Probiotics harm germs, aid immune system!
By Dr. Richard Beliveau
Probiotics are friendly bacteria that play an essential part in maintaining good health. A recent study suggests their positive role could be the result of the bacteria’s ability to physically interact with the intestine’s mucous membranes.
It’s become so common to associate microbes with illness that a lot of people are horrified when they find out our bodies contain 10 times more bacteria than human cells.
The bacteria that live in the lower section of our intestine, the colon, likely are the best example of the central role these microorganisms play in our health. The intestine is the part of the body most exposed to foreign pathogens. As a result, it contains the majority, about 75%, of the body’s immune cells.
The large number of intestinal bacteria (up to 10,000 billion per gram of content) plays a crucial role in the development and repair of the immune system.
In order to do its job well, the intestinal flora must be made up mostly of beneficial bacteria that take up the most space possible to stop the harmful effects of pathogens, or germs.
Among the “friendly” bacteria, probiotic bacteria are considered to have the most positive effect on the composition of intestinal flora.
In an environment without oxygen such as the colon, these bacteria are able to use lactic acid to break down food fibre, thereby acidifying the intestine and slowing the spread of several pathogens, which prefer to multiply in less harsh conditions.
So how does a probiotic bacterium decide to make the intestine its home? A multidisciplinary research team in Europe found that probiotic bacteria had genes that helped produce pili, the hair-like appendages that are essential to probiotic bacteria’s ability to attach themselves to the intestinal wall, and the reason they choose the intestine.
The discovery of pili specific to probiotic bacteria is all the more interesting since previous studies showed these appendages stimulate the immune system.
This research shows the positive effects from probiotics aren’t a random occurrence, but are directly tied to the intrinsic ability of these microorganisms to work with our bodies and influence our immune systems.
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