An Actimel a day?

From day one we were thought that bacteria are bad for us and that we should avoid them like the plague. We are made wash our hands, preserve our foods, and cover our mouths when we cough; all in a bid to prevent the dreaded bugs from making us ill. Now they’re telling us that some of them are actually good for us and that we should willingly eat them! The probiotic rising has begun but what exactly are they and why are they so good for us?
You may be alarmed to hear this but your gut is actually home to trillions of bacteria, some good but some not so good. In order to have a healthy digestive system there needs to be a balance between the two. Bad dietary habits (yes that includes your favourite battered cod in the local chippy!), medications and emotional upset all have a negative effect on the digestive system. These problems manifest themselves in the form of bloating, belching, flatulence, indigestion, diarrhoea and nausea but to name a few. Not to mention much more serious long term issues down the line such as Diverticulitis (painful, infected and inflamed pouches in the large intestine), Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and ulcer as a result of H pylori bacteria.
Enter probiotics. The theory behind including these food friendly bugs in the diet is that the will restore the equilibrium between threatening bugs and protective bugs. For example antibiotics basically wipe out all in their path, good and bad, so topping up on the friendly guys after a course is always a good idea.
But we must remember that these probiotics are living things so how can they survive all the processing that modern food must endure these days? This seems to be the question on everyone’s lips and the reason why so few strains of probiotic make it on the shelf in the form of a food product. Behind the successful launch of, ‘The Actimel challenge’, were ten years of research and 25 studies including test tube, animal and human trials. But boy were they worth it for Danone! The successful little bug that proved to survive all the way to the gut, decrease the duration of diarrhoea, increase the bodies defence response and generally improve gut health most certainly paid for itself a few times over! It seems the army of men who fight off the invaders have convinced men, women and children that Actimel provide, ‘natural goodness from the inside every morning.’ I must admit that even I have been lured into an Actimel a day!
Probiotics aren’t just found in milk products such as Actimel, Yakult or Everybody. There are ongoing debates regarding whether regular yogurt, cottage cheese, buttermilk and some beers all naturally contain probiotics. But they most certainly can be found in tablet form as a supplement or in other food products such as breakfast cereals, smoothies and juices. And I’m sure with a little more research we’ll soon see in just about everything.
Now that’s probiotics let’s delve a little into prebiotics. Prebiotics are basically food for probiotics. So by eating to boost up the number of probiotic bugs the same benefits can be enjoyed with regards to gut health. The tricky bit about prebiotics is that they must escape digestion in order to reach the gut bacteria and be of any use to them therefore they must be of a nondigestible nature. But that’s not the only shadow hanging over prebiotics. How can we be sure that they aren’t providing nutrition for both the good and bad bacteria? The answer is we can’t but this is an area where much research is focused at present in order to isolate food sources specific to the goodies.
If you fancy taking a chance on prebiotics stock up on oatmeal, whole grains, onions, greens vegetables, berries, bananas, peas and beans. If you haven’t the time to remember all of those in the supermarket why not pick up a supplement in your local health store. Or for an even more convenient healthy gut solution try a supplement with both probiotics and probiotics. Muller Vitality have a great new range out with both present and they even have omega 3 added in for good measure.
So whether you choose probiotics, prebiotics, a supplement or a one-a-day drink the promotion of friendly bacteria in your gut will most certainly be of benefit to your health.