after consumption is a good sign.
nataliebrynyoga.wordpress.com 