Wellness is in, "unwellness" is out. A general "unwell" feeling is a common complaint among a vast majority of people. If you want to feel good, the answer is simple: boost your daily intake of bugs.
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Vitality and well-being are important elements of life. Regular bowel movements, digestion of food and a healthy intestinal flora contribute to well-being. Undesirable bacteria in the intestine can produce toxins which may burden our health. Signs associated with a bacterial imbalance may include diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, bad breath, cramps etc.
Recent research studies
A study aptly called the “Feel Good” study, recently conducted by the University of New South Wales in Australia, compared the beneficial effect of a specific Lactobacillus strain, Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 with another Lactobacillus species and a placebo.
The 60 healthy people taking Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 all agreed that they experienced a greater general feeling of well-being compared to taking the other products. They also experienced less severe gastro-intestinal disturbance.
Under normal circumstances, the microbial community in the colon – which includes more than 300 different species of micro-organisms – regulates itself. Competition between the different micro-organisms, and also between the micro-organisms and their human host, assist to maintain this status quo.
Unfortunately, the intestinal environment of the colon can very easily be disturbed. Several factors, like stress, altitude changes, erratic eating patterns, parasitic organisms, diarrhoea, and use of antibiotics, could contribute to such a disruption. This may change the delicate balance of normal micro-organisms in the colon greatly.
Boosting the "good" bacteria
When the balance of bacteria in the digestive tract is disturbed, one can become susceptible to disease and most certainly experience "unwellness".
In these circumstances, boosting the numbers of "good" bacteria present in the gastrointestinal tract can be particularly useful. This is where probiotics, like Lactobacillus acidophilus, come into their own.
These good guys thwart the overgrowth of toxic bacteria by competing for attachment sites and nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract, change or improve the intestinal bacterial balance and boost the health and feeling of ‘wellness’ of the person taking the probiotic.
Researchers from the “Feel Good” study concluded that the participants from the study experienced a greater feeling of general well-being and the probiotic supplement had a beneficial effect on their gut health.
Contributing factors to the beneficial effects experienced in this study are the high doses of the specific Lactobacillus acidophilus LAFTI L10 strain and the fact that the probiotic were enteric-coated to survive harsh conditions in the digestive tract.
Whoever thought that bacteria can make you feel good? So, to cope with signs and symptoms due to daily stress and the bad eating habits and busy lifestyles that go along with it, take your daily dose of a high-strength, strain-specific probiotic.
- (Martie de Wet, registered dietician)
Reference:
Welin A, and Henriksson A. Survival of Lactobacillus acidohilus LAFTI L10 and L.casei L26 in the human gastrointestinal tract and perceived effects on health, conducted at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia.
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