What are they?
Derived from Greek, the term probiotic means “for life” and was first described in 1965. Currently, the WHO World Health Organization defines as “living organisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, give benefit to the health of the host.” Generally, the best known belong to the genera
Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus
, gram-positive lactic acid-producing bacteria, a substance that confers health benefit on the human microbiota.
What are probiotics for?
Probiotics act by improving the absorption capacity of nutrients, important for maintaining intestinal health, since they adher to the mucous membranes, colonizing them and acting competitively with pathogenic agents, besides assisting in modulating the immune system.
How do probiotics work?
Probiotics need to provide safety in their use, that is, not cause health damage and survive the passage through the acidic medium of the stomach and large intestine, their site of proliferation. Therefore, its use makes it difficult for pathogenic microorganisms such as Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium difficile, H. pylori and Salmonella sp. develop to the point of causing diseases to the host.
When do you need to supplement?
Kombucha and Milk Kefir are the dietary sources of most commonly consumed probiotics. In addition, they are available in the form of manipulation, widely used in the clinical practice of health professionals.
Reference
Article
Effect of Probiotics on Depression:
Huang, R., Wang, K., & Hu, J. (2016). Effect of Probiotics on Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients
, 8
(8), 483. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8080483
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