Should you be consuming probiotics? YES!
In 1908 a gentleman named Elie Metchnikoff was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his discovery and work in the field of probiotics. And while fermented foods have no doubt been consumed for thousands of years, Elie Metchnikoff is credited as being the grand father of modern probiotics as he pioneered research on gut health after realizing that poor Bulgarian peasants who lived off of mostly cultured yogurt lived longer, healthier lives than the more well off people who didn’t eat as many fermented foods.
Elie Metchnikoff theorized that senility could be delayed and overall health could be enhanced by manipulating our gut microbiome with probiotics. Metchnikoff was certainly ahead of his time as was the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who famously stated over 2000 years ago that “all disease begins in the gut!”
Read more here:
https://oilsguy.com/oilyevanstribe/all-disease-begins-in-the-gut?p=2946
Okay, so what are probiotics?
They are beneficial bacteria that populate our gut and positively impact many different aspects of our overall health. They are well known for supporting proper digestion and overall gut health, providing support for issues such as constipation and diarrhea while helping to lower inflammation in the gut. They help produce vitamins K2, B12 and folic acid in the gut, and also help keep the growth of not so friendly microorganisms in the gut (such as candida) in check.
Probiotics are very supportive to our immune systems – not too surprising as 70 – 80% of our immune system resides in our gut! Research has shown that probiotics help with the formation of T-cells which help fight viruses and tumorous cells in the body!
If you have ever done much reading on the topic of probiotics you have probably come across the statement that the bacteria in our bodies outnumbers our human cells by approx 10:1, leading many researchers to make the statement that “we are more bacteria than we are human!” More recent research on this has shown that this statement of bacteria outnumbering human cells by 10:1 seems to be a bit exaggerated, with many researchers now putting the number more like 1.3:1 with factors such as genetics and antibiotic usage no doubt coming into play. Whatever the exact numbers are isn’t really important, what is important is that you know that you are still a huge collection of bacteria, still probably more bacteria than human, and that all this bacteria plays a huge role in your overall health!
In addition to their gut and immune system supporting benefits, probiotics have also been shown to be very beneficial to our brains and central nervous system by way of improved intelligence, memory formation, memory recall, along with a reduction in anxiety, depression, OCD, and Autism! If this is surprising to you – don’t forget that there are nerves that connect the gut to the brain. It looks like there is some wisdom in the old saying “listen to your gut”.
In regards our hormones and the endocrine system: other less known benefits of probiotics are that they have been shown to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Keeping cortisol levels in check will go a long way in supporting the bodies ability to produce other, more “youthful” hormones such as: DHEA, progesterone and testosterone. This has been highlighted in studies performed on male Wistar rats (which have very similar reproductive systems compared to humans) which showed that those who received probiotics had a nice increase in sperm counts, testosterone levels and even…larger testicles! Yes you read that last part right, ha!
Read more about cortisol it’s effects on our overall hormonal health here:
https://oilsguy.com/oilyevanstribe/cortisol-and-stress?p=3088
Supporting the bodies detoxification process is more important now than ever in our modern world of ever increasing exposure to toxins such as heavy metals and man made chemicals!
Amazingly, certain probiotic strains have demonstrated the power to both detox certain toxins from the body AS WELL as reducing their absorption in the digestive tract to begin with! Such is the case with the strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus showing the ability to bind to heavy metals such as cadmium and lead in doses commonly observed in foods. The strain Bifidobacterium breve has been shown to reduce the absorption of BPA as well as significantly speed up the rate at which BPA is excreted from the body. These are just a couple quick studies we found (linked below) and there are no doubt many more studies, beneficial strains and overall health benefits.
Consuming plenty of probitocs is also important as many factors of our modern world such as stress, chlorinated water, certain man made toxins, and taking antibiotics can kill the beneficial bacteria in our bodies, which will then allow for more harmful bacteria to flourish.
So what foods can we incorporate in our diets to get more probiotics?
Kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, organic yogurt, keifer and raw dairy products if you have access to them. However, you must make sure that these foods are RAW/UNPASTEURIZED. Pasteurization will kill off the probiotics. Make sure these foods are in the refrigerated section of your supermarket. If it’s not being chilled in the store that is a your first giveaway that it has been heated, blasted and pasteurized resulting in complete loss of all the beneficial bacteria (the food most likely to have this happen is probably sauerkraut).
Regarding probiotic supplementation via dietary supplements: the most important factor is that the strains within the supplement are backed up with actual studies, research, and have proven benefits! After all, a supplement can be labeled as having “200 thousand gazillion cultures” but if the strains are unproven, ineffective, or possibly even harmful (not all bacteria is friendly) then you might as well be consuming a capsules filled with dirt!
A quality probiotic supplement should also contain multiple strains, to help ensure that as much as the gut as possible is populated – from the small intestine to the colon, and it should also have a special delayed-release capsule. This will help protect the good little bugs from the harsh conditions of your stomach so that they can actually reach the digestive tract, where they will work there magic.
The Life 9 probiotic supplement contains 17 billion, live bacterial cultures from 9 different proven probiotic strains, along with delayed-release capsules. The strains contained in Life 9 and just a few of their benefits are:
L. Acidophilus: occurs naturally in the mouth and GI tract of humans and supports the metabolism of sugars and decreases the amount of toxins in our blood stream
Bifidobacterium lactis: supports immunity and opposes tumor growth
Lactobacillus plantarum: has antioxidant properties and supports our natural digestive enzymes
Lactobacillus rhamnosus: supports a healthy stress response and cortisol levels in the body along with the detox properties mentioned above
Lactobacillus salivarius: supports healthy skin, a healthy inflammatory response in the body and helps keep bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine in check
Streptococcus thermophilus: supports the immune system and also healthy inflammation levels in the body
Bifidobacterium breve: the most prominent bacteria in the human GI tract and supports metabolism, constipation and the detox properties mentioned above
Bifidobacterium bifidum: supportive of acute diarrhea and supportive of the immune system
Bifidobacterium longum: helps prevent the growth of pathogenic organisms and is a crucial element of maintaining healthy gut flora
Consuming bone broth and gelatin are also powerful with regards to protecting and even building back up the lining of our gut. As always quality does matter so opt for the quality, grass fed varieties. We love the following two products:
As you can see, the benefits of consuming plenty of proven, quality probiotics are massive and no doubt in the coming years we will learn even more about these beneficial little bugs, and how they can support our overall health!
Thank you for reading!
#Oilyevanstribe
Written by Will Evans
*This information includes ideas and suggestions that is educational in nature, and is provided only as general information. We are not medical professionals; and our advice should not be looked upon as medical treatment plans. This information does not represent the views or opinions of Young Living.*
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859987/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17110980
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18540113
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12369194
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21069673
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27413138
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