Why Are Bacteria Like Lactobacillus Considered Healthy?
Lactobacillus, in spite of being a bacterium, is considered healthy for our body. Unlike some bacteria that can infect us and cause diseases, healthy bacteria like Lactobacillus can actually improve our bodily functions and protect us from disease.
There are several species of lactobacillus. These “friendly” bacteria normally reside in the digestive and urinary organs without causing any symptoms or disease. Lactobacillus is also present in fermented foods such as yogurt.
Lactobacillus is considered healthy for our body as it not only helps us to avoid some diseases but also supports the recovery of patients who have already developed them. It is most commonly used in the management of infectious diarrhea and antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Read on to learn more about Lactobacillus including why this bacterium is considered healthy and how it helps to protect us from disease.
The Beneficial Effects of Lactobacillus
1. It Supports Physiological Processes
Research studies have revealed that Lactobacillus can play a key role in supporting the physiological processes occurring in the body. The use of lactobacillus can restore digestive functions and provide relief from the symptoms of digestive disturbances.
Moreover, regular intake of lactobacillus-enriched foods or supplements can also improve the symptoms of allergic diseases that do not respond to commonly used anti-histaminic drugs. It can also improve the symptoms of itchy eye symptoms by supporting the body’s own defense mechanisms against allergens.
Diarrhea caused due to the excessive use of antibiotics could be relieved effectively by using probiotics containing healthy strains of lactobacillus.
This indicates the varied mechanism of action of lactobacillus that could help to restore healthy functioning of the affected tissues and organs and protect us against the complications of several diseases.
2. It Has Importance in Biotechnology
The genus Lactobacillus, which belongs to a heterogeneous group of LAB (lactic acid bacteria), has important implications in the fermentation of food.
The application of LAB in feed and food biotechnology, including their use as dairy starters, probiotics, microbial cell factories, and silage inoculants, marks the beneficial role of these bacteria in producing supplements that can promote health.
Studies have revealed that probiotics containing the healthy strains of Lactobacillus can produce a strong local anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effect by strengthening the gut flora. Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus bulgaricus have been found to reduce inflammatory response induced by inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease.
A significant reduction in the levels of proinflammatory cytokines like TNF could be achieved by the regular use of probiotics.
Such an anti-inflammatory effect could even be systemic wherein the healthy tissues and organs of the body would be protected against the damage caused by pro-inflammatory substances. This marks the role of Lactobacillus in the management of diseases linked to inflammation.
3. It Plays a Role in Cancer Prevention
Research studies that evaluated the anti-cancer benefits of Lactobacillus have revealed encouraging results. These studies have shown that the use of probiotics could provide significant protection against several forms of cancer by creating an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-carcinogenic effect on the gut microbiome.
The natural sources of probiotics in the diet such as silage like cabbage and cucumbers or fermented milk products like yogurt and kefir can also promote the anti-cancer mechanisms of the body by modifying the specific response of the immune cells against the affected tissues.
Probiotic microorganisms like Lactobacillus can cause a reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer by nearly 37%. The results of in-vitro studies have indicated that the medicinal properties of Lactobacillus can help to modulate the apoptosis and proliferation of cancer cells including gastric and myeloid leukemia cells thus reducing the risk of these cancers.
This is why Lactobacillus is considered a healthy bacterium that can help us stay healthy and avoid serious life-threatening diseases like cancer.
The benefits of including probiotic-enriched foods in your regular diet could be enhanced further by using immunity-balancing supplements like BioPro-Plus.
BioPro-Plus would improve the functions of the immune system and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body. This supplement could also inhibit carcinogenic activities in healthy tissues. These benefits of BioPro-Plus and Lactobacillus could provide protection against cancer and several inflammatory and immunological disorders.
Interesting in Learning More About Lactobacillus and Probiotics? Keep Reading More:
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