Three facts and three myths about probiotics
Is it really as healthy as claimed? Or are you mainly paying for a jar of hope?
Pro means “before” and biotics means “life. So probiotics literally means before life. And that’s pretty true. Because benign bacteria can do an enormous amount for your health. Think: strengthen your gut, improve your mood, support your resistance – and even regulate your appetite.
Yet there are quite a few misconceptions about probiotics. Some people swear by them, others call it expensive nonsense in a capsule. Time for some clarification. In this blog, I will take you through three proven facts and three myths that are best forgotten today.
Fact 1: Probiotics can improve your mood
Picture this: it’s Saturday night, you’ve been out and about and on the way back you go stop by the snack bar. A little junk food contains in a lot of vet, salt and sugar of the wrong kind. It seems obvious to me. Good for your bowels? Not really and for your gut flora it’s like there’s sahara sand being thrown in.
The good bacteria die and the bad bacterial population that also resides in your gut for the balns takes the helm. The bad bacteria live mostly on bad food and whine for more. Something similar also plays out with a growling belly at the end of the afternoon: you moet something sweet or something salty and well now! What really matters is a disturbed intestinal flora that is quite out of balance is.
In your gut, neurotransmitters such as serotonin and GABA are produced. These are fabricphen that give you rest, relaxation and a good mood. Especially the good bacteria make these neurotransmitters and als the production falters, chances are you’ll feel feeling tired, anxious or depressed go feeling. Probiotics help bring back the good bacteria, bringing peace to the stomach as well as to the head.
Fact 2: Probiotics support your immune system
Around your intestines is a large network of lymphatic vessels. These are full of white blood cells – your personal immune system. What many people don’t know is that about 80% of your immune system resides in your gut. This is not surprising when you consider that with each hab food and millions of foreign bacteria that are in and on your food go in with it.
Good bacteria not only help break down food, they also ensure that toxins leave your body again and that undigested leftovers don’t wreak havoc. Is your intestinal flora disturbed? Then your defenses are more vulnerable and you catch something faster. With probiotics can help your gut (and thus your resistance) support and even boost if desired. For example, after illness and medication use .
Fact 3: Probiotics can regulate your appetite
Cravings for sugar or chips are not always a matter of emotion or lack of willpower. Often it’s the bad bacteria in your gut asking for foods they thrive on: sugar, fast carbs, fat. They affect your hormones, your mood and your cravings.
If you restore the balance in your gut for example by probiotics the uncontrollable urge to eat unhealthy food often disappears. Then you can just say “no” to that bag of chips on the couch again.
Myth 1: Probiotics are only needed for abdominal complaints
Nope. You really don’t have to have a simmering belly or irritable bowel to benefit from probiotics. Your gut constantly communicates with your brain, your skin, your immune system and your hormones. It has been shown that there is a highway of nerve pathways running from the intestines to the head but only a ‘country road’ of nerve pathways running the other way around. Your ‘ gutfeeling‘ is not crazy and indicates very clearly whether you should or should not do something.
An upset gut flora can manifest itself in eczema, fatigue, mood swings, headaches or joint pain to name a few.
Your bowels are like a second brain. Als those bowels are not happy, neither are you. They just can’t talk so they make you feel it. Ever been on a good ‘race’ or unable to go off for 3 days? Then you understand my p unt.
Myth 2: Probiotics are expensive
Well, what is expensive? Good probiotics costs between 20 and 30 euros. That’s less than a few wines on a terrace or a visit to the drugstore for yet another “miracle cure” for fatigue or bloating.
Moreover: supplements are often mistakenly compared to medications you pick up “for free” at the pharmacy. This thinking is wrong for two reasons. Rather, supplements are concentrated foods and medicines are paid for from health care premiums and tax money. Probiotics are not drugs, but they can contribute to your vitality. Just as healthy foods can with lots of prebiotic fiber.
If that means you feel fitter, calmer or brighter, then that jar is less expensive than you thought.
Myth 3: Probiotics don't work
True, not every probiotic works for everyone. Your gut flora is as unique as your fingerprint. So it may take some searching which composition suits you. But that makes probiotics not useless.
Indeed, there is a whole mountain of scientific research showing that probiotics do have an effect especially in people who have taken antibiotics, or are struggling with chronic stress or digestive complaints. And yes, personalized probiotics, including poop transplants (it really exists!).
5 good reasons to try probiotics
- Your immune system gets a boost
- Your belly becomes calmer = less bloating, less rumbling
- Your mood can stabilize thanks to the production of serotonin and GABA
- Your skin can improve with eczema, acne or faint redness
- Your heart and blood vessels will benefit because some strains work to lower blood pressure and cholesterol
Still unsure if probiotics are for you?
Feel free to ask your question – we’d love to think with you. And remember: sometimes a big difference in how you feel starts with something small. Like a few billion friendly bacteria dissolved in lukewarm water.
Have questions as a result of this blog? Comment here or email: info@vegaqura.com
Literature:
L.Plantarum
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8019694/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11276845/
Fermentum
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9760773
L.Paracasei
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7230591/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8303256
L.Rhamnosus
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11048764
Acidophilus
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35277042/
Salivarius
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28256040/
Helveticus
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3500876/
Longum
