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Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast essential for your digestive system. Our bodies a full of both bad and good bacteria. Probiotic is one of the good bacteria that helps keep the gut health in order.
This healthy bacteria is found in some fermented foods like yogurt and supplements. Let’s look at the following pros and cons probiotic to help you understand how it helps in balancing the good and bad bacteria to keep the body functioning well.
Pros:
1. Balance gut bacteria: Probiotics contains live microorganism which helps in restoring the natural balance of the gut bacteria. These live microorganisms provide a range of health benefits to the body.
2. Improve mental condition: Probiotic supplements helps in improving mental health disorders and restore one’s mood. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium components present improve anxiety, depression, and memory.
3. Reduce irritable bowel syndrome: Probiotics helps in reducing certain digestive disorders. It also helps in reducing the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
4. Improve heart health: Probiotic lower blood pressure level and reduce the bad LDL cholesterol in the body. The supplement reduces cholesterol by breaking down the bile in the gut and prevent it from being re-absorbed in the gut. This reduces the risk of heart attack.
5. Boost immune system: It promotes the production of natural antibodies and boosts the immune system. Taking the supplement will reduce the likelihood of having respiratory infections.
6. Prevent diarrhea: It helps in preventing and treating diarrhea caused by taking antibiotics. Antibiotics can affect the good bacteria in the gut and taking the probiotic supplement will help replace the good bacteria and ensure a balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut.
7. Healthier skin: Probiotics prevent toxins from being secreted through the skin resulting in healthy and flourishing skin.
8. Reduce the severity of allergies and eczema: Some probiotic strains helps in reduce allergies in infants. Infants whose mothers took probiotic while pregnant have a reduced risk of developing eczema.
9. Help in weight loss: It prevents absorption of dietary fat in the intestines by excreting the excess fat via feces. Probiotic triggers hormones like GLP-1 which helps you feel fuller and burn more calories in the body.
10. Reduce gastrointestinal symptoms: Probiotics reduce some gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, gas, and constipation.
Cons:
1. Increase histamine levels: Some probiotic strains lead to increased levels of histamine. When the levels rise, blood vessels dilate in order to circulate more blood in the affected area. This leads to swelling and redness in the affected area. Other allergies like itching or running nose can occur.
2. Side effects: Some of the side effected reported are based on reaction to bacteria and it can cause temporary constipation, gas or stomach bloating.
3. Weak immune system: If someone has a weak immune system due to illness or taking medication, taking some types of probiotic from the market will make them sick.
4. Headaches: Amine compounds found in the supplement can trigger a headache. Amine substance can lead to the excitement of the nervous system, increase or decrease the blood flow leading to a headache to people who are sensitive to the substance.
5. Unmonitored quality: Probiotics are considered a dietary supplement and not drug thus, FDA doesn’t monitor the manufacture of probiotics. This leads to the manufacturing of various high-quality products and low-quality product which may not contain the probiotic bacteria.
6. Adverse reactions: If you’re allergic to some ingredients, you should read the probiotic labels carefully to avoid any adverse reactions.
7. Increase infections: Yeast bacteria found in the supplement can cause infections to some people once it enters the bloodstream. People with the suppressed immune system or undergone surgery are at high risk.
8. Increase acidity: Low-grade probiotics may contain dairy products which can increase acidity in the body or have fermented soy which affected the digestive system.
