Probiotics have become
the focus of much interest from parts of the public that take personal health
very seriously. They have been introduced as health products alongside many
other supplements and multivitamins. These supplements, however, are not merely
exterior elements that scientists or other researchers have determined to be
useful for human health. These supplements are actually microbes, bacteria and
other microorganisms that already live inside human bodies and play integral
roles in human biological processes.
What Are
Probiotics?
They are already present in the human system and are actually critical for
maintaining good health. An excellent example of these entities, and one that
may already be known to many people who are otherwise uninformed on the
subject, is the colony of microorganisms that exists in every person's
intestinal tract. The specific probiotic inhibit the development of toxic
bacteria in the waste matter passing through a human digestive system.
Since the discovery of the probiotic, some manufacturers of health-related
products and supplements have developed probiotic substances that can be taken
in pill form or added to food in order to boost the positive activities of these
microbial creatures in human biology. They have also been identified in certain
foods, such as yogurt or other fermented foods. These foods are then encouraged
or supplemented with more probiotics and sold as health-inducing substances.
History of Probiotics
Artificial uses of these products were originally considered in the early
20th century by a Russian scientist. He suggested that doctors could make
modifications to bacteria in the intestinal system by replacing detrimental
bacteria with probiotic microbes that would engender health rather than
threaten it. This scientist, Elie Metchnikoff, believed that much of the aging
process was due to toxic activity in the bowels which had certain injurious
bacteria as their root cause. He believed that their replacement with a
probiotic could stop or even reverse the aging process.
Among the known
probiotics at the time were the lactic-acid bacteria in
fermented milk. Metchnikoff made a connection between groups of people who
lived much of the year almost entirely on fermented milk and their
exceptionally long-lifespans. He alleged that seeding the lining of the
intestine with these bacteria would destroy proteolytic bacteria which he
believed were responsible for the aging and weakening typically seen in shorter-lived
people. So convinced of the possible benefits was Metchnikoff that he began
drinking sour milk that he had fermented with lactic acid. Many others in
Paris, where he lived, began to follow his example and added these supplements
to their diets.
Interested and working at the Pasteur Institute in Paris along with
Metchnikoff was a French scientist by the name of Henry Tissier. He discovered
the dominant presence of a certain bacteria in the intestines of breast-fed
babies. These microbes received the name bifidobacteria. Their probiotic
function appeared to be the deterrence of diarrhea caused by the toxic
proteolytic bacteria.
In 1917 more probiotic discoveries were made as World War One raged across
Europe and diseases broke out among soldiers both healthy and wounded. Alfred
Nissle, a German professor, extracted bacteria known as Escherichia Coli from
fecal matter produced by a soldier who demonstrated immunity against a
particular strain of dysentery. He isolated the strain of bacteria and used
this early supplement to help other patients fight infections of the
gastrointestinal tract and dysentery in general.
Up through this time and long afterward the term
probiotics was not known to
the world and scientists had not consolidated their learning about the issue to
verify that they were on to something. In 1953, a scientist named Werner
Kollath contrasted these substances with the recent discovery of antibiotics,
which were used by the body and artificially to attack and kill infections.
According to Kollath, the probiotic stimulate beneficial activities rather than
destroy the negative activities of other bacteria.
Finally, in the 1980's researchers came up with an improved definition for
these bacteria which is widely used today. This definition says that probiotics
are microbes which beneficially supplement an animal by improving intestinal
fortitude and bacterial balance.
In the recent past, adding supplements to diets or eating foods already rich
in probiotic substances has been recommended by various health experts around
the world. However, many people protest this recommendation and point out that
there is no conclusive proof that ingesting substances laden with these
bacteria help people in any way. The most common claim made by such promoters
is that the probiotic present in their product help with digestion.
Possible Positive and Negative Side Effects of
Probiotics
While they are identified as natural to the human system and overall
beneficial, they have been shown to cause harm when added artificially to the
nourishment regimen of certain people. They appear to increase the death rate
of patients who currently suffer from pancreatitis. Intake of these microbes
has also been linked to increasing the sensitivity of children to allergens of
all sorts. However, data also exists supporting the idea that these
microorganisms can boost the immune systems of people that are already
desperately ill. Controversy over the effectiveness of probiotic rages on today
in the scientific community.
Source: https://bit.ly/2K9R372
