Prebiotics and Probiotics

You may have heard the ‘buzz’ about prebiotics and probiotics already. What are probiotics and why might they be good for you? Do you need prebiotics and what do prebiotics do? What are the best probiotic supplements and what should you look out for if you want to experience the real benefits of probiotics?

These are just a few of the questions this web log will be addressing and much more about both probiotics and prebiotics, to help you get the best from these super food supplements that just might make the crucial difference to your long term health.

Back in the early 1900’s the now oft-quoted Russian Nobel laureate, Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov, made the now famous statement that: “…Death begins in the colon…” — he was the first modern-day scientist to identify the critical role of good gut health to overall physical, and mental, wellbeing… and the fact that if your gut (your colon) is sick then the rest of you is likely soon to follow!! Long before Mechnikov the ‘Father’ of modern medicinal approach — Hippocrates (Doctors today still ’swear’ by him!) — had already said that ‘Food’ should be ‘thy medicine’… and ‘medicine thy food’!!

It’s really no surprise that the colon, which is the key to our ability to absorb essential nutrition from our food, should be the center of our good health. For you can eat whatever you like that may be said to be ‘good for you’ … but if your digestive tract is not functioning well you won’t get the benefit from it…

The identification of probiotic bacteria, those ‘beneficial bacteria’ — or good bugs — that live inside us and help to digest or food and inhibit the growth of malevolent organisms, was an important step forward in acknowledging how our human digestive system works and how much we need those ‘little critters’ to maintain our own health (there’s maybe a much a ‘bigger’ lesson here but we’ll save that discussion till later!!).

It is widely known, now, that any imbalance in the natural internal environment — sometimes called the gut-flora — may lead to all sorts of ‘knock-on’ health problems.

In essence the good, probiotic bacteria, can be killed-off very easily by our lifestyle, diet and habits… and to get our balance back we may need to supplement our natural probiotic resources with a good acidophilus probiotic product, or similar…

But, not all products are born equal and although many of them may cost a lot, they might provide little benefit. We’ll be looking more closely at this issue in coming news items helping you to find the best probiotic products and to also to recognize the need for essential prebiotics…

So… what are prebiotics? They are basically the food and nutrition that the ‘good bacteria’ need to get properly established and help you get your gut-health back! Without prebiotics there may be little point in taking probiotic supplements as they may be killed off or pass-out of the system to little effect…

If it all begins to sound a bit confusing, ‘keep it here’ to read the responses to a variety of essential questions from real folks about probiotics and their use…

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What are Probiotics ?

Probiotics are friendly bacteria that help maintain a healthy gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics may also help promote good digestion, optimal nutrient absorbance from food, healthy immune function and colon regularity. Vitacost.com carries superior quality probiotics from NSI at an exceptional value. Buy NSI Probiotics now at www.vitacost.com!