Probiotic
Probiotics are dietary supplements containing "good" bacteria. People take these supplements in the hope of improving their digestion.
Some supplements can be added to food to promote a balance of lactobacillus bacteria in the digestive tract. Lactobaccillus, the culture in yogurt, helps to develop a stronger immune system.1
The rationale of probiotics is that our body contains a miniature ecology of microbes that can be thrown out of balance as with our intervention in the larger ecology. Once out of balance, the bacteria that work well with our bodies (see symbiosis) decrease in number which leaves an empty niche free of competitors. Then, "bad" bacteria move into this vacuum but these parasites are detrimental to health. So probiotics introduce a larger number of symbiotic bacteria to overwhelm the parasites and, thus, reestablish the body's heathful ecology.
In contrast, antibacterial soap is criticized for disrupting the body's microbial ecology.
Some common probiotics include:
- Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Bifidobacterium longum
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus
- Lactobacillus casei
- Lactobacillus plantarum
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus
- Lactobacillus GG
References
- Benefits of exposure to bacteria and danger of antibacterial cleaners (http://www.cbc.ca/story/news/national/2000/07/17/Consumers/soap000717.html)
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