What are Probiotics?Maybe you've heard the word but are a little unclear about just what are probiotics. Let me explain. Imagine a long dark tunnel about 10 meters in length, teeming with a vast community of bacteria, viruses, yeasts and fungi. Most, but not all, of the probiotic bacteria come from the lactic acid producing bacteria. These Lactobacilli are the guys who hang out in yogurt. Lactobacilli are normal residents of your intestine, although they are not the dominant bacteria, but their presence is an indicator of a healthy gastrointestinal microflora. They stop the bad guys - sorry, pathogens - from getting out of hand.Well, that’s one definition. You could ask the World Health Organization the "what are probiotics?" question and they will give you a more defined answer. And if you're thinking you'd rather not have your insides teeming with bacteria, think again. Laboratory animals specifically bred to be bacteria-free have poorly functioning immune systems with little resistance to disease and harmful bacteria. Probiotics are small single-celled bacteria and are categorised by genus, species and strain. This is an important point because not all probiotics do the same thing or thrive in the same conditions. Some adore living up to their eyebrows in acidic gastric juices whilst others would shrivel up and die at even the thought of such a harsh environment. If you don't pick the right probiotic for the right job, then you're simply wasting your health dollar and not helping your body. TOP of What are Probiotics?
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If you're a western fan you might want to put black hats on them to keep it all straight in your head.
Now imagine a hardy group of bacteria patrolling that tunnel from mouth to anus (these ones are wearing white hats), keeping law and order, producing food, saving widows and orphans - sorry, I got carried away there. But you get my drift. These are the probiotic bacteria and they're the good guys.
