What Is A Probiotic?

So what is a probiotic? Probiotics are live microorganisms containing healthy bacteria that the human body needs to stay healthy.  Typically, when people refer to probiotics they are referring to the type used to boost the intestinal flora, which in turn boosts the recipients overall immune system and suppresses the growth of harmful bacteria.

Over 400 types of species of bacteria and other microorganisms live in the typical human digestive tract.  These include the popular Lactobacillus, which is found in many supplements, but the most notable is the “Pearl”.

The human digestive system, while very robust in the things it does on a daily basis can be susceptable to healthy bacteria imbalances if you aren’t getting enough dietary fiber, have taken oral antibiotics or have ingested some form of environmental toxins.  When this imbalance occurs, healthy bacteria are quickly overrun by bad bacteria and yeasts.

Probiotics can be derived from natural food sources such as kefir, sauerkraut and yogurt, but the quantities of health bacteria vary wildy in these natural sources.  It’s best to take a probiotic supplements in order to ensure you are receiving adequate quantities of healthy bacteria .

Probiotics are reported to help with a variety of human conditions such as diarrhea, colitis, chron’s, IBS, yeast infections, allergies and even constipation. Hopefully, now you know the answer to the question, what is a probiotic?