Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition by Elizabeth Lipski

, B 3 , B 5 , B 6 , B 12 , and folic acid. Certain acid-secreting species increase our absorption of minerals including calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, and manganese. Probiotics improve peristalsis, help normalize bowel transit time, and are also important in preventing traveler’s diarrhea. If you travel outside the United States, take a probiotic supplement daily, as studies show it significantly increases your ability to withstand the new microbes to which you will be exposed.
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    Heart
    Normalize serum cholesterol and triglycerides
    Support healthy blood pressure levels
    Metabolic
    Break down and rebuild hormones
    Promote optimal growth
    Promote healthy metabolism and weight
    Break down bile acids
    Manufacture 5 to 10 percent of all short-chain fatty acids
    Reduce blood ammonia levels in people with cirrhosis and liver disease
    Probiotic supplements may be beneficial for the following health conditions:
    Alcohol-induced liver disease
    Allergy, including food allergies
    Asthma
    Bacterial and fungal infections
    Bladder infections (recurrent)
    Cancer
    Complications from antibiotic therapy
    Constipation
    Dental health
    Diarrhea (all causes) in adults and children
    Eczema
    Elevated blood cholesterol
    Flatulence
    Hypertension
    Immune system stimulation
    Infectious diarrhea
    Inflammatory bowel diseases and pouchitis
    Irritable bowel syndrome
    Kidney stones
    Lactose intolerance
    Lupus erythematosus
    Necrotising enterocolitis
    Rheumatoid arthritis
    Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
    Traveler’s diarrhea and/or colitis
    Vaginal infections
    Native and supplemental probiotics help us in many additional ways. Some have antitumor and anticancer effects, and others help to keep our normal internal fungus population from proliferating out of control. Probiotics help us metabolize foreign substances like mercury and pesticides, protect us from damaging radiation and harmful pollutants, and break down and rebuild “used” hormones like estrogen. Although the mechanism is not yet understood, bacterial balance is also essential for healthy metabolism; many superthin people have been able to gain weight through the use of probiotic supplements.
BENEFITS OF SPECIFIC PROBIOTIC BACTERIA AND YEASTS
     
    A probiotic is a specific type of bacteria or yeast that has been identified as a specific genus, species, and strain. Each type of probiotic has specific effects on the human body and is able to compete with disease-causing bacteria and reproduce in our intestinal tract for a week or two. Here are the criteria for probiotics:
    Our two most important groups of intestinal flora are the lactobacilli, found mainly in the small intestine, and bifidobacteria, found primarily in the colon. Neither species is native to our digestive tract, but we can consume them in cultured dairy products or in supplements, and they “vacation” in us for up to 12 days in a mutually beneficial relationship. While on vacation they shore up the local economy, like all good tourists.
    Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria secrete large amounts of acetic, formic, and lactic acid, which makes the intestinal environment inhospitable to invading microbes and helps prevent, or lessen the severity of, food poisoning. Some food-borne infections lead to chronic illness, causing heart and valve problems, immune system disorders, joint disease, and possibly even cancer. Use of supplemental acidophilus and bifidus can help prevent food poisoning by making the intestinal tract inhospitable to the invading microbes.
    Lactobacilli manufacture antibiotics, such as acidophilin, produced by acidophilus, which are effective against many types of bacteria, including streptococcus and staph. Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus have been shown to be effective in laboratory testing against the following pathogens: Bacillus subtilis,Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli, Proteus mira-bilis, Salmonella enteridis, Salmonella typhimurium,