Our digestive system has over 500 different types of bacteria living in it which are responsible for the health of our intestines and assist in digesting food. We suffer from digestive disorders when the balance of these bacterias in the intestines is disturbed. This could be due to any number of reasons like an infection or side effect of taking a medicine etc. Probiotics are touted as the next big health trend that can help manage your gut better. Probiotics are used as natural substitute for these digestive bacteria and help improve and maintain the health of the intestines when the current equilibrium is disturbed.
The largest group of probiotic bacteria in the intestine is lactic acid bacteria, of which Lactobacillus acidophilus, is naturally found in yogurt with live cultures. Yeast is also a probiotic substance. But only certain types of bacteria or yeast (called strains) have been shown to work in the digestive tract.
Lately probiotics foods are being promoted in the market. The reason behind adding probiotics in the food product is just to make it a healthy and intestine friendly product because it aids in digestion and also keep intestines healthy. Another benefit of going for Probiotics that it even boosts the body’s ability to burn fat and could play a role in treating and preventing obesity.
Effect on Weight Loss
As in 2010 in one of the study, the improvement in fat percentage was observed in some of the individuals who were kept on probiotic foods. The findings also included a decrease in body weight, body mass index, waist size and hip size by almost 2 percent each. In a different study published in 2011 by the "Annual Review of Nutrition", differences were found in the gut bacteria of lean and obese individuals. Study data suggested an inverse correlation between the amount of gut bacteria and the presence of fat and other disorders - greater number of bacteria are associated with less development of body fat, diabetes and low-level inflammation associated with obesity.
Probiotics and Weight Loss
The mind-body connection comes into play, too. If your gut is not working, you might feel temperamental and crave food that make you feel happy which may or may not be healthy. Resorting to comfort food may get you in serious weight trouble in the long term. Studies have shown that a healthy gut often equates to a happier person and the person feels less depressed, therefore making it easier for a happy person to lose weight and avoid temptation.
Probiotics play an important role in food metabolism and are involved in the absorption of most nutrients in the small intestine and in the processing of undigested food in the large intestine. The large intestine completes digestion by absorbing additional nutrients, producing vitamins and creating waste products. Probiotics can help to maintain the levels of healthy bacteria in the gut to optimize the function of the digestive system, especially in overweight and obese individuals.
The state of your digestive tract acts reflects your overall health. Keeping it balanced will keep your body and mind in shape. Whether you want to lose weight or improve your overall health, eating foods rich in beneficial bacteria or taking probiotic foods can give you great results.