OUR GUT HEALTH AND NUTRIENT ABSORPTION

OUR GUT HEALTH AND NUTRIENT ABSORPTION

 “Imbalances in the bacterial environment of the intestine can cause a decline in nutrients absorption.”

Our digestive system is complex yet unique. It is essential for our daily digestion and absorption of nutrients. Interestingly, apart from our own physiological and biological digestive mechanisms, there is another mechanism is involved, the enterobacterial activity. From the Greek word “enteron” for intestine, related to the Greek “enteros” meaning within. This means, the activity of the bacteria in our intestine is within our body. This activity is vital as it optimised our day to day digestion and nutrients absorption from foods.

Probiotic and Our health

As we age, our body physiological and biological functions start to slow down including our digestive system. Thus, food should be properly cooked and chewed to avoid burdening our digestive system. In return, we could allow our digestive system to focus on enhancing the absorption and assimilation of nutrients from food. Unfortunately, depending on what you chose to eat also influenced our nutrient absorption. Processed foods with its multitudinous food additives greatly influence the delicate balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, by suppressing or inhibiting enterobacterial activity.  As a result, our human body is introduced with the possibility of imbalances in the bacterial environment in the intestine which leads to poor nutrient absorption. Overall, we are at risk of being nutrient deficiency as we grow older.

Recently, a book by Dr. Fred Pescatore and Karolyn A. Gazella, titled “Boost Your Health with Bacteria”, has taken the topic of bacteria to a new level of awareness, understanding, and therapeutic application. In this book, it stressed that beneficial bacterial not only intimately associated with digestive system, but also profoundly influence immunity, inflammation and insulin resistance. From the book, scientific research is confirming that bacteria may even be linked to depression, anxiety, weight loss, insomnia, fatigue and other health issues. Moreover, the change in the bacteria in our environment has become one of the basic factors triggering diverse physical disorders, including allergic diseases and possibly cancer. This clearly shows that lacking in probiotics supplementation could lead to the degeneration in the physical condition of modern people.

The Benefits of Probiotics

Do we need Probiotic?

Significantly, I believe people always ask, “Do I need probiotics?” What I can advise is, as long as you are alive, you need probiotics. This hinted us that probiotics are meant for everyone, from infant to older adults. For parents who are worried, probiotics are safe for children of any age. It is especially recommended for a child who has been on an antibiotic as it could help re-establish proper bacterial balance. When taken daily, probiotics can help a child to have a strong digestive system and immune function. On the other hand, beneficial bacteria have been shown to help prevent some of the most serious illnesses of our time including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Gut bacteria also:

• help synthesize B and K vitamins
• enhance gastrointestinal motility and function
• enhance digestion and nutrient absorption
• obstruct the growth of “bad bacteria” and other pathogens
• help metabolize other plant compounds/drugs
• produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and polyamines
• produce coagulation and growth factors
• produce cytokines (cell signaling molecules)
• help regulate intestinal mucus secretion and ultilization
• help regulate blood flow to the viscera

In brief, probiotic bacteria used in commercial products today are largely Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. For example, on food label it is often showed as "Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG".

The first name that appears is the genus (Lactobacillus).
The second name designates the species within the genus (rhamnosus).
The third name or number that appears is the specific strain within the species (GG).

What makes probiotics?
Most often, probiotics are created via fermentation. Fermentation simply collects them and gives them a nice place to grow. Fermentation organisms produce alcohol, lactic acid, and acetic acid, preservatives that retain nutrients and prevent spoilage. In addition, fermentation allows the food to be more digestible, better nutrients absorption and more proteins.

Source of Probiotics
Getting probiotics from food:

• If you are healthy, aim for 1-2 servings of probiotic rich foods each day (yogurt, cheese, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempeh, soy sauce and wine).

Probiotic with prebiotics

Getting probiotics from supplements:

• Supplemental doses are typically expressed in billions of live organisms. Between 3 and 5 billion would be a starting dose. This could be increased to 10 billion if you are hoping to alleviate a specific health concern. Take with food/drink and use a reputable brand.

It is highly encouraged to supplement prebiotics together with probiotics. Common prebiotics used is arabinogalactan, FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides), and inulin. From food will usually be fruits and vegetables