Probiotics have got beneficial effects on the health of humans. This is because they have an action mechanism that is related to the capability to compete for adhesion sites with microorganisms that are pathogenic. It is this potential that probiotics have that has attracted many people’s attention. So far, some clinical studies have already been conducted. According to the results, there is a suggestion that the probiotics are indeed very useful in the prevention and the treatment of different oral infections. This includes halitosis, periodontal disease, and dental caries.
Human beings ingest many microorganisms that are living. The most predominant ones are bacteria. The organisms are present in the food and water that we take. However, they can also be added in food over the processing period. They can be added to fermented milk, yogurt, cheese, and even sausages.
For quite some time now, probiotic bacteria’s have been used in foods because of the benefits they possess and their effect on health. The bacteria found in yoghurt as well as milk products that are fermented constitute a very valuable probiotic source. Most of the probiotics show great effectiveness, especially in the treatment of infections and systematic diseases. These include Crohn disease and acute diarrhea.
There are yet other studies that have suggested that there is a potential application in handling cancers, oropharyngeal infections, urogenital infections, and cardiovascular diseases. Some probiotics are also very useful in dealing with issues that arise due to the overuse of antibiotics especially when there is bacterial resistance.
Characteristics
Probiotics are living microorganisms. Principally, they are bacteria which are quite safe for consumption, especially when sufficient quantities are ingested. They have quite beneficial effects on health.
There are guidelines and standards that are laid out in different jurisdictions regarding probiotics and whether they are accepted as legitimate products that are health related. To serve as a probiotic, the bacterial strain needs to be characterized in full. It is necessary to identify the genus as well as the species of such a microorganism and this should be within the international standards.
Studies need to be conducted so that the mechanism on how the bacteria works as a probiotic can be established. This makes it possible to predict the scope of where it can be applied and the potential ill effects it can have on human health.
How they work
There are different mechanisms that can be used to illustrate how the probiotics actually act. The bacteria actually excrete different substances that are antimicrobial like bacteriocins, hydrogen peroxide, and organic acids. These bacteria’s also compete with different pathogens for sites, which are used for adhesion. Probiotics are also able to make modifications to the environment around them by oxidation and pH modulation. It is these changes that compromise how well pathogens are established. The probiotics can also stimulate modulating and immunity of the cellular and humoral immune response.
When the probiotics are combined, they add to the beneficial effects.
