What do gut bacteria do?

Your digestive system is responsible for turning the food you eat into the energy needed to survive and carry out your normal daily activities. Read more about how you can support your healthy digestion with probiotic supplements.



Modern lifestyle, poor diet, antibiotic use and stress can all wreak havoc with your digestive health. When the digestive system is functioning properly, the lining of the digestive tract acts as a filter to allow all good nutrients to enter the bloodstream and prevent toxins and waste products from entering, keeping them in the bowel so they can be eliminated.

Helping your gut function well are billions of friendly bacteria. Different strains affect your body in different ways, and low levels overall have a detrimental effect on the health of your gut – your digestion will not be working at its optimum.

There is a continual balancing act in the digestive system between the “good” and “bad” bacteria. In order to maintain a healthy digestive system, we need to ensure that we have lots of “good” bacteria for:

• producing vitamins

• relieving the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• increasing the resistance to infections and regulating the immune system

• detoxifying chemicals

• preventing the overgrowth of “bad” bacteria

Disruption

The number of “good” bacteria can be disrupted by:

• excess alcohol

• too much dietary fat

• low fibre intake

• excess stress

• the use of antibiotics

If you find you are experiencing poor digestion, it might be beneficial to speak to your health care professional about taking a probiotic supplement.

These contain a mix of friendly bacteria needed for good health and vitality and may improve uncomfortable digestive symptoms such as bloating and mild diarrhoea.Supplementing with probiotics daily, especially while on a course of antibiotics, will help to repopulate the body with good bacteria, and bring back balance.

A quality probiotic will also help to minimise the risk of stomach upsets and help safeguard your immunity. By repopulating with good bacteria, probiotics help to set the stage for your immune system to respond more effectively and carry out its vital defence role.