Have you been considering taking probiotic supplements? You’re not alone. Many individuals have relied on them for their various health and wellness benefits. They also have the potential of sparing us from a variety of rather stressful and challenging health problems. In this guide, we’ll explore the benefits of taking probiotics, spotlighting specific perks along the way. Consult the table of contents below to see what we cover at a glance, and feel free to read on or contact us for further insights here at Custom Probiotics.

Table of Contents

Health and Digestive Problems Addressed by Probiotics

Benefits of Probiotics

Digestive System Health

Prevent and Treat Diarrhea

Improve Mental Health

Heart Health

Reduce Allergies

Immune System Health

Health and Digestive Problems Addressed by Probiotics

Before getting started, there are all sorts of health complications that can be protected against by choosing to take certain probiotic supplements. These include the following:

Health Problems

• Bloating
• Inflammation
• Lactose intolerance
• Indigestion
• Travelers diarrhea
• Anxiety
• Skin problems
• Sleeping problems

Digestive Disorders

• IBS
• IBD
• Candida
• Crohn's Disease
• Allergies
• Asthma
• Urinary tract and vaginal health
• H. Pylori
• ADD/ADHD
• Autism
• Eczema
• Lyme disease

Health Benefits of Probiotics

There are many benefits of taking a probiotic supplement. They range from maintaining good health to preventing and even treating disorders. These include issues related to the digestive tract, mental health, and the skin. The key is to maintain a healthy and balanced microflora.

A healthy flora improves digestibility, nutrient absorption, mental health and energy, and also prevents toxins from entering the bloodstream. When your flora is unbalanced, it will affect all other parts of your body (see the section on why take probiotics for more information on this). The problems that can arise vary depending on the individual and on many factors such as the environment itself, genetic predisposition, diet, and medical treatments received in the past.

Digestive System Health

By promoting improved digestive tract functionality, our body can process and filter out toxins more effectively while ensuring plenty of beneficial bacteria are present. This balance can reduce the risk of conditions including bloating and inflammation, not to mention indigestion. The less stressed or unhealthy your digestive system is, the less sick you’ll be after eating certain foods or ingesting various liquids, though a proper, balanced diet and reducing the number of processed foods and sugars your body has to digest are equally crucial steps to take. For individuals who are lactose intolerant or at the risk of developing this condition, probiotics have the potential of minimizing the negative effects or even mitigating them entirely (this will vary depending on the severity of the intolerance, of course).

Various digestive disorder symptoms can be reduced or even eliminated entirely with regular probiotic use, with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) being one such unpleasant example that can be more easily rectified.

Prevent and Treat Diarrhea

A healthy gut flora is also important if you hope to avoid so-called travelers’ diarrhea when jetting off to faraway countries, especially if you intend on drinking their water (which we highly advise against in most instances). In addition, should you need to take certain antibiotics, probiotics can reduce the risk of diarrhea they can sometimes cause as a side effect. At the very least, you should generally see a reduced severity of this kind of sickness, which can make it easier to bear and manage. This can be especially important when travelling and unable to access local medical services.

Improve Mental Health

Our bodies and immune systems have a direct impact on our overall mental health. For example, if all we eat is ‘junk food’ – highly processed meals and such – there’s a higher likelihood of issues including mood swings, negativity, anxiety, and otherwise. While a balanced and healthy diet is important, as is reducing stress triggers, probiotics can lend a hand when it comes to looking after our mental health.

Various findings over the years directly link gut and mental health, often referred to as the gut-brain axis. Probiotics can lower insulin levels and decrease the risk of anxiety and depression. Sleeping problems can also fall under this category as there are fewer toxins present in the body when the gut flora is balanced. Further study is required in this category, as with all of the ones mentioned today, but there is also the chance of certain neurological conditions being quelled with probiotic use.

Heart Health

There are several notable ways in which probiotic supplements can help to improve heart health, a significant benefit for many individuals. This is especially important for those with pre-existing issues or a genetic family history of heart problems. In addition, there have been various studies that indicate their ability to lower cholesterol. Lactobacillus probiotics in particular, have been praised for being highly effective in this regard.

How does it work, though? To start, probiotics such as these can act as a sort of glue, adhering to cholesterol. This can prevent the body’s intestines from absorbing it into the system. Not only that, but they produce acids that further break down cholesterol as well as fat. In short, they help to minimize and strictly regulate the amount of cholesterol produced while also dissolving it. There are two types of cholesterol. The first is total cholesterol, and the second is low-density lipoprotein (otherwise known as LDL or bad cholesterol). These probiotics are capable of keeping both under control.

Another way that certain probiotics benefit heart health is that they can reduce the risk of blood pressure. However, it should be noted that some methods of supplementation, such as probiotic yogurts, appear to be less effective in this regard. Products like multi-strain Lactobacilli in powder form are more suitable, and the reduced blood pressure is most likely to occur after eight weeks of regular use.

Reduce Allergies

Our guts and, by extension, our immune systems, very much affect our allergies as individuals. Therefore, it makes sense to foster healthy gut flora, which is where select probiotic strains can come in handy. It has been proven in studies that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium supplements can lower the risk of negative reactivity to allergic triggers. This translates to less intense swelling and irritation, a decreased number of cytokines that otherwise signal an allergic reaction, and overall, more manageable symptoms. It is even believed that they could potentially reduce the risk of complications leading to death in severe allergic reactions.

It's important to remember that allergies are instances when our immune system is hypersensitive to certain antigens (otherwise referred to as allergens). An allergic reaction is an automatic response by our immune system to their presence, activating mast cells and basophils, which are special types of white blood cells. These are what cause the symptoms, which sometimes can be so intense in their response that they are fatal.

Therefore, it’s good news that probiotics can help to protect us, as antigens come in all shapes and sizes. From pollen to pet dander, certain foods to medicines, there are many triggers out there. Adding probiotic supplements of the aforementioned variety to your diet is an ideal, convenient way to reduce the risk of serious health complications. This won’t “cure” your allergies, but it will help to make the symptoms less aggressive.

Immune System Health

Our bodies need a strong and quick-to-react immune response in order to ward off various diseases, infections, allergens, and otherwise. Promoting a healthy gut flora is very much like building walls around your immune system to strengthen it, helping to shield you from needless health and wellness complications. The fewer toxins there are present in your body, the less strained your immune system will be.

Immunity is a tricky thing. It is impacted directly through exposure, physical damage to tissue, and other related factors. Probiotics work to keep pathogens out by fighting toxins for space on the intestinal tissue. By adhering to it, the bactericidal substances produced by probiotics help to protect intestinal cells and promote immune system strength, as explored in scientific detail in this study.

Overall, there are many health benefits of probiotics worth considering, and they’re easy to integrate into your everyday meals and routine. To learn more about our own offerings, explore our product selection at Custom Probiotics or get in touch with us today. We’re happy to help you make an informed choice when it comes to the health benefits of probiotic supplements.