Concept in Definition ABC

The bodies of living beings such as humans can be colonized by microorganisms allies that protect them from the invasion of pathogens and improve overall health by improving digestion by break down compounds that allow better use of nutrients from the food consumed and by training the system immune. By understanding how they work, eating habits can be modified to improve and maintain these microorganisms popularly known as probiotics. Probiotics must have the ability to compete with and inhibit the growth of

organisms pathogens and stimulate the immune system. The most common microorganisms that are used as probiotics are bacterialactic acid belonging to the genera lactobacillus Y Bifidobacterium.

Brief history of probiotics

Eli Metchnikoff, a Russian Nobel Prize-winning embryologist, was among the first to recognize the relationship of gut microbes to feeding and its usefulness in protecting against disease-causing organisms.

On the other hand, Henry Tissier observed in 1906 that the faeces of healthy children contained a large number of bifidobacteria while the opposite occurred in those suffering from diarrhea. Currently these bacteria have been identified as belonging to the genus Bifidobacterium.

Although the research on probiotics stopped for a few decades in the 20th century, in the mid-90s the interest in the application of these beneficial microorganisms flourished to the point of becoming an intense subject of medical research and a global industry billionaire

What are the benefits of using probiotics?

Although there are not enough conclusive studies to show that modifying the microbial communities in the gut to have positive long-term health effects, it has been observed that the management of concentrated cultures of live microbes is capable of providing benefits in the short term.

Among these beneficial effects, we can highlight the stimulation of the immune system through the molecular pattern recognition systems of immune cells. that improve their response by being in constant interaction with communities of probiotic bacteria, reducing vulnerability to infections and allergies.

Many of the species used as probiotics have antagonistic effects against pathogenic microorganisms, that is, they are capable of inhibiting their growth. These are important because in this way they reduce and relieve diarrhea that is the product of infections by rotavirus and enteropathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Clostridium difficile of the Salmonella genus; also favoring the strengthening of the intestinal mucosa that works as a barrier that prevents infections and inflammatory processes.

They contribute to the digestive process by breaking down compounds that the host cannot digest and thus increase the bioavailability of nutrients by producing enzymes that digest carbohydrates Y lipids. In addition, there are several species of lactic acid bacteria that are capable of producing B complex vitamins that are potentially used by the host.

They are also capable of reducing the negative effects caused by lactose intolerance and other inflammatory processes with the potential to lead to complications such as cancer.

Where are they?

Probiotics are found naturally in fermented dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, or Bulgarian milk, also known as kefir. However, traditional fermented products, many of which are not produced on an industrial scale, are also important sources of probiotics. Some of these traditional products are kimchi in Korea, matsoni milk in the Middle East, and pulque in Mexico. The important thing about these products is that they must be consumed fresh to take full advantage of the benefits provided by the probiotics they contain.

Probiotic research has also led the pharmaceutical industry to design and produce probiotic treatments using commercial strains in high concentrations that can survive long time in storage. These products are used to restore the intestinal microbiota of people who have had to use antibiotics because of an infection or who have had episodes that lead to a immunosuppression.