Probiotics: Why Your Stomach Needs Them

Probiotics, found in a variety of foods, help maintain a healthy balance in the stomach by ridding the digestive system of bad bacteria. Probiotics have often been called the "good" or "friendly" bacteria.

The body contains both healthy and unhealthy bacteria. While medicine, like antibiotics, can relieve symptoms of illness, they do so by killing off all bacteria regardless of it being good or bad. Eliminating good bacteria can cause symptoms such as upset stomach and diarrhea, according to The Huffington Post.

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Probiotics, the good bacteria, can relieve stomach difficulties, Dr. Sridhar Mani, professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, told The Huffington Post.

“In diseases like ulcerative colitis or diarrheal illness, probiotics are remarkable cures,” he said. “Some patients really get significant benefit” from taking probiotics for stomach problems.

Probiotics also may allow people with lactose intolerance to consume some dairy products, he added.

Foods containing probiotics include yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, buttermilk, and sourdough bread. Fermented and unfermented milk, soy drinks, and miso also provide probiotics, according to the Cleveland Clinic, which points out that probiotics can also be found in dietary supplements.

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Probiotics may be successful in treating chronic stomach inflammation, ulcers, acid reflux, and spastic colon, and they may help reduce the recurrence of colorectal and bladder cancer, the Cleveland Clinic says.

Because probiotics may help in relieving bloating and regulating bowel movements, the stomach relievers may offer relief to people with irritable bowel syndrome, according to WebMD. Studies suggest probiotics prevent pouchitis, a condition that occurs for many people who have undergone surgery for ulcerative colitis. Research also indicates probiotics can shorten the duration of childhood diarrhea.

Along with being beneficial to the stomach, probiotics are being studied for their effectiveness in treating childhood respiratory infections, allergies, asthma, skin infections, and mental illness, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

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