What is a probiotic and how does it affect our health?

Probiotics are gaining popularity in the prevention and treatment of lifestyle diseases (high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity). What are they and how do they affect our health?

A probiotic is a non-disease-causing live microbe , whose oral administration in certain amounts has a positive effect on human health. Lactic acid bacteria are mostly used as probiotics :

• lactobacilli,
• bifidobacteria ,

but several other microbes are also applied. It should be remembered that not all lactic acid bacteria or other microbes are probiotics, in other words, probiotic is not synonymous with lactic acid bacteria. When developing a specific lactic acid bacterium or other microbe strain into a probiotic and evaluating its health effects, several laboratory, experimental, clinical and technological requirements have been established internationally, i.e. the effects and safety of the microbe strain must be scientifically proven in order to be called a probiotic at all.

Probiotics are available to the consumer mainly in dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and kefir or as food supplements - powders, tablets, capsules.

Scientifically, the use of probiotics has been proven to have a number of positive effects on human health, which can be divided into general and specific, targeted effects.

The most common effects of probiotics are as follows:

Effects on the immune system: probiotic microorganisms affect the human immune system through several different pathways.

Digestive flora balance and diarrhoea: in particular, probiotics have been used to balance the digestive flora and for the prevention and treatment of diarrhea (diarrhea) (e.g. diarrhea associated with antibiotic treatment, so-called tourist's diarrhea, diarrhea resulting from chemotherapy and rotavirus diarrhea in infants).

Alleviation of lactose intolerance. Milk sugar is broken down by the enzyme lactase (β-galactosidase) into glucose and galactose, which are absorbed in the small intestine. Probiotics have the ability to alleviate lactose intolerance in certain individuals by supplying the human body with the enzyme needed to digest milk sugar.

Food allergies: the cause of food allergies is seen as a wrong reaction of the body's immune system to certain components of food, i.e. allergens. Probiotics have the ability to alleviate allergic reactions in the human body, for example by breaking down milk protein in the case of cow's milk allergy.

Reducing the risk of cancerous growths: Probiotics are described as having the ability to reduce the risk of developing colon cancer. The effect is based on reducing the amount of some metabolites, especially mutagens, of the microflora of the large intestine.

The most special features are:

Supporting cardiovascular health.

• Lowering Cholesterol Levels and Increasing LDL Oxidation Resistance: Undoubtedly, cholesterol is important in many functions of the body. At the same time, the excessive level of cholesterol in the blood serum, and especially some of its fractions, is one of the reasons for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Some probiotic microbes have been described as having the ability to influence serum cholesterol levels. Clinical studies have shown that Lactobacillus plantarum Inducia ® , an organism-specific lactic acid bacterium developed by BioCC, increases the resistance of LDL (low density lipoprotein) to oxidation processes and reduces the content of ox-LDL in the blood.
• Stabilization and lowering of blood pressure. Probiotics have been documented to have several blood pressure lowering mechanisms, some of which are similar to the effects of blood pressure medications (ACE inhibitors). For example, the lactic acid bacterium L. plantarum Tensia ® discovered by BioCC researchers is able to lower blood pressure using various mechanisms (it produces nitric oxide with a relaxing effect on blood vessels, di- and tripeptides with a similar effect to ACE inhibitors, polyamines, short-chain fatty acids, CLA, etc.).
• Antioxidant activity and reduction of oxidative stress levels: Antioxidant activity and ability to neutralize reactive oxygen species of lactobacilli have recently been observed. Clinical studies have scientifically proven the effect of the probiotic L. plantarum Inducia ® to lower the risk of atherosclerosis.

Non-infectious intestinal inflammations: probiotics have been shown to be effective in non-infectious small and large intestinal inflammations, incl. In alleviating ailments (bloating and pain) caused by Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Combinations of probiotic microbes with different properties have proven to be particularly effective.

Oral health care: Oral and gum disease is one of the most common health problems in all population groups. Influencing the microbial communities of the oral cavity for the prevention of caries and periodontitis using probiotic microbes is a relatively new trend.

Author: Epp Songisepp PhD, senior researcher at BioCC.

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