You’ve no doubt heard about probiotics, and you’ve no doubt seen that there are countless products on the market to choose from. They all tell you’ll revolutionise your life and make you feel better, but how do you know if they’re going to work? The supplement world isn’t regulated after all, so you need to pay close attention and read reviews, in order to find the product that really does change your life for the better.
Of course, you might be on the fence about whether to take a probiotic at all. What benefit can you get from taking one tablet, capsule, or yogurt-style drink every day? Well, it turns out, quite a lot! You could try and get more probiotic content into your diet naturally, by eating foods that are high in probiotics generally, but this can be hard to do in any real amount for most people. Miso, kefir, traditional buttermilk, sauerkraut, and yogurt which contains live and active cultures aren’t all so easy to incorporate into a diet regularly. This is why supplements are so popular.
To help you make your decision on whether probiotic supplements are for you or not, let’s check out 5 reasons why you should consider taking these supplements. Perhaps afterwards, you’ll decide that you do want to change your health for the better!
Reason 1 – Better Gut Health
The most common benefit you’ll hear talked about when it comes to probiotics is gut health. Your gut is full of bacteria, both good and bad, and there needs to be a healthy balance between the two in order to ensure the smooth running of your digestive system. When bad bacteria is allowed to run riot, digestive conditions begin, upsets start, and it’s all a rather unpleasant situation in general.
Probiotics help to keep that natural good and bad balance in check, and also ensure that the digestive system overall keeps moving food through as it should. When your gut is in good shape, the rest of you is in good shape too.
Reason 2 – Immune System Boost
Did you know that most of your immune system is actually found inside the gut? Remember that good and bad bacteria we were talking about; that’s where the control over whether you’re ill or healthy really lies, and by taking a probiotic you’re ensuring that you’re fighting fit, and able to fight off illness and infections far easier.
Probiotics also help to reduce inflammation within the body, which affects the immune system in a very detrimental way when left to reach high levels. By keeping inflammation down to natural amounts, the body is able to function far more effectively, and as a result, less likely to be prone to every bug and bacteria that comes your way.
Reason 3 – More Energy
Most people who take probiotics on a regular basis will tell you that they feel like they have more energy. Whilst taking a supplement isn’t going to have you jumping through hoops every single second of the day, the fact that your immune system is in better shape, and your gut isn’t dampened down by conditions and bloating, is going to give you more energy overall.
This is good news for those who live busy lives, and for those who simply don’t want to feel sluggish and slow anymore. It’s surprising how badly having poor gut health can affect the body, but energy levels are certainly on the decline when gut health is low.
Reason 4 – Might Help Reduce Allergies, Such as Eczema
Due to those inflammation fighting skills, probiotics can also help to reduce certain types of allergies, such as eczema, and also acne to some degree. The skin is also home to countless types of bacteria, both good and bad, and the balance between the two isn’t only important in the gut, but on the skin too. When this balance is harmonious and inflammation is low, there are far less instances of skin conditions and allergies as a result.
Studies have shown that probiotics may also help to reduce the effect of asthma in some cases.
Reason 5 – Make You Look And Feel Healthier in General
Our final reason is an all-rounder, but when your gut health is optimal, your immune system is fighting fit, and you’re generally feeling great, you’re going to look healthier and be healthier too.
Having a harmonious balance between good bacteria and bad is vital for overall health and wellbeing, and a daily supplement can help you achieve that quite easily. Of course, probiotic supplements aren’t magic pills, and you will still need to use healthy living guidelines too, such as not smoking, drinking only in moderation, keeping stress levels low, and eating a healthy diet. By doing this and using supplements too, you will be able to grab all the benefits.
Remember to discuss with your doctor before you start taking any type of supplement. Whilst there isn’t a whole lot of evidence to suggest that probiotics are dangerous for many types of people, there isn’t a huge amount of evidence to suggest there are no contraindications either. Your doctor is the only person who will be able to tell you categorically whether probiotics are suitable for you or not. You should certainly listen to their advice and abide by it, but if you are given the green light to try probiotics, you should do your research into the specific strains too.
There are countless strains of good bacteria out there, and it really depends what type of benefit you’re attempting to target, as to which one to opt for. If however you’re only after general health and wellbeing then going for a general strain, with a low CFU level is ideal. A CFU level really tells you how much bacteria is within one serving. Whilst many people think that the higher the CFU (colony forming units), the better, that’s not always the case. Again, it really depends what you’re trying to achieve, and whether you’re attempting to put right a condition, such as IBS. A highly recommended supplement is Complete Probiotics Platinum by 1MD, which you can read about here.
