Probiotics Explained (Part 1 of 2)
Data from across countries suggests that probiotic intervention can reduce severity of viral infections.
The popularity of probiotics is on the rise, even more so since the pandemic. Data from across countries suggests that probiotic intervention can reduce severity of viral infections. In fact, China’s National Health Commission recommends probiotics in the treatment of patients with severe Covid-19 infection.
Despite all the talk about probiotics, the understanding of their use is not very clear, even among those who consume it regularly.
In an attempt to demystify probiotics, this is a two-part series on the topic.
Probiotics in the Daily Diet
Probiotics are hardly a new introduction to our diet. Beneficial bacteria have been a part of our diet for time immemorial. Our ancestors intuitively consumed foods teeming with good microbes, although in those times there was no scientific validation for their health benefits. Almost every culture in the world has had their own repertoire of such traditional foods. The Swiss have their cheese with holes, the Koreans their kimchi, and in India we have lassi, dahi, dhokla, dosa, kanji etc.
The main difference between then and now is in our lifestyle.
Probiotics for the Modern Lifestyle
The modern lifestyle entails the frequent use of antibiotics, high fat and sugary diets, and heightened levels of stress. With reduced physical activity and less time at our disposal for tasks such as cooking from scratch, the intake of traditional foods has decreased. Industrially prepared, heavily processed foods make up larger parts of our daily menu.
Most industrially prepared foods are bereft of the live, ‘helpful’ microbes. The diversity of microbes in our diet has therefore reduced drastically. To compensate for this loss, we need to consciously introduce these beneficial microbes back into our diet, and consuming probiotic foods is a good way to do that.
Choosing a Good Probiotic
The answer to this question depends, firstly, on why you’re adding probiotics to your diet. Is it to relieve constipation, mitigate the risk of respiratory infection, supplement a treatment plan for IBS, or to boost overall gut health? Each probiotic strain--even among those belonging to the same genus and species--works in a unique way, and offers documented evidence to support the claim it makes. Depending on your reason for introducing probiotics into your diet, you can choose the most suitable strain.
Integrating Probiotics with other foods
An easy way to introduce probiotics into the daily menu is by adding them to a recipe that you already consume regularly, like a milkshake or a smoothie. Additionally, I counsel those seeking my advice to include fermented foods in the diet.
Adding a probiotic food to the diet doesn’t mean you need to stop consuming homemade yogurt and other traditional fermented foods. The yogurt prepared in every home is different because it is not a standardised product. However, homemade yogurt has beneficial lactic acid bacteria present in it. The number and strains of the bacterial varies from home to home, but it is a healthy food nonetheless.
I also advocate following a largely plant-based, fibre-rich diet that supports the growth of the good microbes in the body.
Can we make probiotics at home?
Not really.
The term probiotic is strictly reserved for live microbes that have demonstrated a clear health benefit in controlled human studies.
FSSAI, India’s food regulatory authority, specifies the minimum number of viable organisms to be 10*8 per CFU/gm/ml for a food to be labelled probiotic.
Different products can have different levels of viable organisms, which also determines their efficacy.
The product or food must deliver the effective dose of the probiotic related to the claim that it makes. This effective dose varies depending on the strain of microbe present in a product.
What happens when we don’t consume probiotics?
Today, we know with certainty that at least 25 disorders are linked to altered gut flora, and with the passage of time, more and more diseases are falling under this ambit.
Probiotics are an important form of nutritional intervention that can help maintain the balance of microbes in the gut. Recent studies have suggested that the role of these beneficial microbes goes beyond gut health and is linked to obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and even some kinds of cancers.
Evidence that has emerged on the gut-brain-microbiota axis further expands the role of probiotics in mental health.
The Role of Probiotics in Viral Infections
Although probiotics are not drugs, adding certain probiotic strains to the daily diet can support the immune system and prevent infections.
In this pandemic, we are certainly looking at all possible ways to strengthen the immune system and prevention of the disease assumes utmost importance.
The evidence available clearly points to the fact that certain probiotic strains play this role via various mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms are: increasing IgA antibodies, increasing antibacterial peptides and increasing the activity of certain immune cells like the Natural Killer Cells.
Probiotics: When to use with caution
In certain specific patient populations, probiotics should be used with caution. These are patients with ongoing sepsis or bacteremia. People with severe immune deficiencies also are not good candidates for probiotic supplementation.
Probiotic foods are certainly not a one-shot remedy, but including them in the diet can effectively improve well-being. The only caveat is that probiotics should be a part of your daily diet, on a regular basis.
Stay tuned for the next part of this series on probiotics!
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