Learn How Probiotics Supplements Support Your Immune System

By Author: Bishop Chanakira
Total Articles: 54
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Yogurt has been touted as a health food for many years, and in fact it has been existent in various forms in Asia, Central Europe, Middle East and India for hundreds of years. The main reason yogurt is considered healthy is its probiotic contents that benefit the body in many ways, among which is the enhancement of the body's immune system. Probiotics perform this in two ways: by blocking the pathogens from attaching themselves to the intestinal wall, thus preventing inflammation and the resultant inability to absorb food nutrients; and by regulating the intestinal environment to inhibit the growth of pathogens.

But probiotics is present not only in yogurt, but in other food products as well such as sauerkraut, fermented milk drinks of Asia, Central Russia, Eastern Europe, Middle East and other places. It may be bought over the counter in capsules, tablets, cheesy, frozen and chilled forms also. Foodstuffs with probiotics may contain any two, three or more strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families of bacteria, the more sturdy strains to resist stomach enzymes and digestive juices and reach the small intestine ...
... or colon where they can thrive and perform their functions.

Essentially, probiotics are a part of the colonies of microflora that inhabit the intestines. They are the beneficial bacteria that help digest food, fight off 'bad' bacteria and pathogens that invade the digestive tract, and aid in the absorption of nutrients by the intestinal walls. The 'bad' bacteria putrefy the food, producing toxins that can cause diarrhea and gastrointestinal ailments; attack the intestinal walls to inflame them; and cause yeast infections in the digestive tract and some other places in the body. While the 'bad' bacteria are necessary parts of intestinal microflora, a balance between their numbers and that of the 'good' bacteria should be maintained for the digestive function to work properly.

But external and internal factors can upset this balance. The aging process, stress, sickness, environmental changes and protracted antibiotic use are few of the many ways imbalance occurs in the intestinal microflora. The introduction of antibiotics can restore the normal balance and therefore remedy the temporary disorder such imbalance produced.

Beyond that, probiotics boost the immune capabilities of the body. In studies on mice, livestock and humans, conclusive indications have been recorded of probiotics' ability to stimulate the immune system of the mucus membrane to react decisively to challenges. Probiotics have also been shown to increase the protective immune factor Secretory IgA, as well as the effectivity of phagocytosis, the act of destroying pathogen invaders. More recent studies indicate that probiotics can even effectively counter the flu virus Influenza A, of which the much-dreaded H1N1 is a variant. The probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, PTA-6086 was proved to enhance the production of TNF-alpha by T-cells. TNF-alpha is a "key immune system activity marker", and T-cells are lymphocytes. There are several kinds of T-cells in the human body, and their chief functions are to destroy cells infected by viruses and maintain the immune system at top condition. Thus is probiotics an immune booster.
Probiotics provide an incredible immune booster which will improve your quality of life immensely. Visit this website to discover the best Probiotic products on the market today.