If you play college sports, the chances of going pro are incredibly slim: Only 1.2% of male NCAA basketball players end up in the NBA, and just 0.8% of female B-ballers do.

Luckily, for most of us, going pro-biotic is a lot easier. And the rewards are pro-found.

A new study published in the journal mSystems shows that taking two probiotic bacteria that live in your intestinal tract — Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus rhamnosus — returned hypertensive mice's blood pressure (BP) to normal in 16 weeks. The researchers saw the animals' systolic blood pressure (the top number) fall by more than 15% and diastolic BP (the bottom number) by almost 21%.

The researchers suspect that those bacteria will have a beneficial effect on blood pressure in people too. A clinical trial to see how humans with high blood pressure react is planned.

It's already known that those strains help your gut biome regulate your blood glucose, ease digestive distress, help alleviate atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, and ease inflammation and metabolic disruption.

Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are found in yogurt, kefir, sourdough bread, sauerkraut, kimchi, and other fermented vegetables. And a diet rich in fiber from 100% whole grains, berries, beans, and cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli feeds those bacteria and keeps them doing their health-promoting job for you.

Probiotic supplements can also help you make sure you have a steady supply. Ask your doctor what's right for you.