7 Things You Didn’t Know About Probiotics

by | Digestive Health

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Probiotics

Ever experienced bad breath? Probiotics can help!

What about digestive distress? Probiotics can help with that as well!

Do you battle depression? Probiotics may be the answer you’re looking for!

From mouth sores to weight gain, vitamin deficiencies to acne, from aching joints to skin dryness and even chronic inflammation and disease, probiotics can improve your health in more ways than you think.

Chances are you’ve heard of how probiotics can boost the health of your digestive tract, otherwise known as your gut. But, there’s so many other ways that probiotics benefit your body.

Here, we’ll look at exactly what probiotics are and some lesser known ways that you can benefit from them!

What Are Probiotics?

Probiotics are a type of beneficial, live bacteria that live inside your body. This type of bacteria is primarily housed in your gut, or intestinal tract, but they can also be found in other places, such as your…

  • Mouth
  • Lungs
  • Urinary tract
  • Vagina
  • Skin

You may have also seen probiotics listed in items you can purchase, as they can also be found in various foods, supplements, and even skincare products.

But, before we venture on, let’s address that ‘b’ word.

While we usually think of bacteria as a bad thing, probiotics are the good guys, a very helpful bacteria that you need.

You see, within your body there is a war for bacterial balance that rages.

Both good and bad bacteria are present, but if the scale of balance tips towards the dark side, you experience unwanted effects such as illness, infection, distress, or even disease.

Unlike the typical picture of a balanced scale here, when referring to probiotics, perfect balance looks more like this: 85% good bacteria to 15% bad bacteria.

Probiotics make up the 85% – the good guys! They work to not only keep that balance in their favor, but they also keep the bad bacteria from multiplying.

In other words, aside from the not-so-subtle good guys versus bad guys analogy here, the bacteria that are housed within your body need to maintain this healthy balance so that you stay healthy and so your body can function properly.

So then, what can you expect when that proper balance isn’t maintained?

When this sensitive microbiome is disrupted, or when there are more bad bacteria than good in a given area of your body, you may experience:

  • mild symptoms such as bad breath or odor
  • moderate symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, or other illnesses
  • more severe concerns such as chronic inflammation, cancer, or other diseases

But, what about the other side of the coin? What happens when that balance is in proper order?

I mean, other than the all-encompassing “they keep you healthy” type of answer, in what ways can probiotics benefit you in those not-so-obvious ways?

1- Probiotics Help Your Body Absorb Needful Nutrients

Young woman who eats yogurt, Good Bacteria and Bad Bacteria, enteric bacteria, Intestinal flora, Gut flora, probiotics.

When you take a probiotic supplement, the number of good bacteria in your body works as a detoxifying agent, which can in turn help your body to absorb nutrients more efficiently.

Specifically, certain strains of probiotics increase the bioavailability of some vitamins and minerals.

For instance:

  • L. acidophilus has been shown to greatly improve vitamin B12 and folate absorption in children.
  • L. reuteri was found to increase blood levels of vitamin D3 by 25%.
  • L. plantarum has been linked to increased iron absorption in women.
  • L. helveticus was found in some studies to increase the absorption of calcium in elderly participants.
  • L. fermentum (in fermented goat milk) was found to increase the body’s ability to absorb zinc, calcium, and phosphorus.

2- Probiotics Can Ease Joint And Muscle Pain

Another way probiotics help your body is by reducing what are known as C-Reactive protein levels.

These levels are measured to determine the amount of inflammation present in your body. And, when C-Reactive proteins levels are high, this indicates inflammation levels are high as well.

So, boosting your body’s levels of good probiotic bacteria helps to lower these protein levels and reduce painful joint and muscle inflammation, such inflammation being the primary cause of arthritis and chronic joint and muscle pain.

A 2014 study involving 46 participants found probiotic supplementation to significantly reduce several markers of inflammation.

And, similar studies have found the health of the gut microbiome (bacterial community) to be an important indicator of one’s susceptibility to arthritis.

3- Probiotics Can Boost Weight Loss

Probiotics can also help you achieve your weight loss goals…in more ways than one.

First, inflammation is one of the biggest factors contributing to obesity, and we just learned of how probiotics can aid in decreasing inflammation.

Second, research has shown that those individuals who have an unhealthy level of bad bacteria in their gut experience greater fat gain than those with healthy levels of good bacteria.

Adding to this, studies have shown that daily probiotic supplementation can reduce abdominal fat.

This could potentially be due to the fact that probiotics cause an increase in levels of protein angiopoietin-like 4, which keeps the body from storing up fat.

And, thirdly, probiotic usage has been linked to appetite reduction.

Here, researchers have discovered that probiotics work to promote the release of hormones (glucagon-like peptide 1 and peptide YY) that reduce appetite and may even be responsible for helping your body to burn both fat and calories.

4- Probiotics For Cancer (and other disease) Prevention

Chronic inflammation is one of the biggest precursors for disease.

When your body is in a constant state of inflammation, your cells, tissues, and organs become damaged, eventually leading to DNA damage and tissue death. And ultimately, these all lead to disease development.

  • Cancer
  • Heart disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Arthritis
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Alzheimer’s disease

Research has shown each of these diseases to be linked to chronic inflammation.

And, while animal studies have shown great success regarding the connection between probiotic usage and disease prevention and relief, possibly the biggest link seen in human treatment is concerning drastic decreases in inflammation associated with the use of probiotics in maintaining a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria in the body (most notably the gut).

But, another way probiotics are associated with disease prevention is through their ability to facilitate antioxidant usage in the body.

Probiotics increase the amount of an antioxidant made from amino acids in your body called glutathione.

So, when there’s more glutathione available in your body, it can work to reduce cell-damaging oxidation, thereby decreasing your overall risk of disease.

5- Probiotics Keep Your Mouth Healthy

Your mouth is also home to both good and bad bacteria, and just like those bacteria that dwell in your gut, if your oral microbiome is balanced and thriving with healthy bacteria, you’ll experience healthy teeth and gums.

The probiotics within your mouth are on your tongue, palate, gums, tonsils, teeth, in your throat, and in your saliva.

Your mouth is the first place these bacteria begin to aid in digesting your food, breaking it down through your saliva.

But, these probiotics in your mouth also work to:

  • transport needed oxygen and minerals to your gums and other soft tissues
  • fight infection
  • prevent inflammation
  • remove waste products from the surface of your mouth
  • facilitate tooth remineralization

If you’re experiencing bad breath, tooth sensitivity, mouth sores, an increase in plaque buildup, cavities, or even other (non oral) health concerns such as respiratory infections, cancer or heart disease, these can all stem from an imbalance of bacteria in your mouth.

6- Probiotics Combat Depression

Studies have shown probiotic supplementation to improve mood in participants (of those studies) presenting with mild to moderate symptoms of depression.

And, some research has shown probiotic usage to be effective at treating anxiety as well.

These benefits are largely due to the profound connection between the gut and brain, often referred to as the gut-brain axis.

Your gut produces some of the same mood-regulating neurotransmitters that your brain does, such as serotonin and dopamine. And, these neurotransmitters can affect how your body addresses stress, as well as your overall mood.

Therefore, when your gut is healthy, your mood and responses to stress and anxiety can be healthily regulated as well, thus combatting mood related disorders.

In fact, probiotic usage has proven to be such a helpful tool in fighting depression that they are now being used as therapeutics in nutritional psychiatry.

Even the reduction of inflammation from probiotic usage, which we’ve mentioned in several points, can contribute to effectively fighting depression and anxiety.

7- Probiotics Enhance Beauty

You may have also noticed an increasing presence of probiotics in skin care products.

But, can something like good bacteria really benefit your skin? Short answer…yes!

Long answer…

Did you know that inflammation also affects your skin?

Chronic inflammation, keeping your body in a constant state of stress, affects your body’s pH levels which can lead to acne, eczema, and rosacea.

And, just like we learned of the connection between your gut and your brain, there is a similar connection between your gut and your skin (referred to as the gut-skin axis).

When the bacteria scale balance tips to the favor of the bad bacteria, the lining of your gut can become damaged, allowing its contents to leak (leaky gut syndrome).

This triggers a response from your immune system, causing inflammation. And, when the byproducts of this leaked bacteria reach your bloodstream and thus your skin, you can experience acne or even a drying or hardness in your skin.

Balancing the microbiome on your skin and within your gut can reduce everything from acne, to eczema, dry skin, wrinkles, and may even prevent damage from the sun!

So, clearly there’s much benefit to be had by keeping that bacterial balance in check!

And, one simple and effective way to ensure your body has plenty of beneficial probiotic bacteria is through supplementation.

Vive Biotics contains 15 extremely unique probiotic strains of bacteria not found in 99% of other products on the market.

It can help stop painful gas and bloating, ease muscle and joint pain, provide energy, and reduce cravings.

Vive Biotics also works to inhibit the growth of bad bacteria, can help break down and remove harmful toxins from your body, and it aids in repairing gluten damage from the lining of your intestines.

The most powerful probiotic product on the market, Vive Biotics can…

  • repair your gut
  • restore bacterial balance all throughout your body
  • benefit the health of your mouth
  • improve the health of your skin
  • facilitate weight loss
  • combat depression
  • increase nutrient absorption
  • fight chronic inflammation and disease

Learn more about Vive Biotics Here



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