Benefits of Probiotics for IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of the large intestine that causes various symptoms, such as abdominal pain, gas, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. It is a chronic digestive problem that may require long-term management. You can manage IBS symptoms using dietary modifications, lifestyle changes, and stress management. Read about some of the benefits of using probiotics for IBS.

What Are Probiotics and their Benefits?

The gastrointestinal tract houses a complex ecosystem comprised of more than 400 species of bacteria. Most bacteria are in the large intestine; however, you can also find some in the stomach and small intestines. The large intestine contains beneficial bacteria, often called your microflora, and harmful bacteria.

Beneficial bacteria help with digestion, enhance the immune system, synthesize vitamins and other nutrients, and metabolize medications. They also eliminate toxic chemicals, waste products, and other toxins from the body.

It is essential to maintain a balance between beneficial and harmful bacteria. Toxins, stress, chronic illness, poor eating habits, insufficient sleep, antibiotic use, and lack of exercise can disrupt this delicate balance. Signs of an imbalance include urinary tract infections, fatigue, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, and yeast infections.

Probiotics occur naturally in certain fermented foods like yogurt, juices, and soybean products. The natural bacterium that occurs during fermentation helps improve your digestive health. There are many different types of probiotics, so it is essential to know which ones will help tame your tummy troubles.

Benefits of Probiotics for Gut Health

• Probiotics Benefits With Detoxification

Toxic chemicals fill our world and negatively impact our health. Toxins and heavy metals are in our foods, groundwater, soil, and air. These chemicals permeate the body and cause many issues, including digestive problems, respiratory issues, decreased immunity, nausea, headaches, and much more. One of the best ways to protect your health is to feed your body probiotics.

The body has an innate ability to activate the immune system when foreign substances, such as toxic chemicals, enter it. This immune action helps decrease the damage caused by toxins. The immune system also induces systemic protective responses, preventing toxins from adhering to the lining of the intestines, passing through the intestinal wall, and entering the bloodstream.

Research has shown that one of the benefits of specific probiotic strains is that they offer the best protection against toxic chemicals, including strains of Lactobacillus Plantarum. This potent strain activates cytokine production for maximum detoxification.

• Benefits of Probiotics for Boosting Immunity

Did you know your immune system health directly affects the intestinal tract? Your immune system helps to resist disease and illness. Taking the right probiotics can help to improve immunity and keep you healthy. The probiotic strains L. caseai, L. rhamnosus, and L. acidophilus can help reduce the frequency and severity of upper respiratory infections.

Probiotics increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the GI tract. Eating probiotic-friendly foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, and kimchi will naturally increase the number of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. In addition, taking a probiotic supplement containing multiple strains of probiotics (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces) can help proliferate the digestive system with beneficial bacteria that help fight inflammation and disease. Most individuals can benefit from a daily probiotic supplement with 1 to 10 billion CFUs, which helps maintain the appropriate amount of beneficial bacteria in your intestines. There are numerous types of probiotics on the market, so you want to make sure you choose the right strains and the appropriate dosage.

• Diminish Antibiotic Related Diarrhea

The digestive tract encompasses a host of organs, including the intestines. Thousands of bacteria live in the intestinal tract. These bacteria work to fight off disease-causing microbes. When you take an antibiotic, it destroys both the good and bad bacteria in your intestinal tract. When good bacteria diminish, pathogens can cause various digestive issues, including diarrhea, flatulence, and bloating.

Three probiotics can help with antibiotic-associated diarrhea. These strains are Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bacillus coagulans and S. cerevisiae boulardii. Taking them while on antibiotics and for a week or so afterward can reduce the risk of diarrhea.

• Probiotics Relieve Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Keeping your gut healthy can help prevent the bloating, pain, and discomfort associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Although experts do not fully understand the causes of IBS or the best treatment options, they have discovered that the probiotics Bifidobacterium infantis and L. plantarum help reduce the pain, gas, and discomfort associated with IBS.

• Prevent Traveler’s Diarrhea

International travelers often experience diarrhea due to unsanitary water. The water in developing countries frequently contains infectious bacteria and parasites, which attack the intestinal tract and cause digestive distress. Studies have shown that you can reduce the risk of developing this devastating issue by taking Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii a week before you travel. Additionally, if you get traveler’s diarrhea, taking this probiotic can help you overcome it quickly.

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Probiotics Protect Gut Health

There are various probiotic benefits. Probiotic supplements aid digestion, help keep the digestive system healthy, and enhance nutrient absorption. Probiotics also help the body detox from toxins in your environment and stimulate regular bowel movements.

When you first begin taking probiotics, you may experience increased flatulence, bloating, and rumbling; however, this is quite normal. These symptoms mean the pH levels in the digestive tract are changing. The pH level changes as more beneficial bacteria establish themselves in the intestines. These symptoms will diminish within a week or two as the pH levels readjust.

What Causes IBS?

The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome is unknown; however, several factors can increase the risk of IBS and the severity of symptoms. These include:

• Bacteria in the Digestive Tract—Your intestines contain good and bad bacteria. If you have a surplus of harmful bacteria, your risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome increases exponentially.
• Changes in Intestinal Muscle Contractions—Muscles line your intestines and contract and relax to help move food through the digestive system. If contractions are too muscular and last for an extended time, you can experience diarrhea, gas, and bloating. Conversely, if your contractions are weak, food will move through the intestinal tract too slowly, causing dry, hard stools (constipation).
• Infection—If you have had gastroenteritis (a bacterial or viral infection of the intestines), you could develop IBS.
• Intestinal Inflammation—If you suffer from IBS, the number of immune cells in your intestines increases, causing diarrhea and stomach pain.
• Nervous System Abnormalities—If you suffer from nervous system abnormalities, the nerve impulses from the brain to the intestines can become overactive, resulting in abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Triggers

There are three primary triggers for irritable bowel syndrome – food, hormones, and stress.

• Food Intolerances—Food intolerances cause inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, which can exacerbate IBS symptoms. Some of the most common foods that cause a food intolerance are dairy products and gluten.
• Hormones—Women are more than twice as likely to develop irritable bowel syndrome than men. Many researchers believe this is because of the hormonal changes that occur throughout the month in women.
• Stress—Research shows that stress aggravates the symptoms of IBS; however, experts believe it does not cause IBS.

Benefits of Probiotics for IBS

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that reside in the gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria help digest food, maximize nutrient absorption, reduce inflammation, and improve digestive health. Furthermore, probiotics regulate the GI tract’s bacteria and help decrease the harmful bacteria in the intestines, which can increase irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.

Probiotics are living beneficial bacteria that promote gastrointestinal health. When you have irritable bowel syndrome, you will experience various symptoms, including gas, poor digestion, abdominal cramping, abdominal bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation. A probiotic supplement that contains bifidobacterium, lactobacillus, and Saccharomyces strains will help to improve digestion, reduce intestinal inflammation, and reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Probiotics boost the number of beneficial bacteria in the GI tract. As the beneficial bacteria begin to multiply, they fill the intestinal lining, decreasing the space for harmful bacteria, which is often the cause of digestive discomfort. Beneficial bacteria break down foods and reduce the risk of food intolerances. Finally, they reduce inflammation and erase abdominal pain.

How Can We Help?

You can do several things to relieve and reduce the symptoms of IBS. A functional medicine practitioner specializing in digestive disorders will work with you to identify the cause of your IBS symptoms so you can reduce the risk of flare-ups. Our clinicians specialize in gastrointestinal disease treatment using a holistic approach focusing on addressing the root causes of your digestive issues. They help recommend the best probiotics most beneficial for your digestive health. It is also essential to eat a diet rich in nutrients while taking your probiotic supplements.