Beneficial Friendly Bacteria for a Healthy Life

We often think that our body is controlled only by the brain and the heart. However, this idea is not correct. Another organ as powerful as the brain, which also directs our life, is our intestines and the bacteria inside them. The human gut contains about 100 trillion living bacteria, known as the gut flora. The beneficial friendly bacteria living in this gut flora are called probiotics. Probiotics facilitate digestion, support our immune system, regulate our intestinal functions, protect us from stomach and intestinal diseases, and contribute significantly to our health in many other ways.

Most probiotics are beneficial in nature and are acquired during the newborn period, remaining stable throughout life. Therefore, the mode of delivery and nutrition are important.

Cesarean Birth Leads to a Decrease in Probiotics
At the very first moment we enter the world, we encounter trillions of beneficial bacteria as we pass through the birth canal and take some of them into our bodies. Generally, the bacteria acquired during birth are probiotic strains we might never encounter again in life. For this reason, normal birth is very important. Babies born by cesarean section miss out on this probiotic flora, which is suspected to increase the frequency of allergies and asthma later in life. It has also been observed that people with a weak probiotic flora often suffer from allergies and asthma.

What Are Prebiotics, Often Confused With Probiotics?
Prebiotics are the food for probiotics. In other words, we feed probiotic bacteria with prebiotic foods. Examples of prebiotic foods include leek, onion, garlic, artichoke—members of the onion family and among the strongest prebiotics. Apples and all fruits eaten with their skins, bananas, walnuts, hazelnuts, flaxseed, and the brown parts around almonds are prebiotics. We feed the probiotics in our intestines with these foods. They are essential for our health.

What Are Prebiotic Food Sources?
Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, boza (a fermented drink), milk, cheese, and sauerkraut can be counted among them. However, I want to point out something that might confuse you a bit: not every good bacterium is a probiotic. For example, we do not always know if there are probiotics in homemade pickles. Why might they be absent? Because everyone makes pickles differently — some add more salt, use bottled water or tap water, use various vegetables or only one type, or clean the jar differently before pickling. Also, the temperature of the environment affects the microorganisms in the pickle. All these factors change the nature of the final product. The same applies to yogurt. Homemade yogurt, when made repeatedly using the previous batch as a starter, loses its yeast quantity! Microorganisms are not infinite; they have a growth phase, a stable phase, and then they die. Fresh starter is needed for each batch. This environment is hard to maintain perfectly at home. So, is homemade yogurt healthier and probiotic or is store-bought yogurt? Actually, neither. Yogurts from home or market are not necessarily probiotics! They don’t have to be. We take milk, add starter, and get a fermented product called yogurt. During fermentation, beneficial molecules emerge that are not necessarily probiotics; these are now called postbiotics. Postbiotics don’t contain live probiotic bacteria entering our gut but have beneficial effects by supporting probiotic bacteria.

Postbiotics will soon be available in capsule form, as probiotic supplements are not suitable for everyone. For example, probiotics cannot be given to certain groups such as immunosuppressed patients or cancer patients, but postbiotics might be suitable.

Is Kefir Probiotic? Is It a Prebiotic Food?
Kefir is a probiotic! However, when kefir passes through the digestive system, it is exposed to bile acids and becomes a prebiotic food in the intestines. Kefir is effective in lowering cholesterol, relieving constipation, and supporting the immune system. Yet, the amount of probiotic bacteria it contains is often not enough to have a full probiotic effect. Therefore, we can consider kefir mainly a prebiotic food that nourishes probiotic bacteria in our bodies.

The Most Natural Form of Probiotics Is in Breast Milk
The most natural probiotics are found in breast milk. After a normal birth, breast milk given to the baby contains probiotics that support the multiplication of microorganisms. It provides nutrients to live bacteria and enhances the survival and development of the bacteria in your child’s gut. For this reason, babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, and after that, complementary foods containing probiotics such as yogurt and kefir should be introduced.

Unnecessary Use of Antibiotics Kills Probiotics
Unnecessary antibiotics used against illnesses cause a decrease in probiotic bacteria. Therefore, antibiotics should not be used without doctor’s advice or based on our own judgment.
Scientific research now shows how beneficial probiotics and prebiotics are for our bodies. It is possible to regain probiotics and prebiotics lost over the years and live healthily.

Could Your Unhappiness Be Due to Probiotic Deficiency?
Depression, known as the epidemic of our age, is also being studied for a possible link with probiotics. Some studies show positive effects, while others find no effect. Research is ongoing.

Are Probiotics Effective for Weight Loss?
Scientist Henna Maria reported in a clinical study from 2007 to 2018 that regular use of the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis Lactis B420 reduced total body fat accumulated due to irregular diet. More research is needed, of course.

Is It Right That Everyone Uses Probiotic Supplements (Tablets) Nowadays?
Definitely not! Who should use them? People with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), ulcerative colitis, those needing probiotics after heavy antibiotic use, travelers’ diarrhea, and gas problems after bariatric surgery are given special probiotic support. Supplements containing more than 10 billion bacteria can even damage the intestinal epithelium and tissue. Therefore, always consult an expert, dietitian, or doctor to find the right probiotic strain and code suitable for your condition!

Specialist Dietitian Tünay Tuğcan
Nutrition and Dietetics Expert