How and why you should add probiotics to your diet

Probiotics can help your digestive system work even better. These are just a few other ways probiotics can help you, and some suggestions on how you can add more to your diet.

• Probiotics are organisms that ­contribute to the health and balance of the intestinal tract.
• They're commonly referred to as the "beneficial," or "good" bacteria.
• When ingested, probiotics act to maintain a healthy intestinal tract and help fight ­disease.
• Think of probiotics as the opposite of antibiotics, where antibiotics suppress or destroy bacteria.
• Probiotics combat "bad" bacteria and also help maintain the health of the cells that line the gastro­intestinal tract.
• There are many different probiotics. Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. rhamnosus GG and bifidobacteria, which are among those more commonly studied.

• Probiotics have a number of modes of activity, including affecting inflammatory processes, regulating cell function and protecting the intestine against invasive "bad" bacteria.
• They alsoinhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria.
• A large body of scientific research has examined the role of probiotics in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases such as diarrhea, Crohn's and urinary tract infections.
• While exactly how they do so is not understood completely, probiotics appear to affect the body's immune system.

• These beneficial bacteria can be obtained through consumption of fermented foods, such as yogourt.
• Make sure they're produced using live cultures of lactobacillus or bifidobacteria.
• Probiotics are also available as a dietary supplement in pill or powder form.

The science of probiotics is an exciting field, but more research is still needed. If you do choose to buy a probiotic supplement, do your homework and consider these points.

• All probiotics products are not the same. Some contain a single type of organism and others contain many.
• The health effects are species and strain specific and cannot be generalized to other bacteria.
• Find out which probiotics have been studied for the condition you want treated.
• Look for a product with billions of bacteria in it. You need this many to effectively colonize your intestine.
• Look for live cultures of acidophilus or bifidobacteria, or both.
• The bacteria should be available at the time of consumption, not at time of preparation, so check the label for the viable count at time of use.
• Store probiotic supplements in a cool, dry place, such as the refrigerator.

By simply adding more probiotics, either through supplements or food, you digestive system could run much more smoothly. Pay attention to the labels, and be careful to no overdue it. The results could be a healthier you.