Science Backed Benefits of Probiotics

What are probiotic health benefits?

There are several benefits to probiotics which is why they are becoming increasingly popular. As consumers learn about the importance of gut health, they are turning towards probiotics to give their gut flora a boost.

In simple words, probiotics refer to microscopic live organisms produced by fermented foods or through supplements that users can consume for improving their microbiome.

Since probiotics improve good gut bacteria, they have a range of health benefits. Here are some of the probiotic health benefits.

Balance Gut Bacteria

What happens when there is an imbalance in your gut bacteria? An imbalance here means that harmful gut bacteria are more than beneficial gut bacteria. Such an imbalance can occur due to various factors like poor diet, antibiotics, and illness.

A preponderance of bad gut bacteria can lead to serious health problems like obesity, mental health issues, allergies, and digestive problems among others. (source)

Probiotics are known to improve the balance in your gut bacteria. What this means is that there will be more good bacteria and less bad bacteria. This can reduce the health problems produced by the bad bacteria mentioned above.

Reduce Diarrhea Risk

According to one study, it was found that probiotics can substantially reduce antibiotic-induced diarrhea. The type of probiotic you use has a strong impact on its ability to prevent diarrhea. (source)

Strains like saccharomyces boulardi, lactobacillus casei, and lactobacillus rhamnosus have been seen to reduce diarrhea risk.

Can Help Improve Mental Health

Studies are increasingly linking probiotics with good mental health and better mood. The results of human as well as animal studies both indicate that probiotics can improve certain symptoms of mental health issues.

One review involving the analysis of 15 human-based studies saw that lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics can reduce symptoms associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, depression, and anxiety in just 1 to 2 months.

There are promising results from another study involving 70 human subjects. The group that ate around 100 grams of probiotic-rich yogurt or consumed probiotics in the form of pills saw an improvement in their stress, anxiety, depression, and overall health. 

Another study noted benefits for depression patients who consumed probiotics. Depression patients who consumed probiotics for 8 weeks experienced less depression. They also had reduced levels of CRP which is an inflammation marker. In other words, they had less inflammation. They also experienced lowered insulin levels compared to those who took no probiotics.

Possibly Better Heart Health

One study found a modest reduction in blood pressure due to probiotic consumption.

Another study found that consuming probiotics can lead to a small reduction in total cholesterol as well as bad cholesterol.

There weren’t huge improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol. However, what little benefit that probiotics can provide for heart health will be helpful considering that they have no side effects like virtually all heart-related medications do.

Bottom Line

Probiotic health benefits as indicated by studies are numerous. This is the reason why many dieticians and nutritionists suggest adding it to your daily meals.