Don’t know about the benefits of probiotics? Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that have various health benefits. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding probiotics at the moment, particularly as interest in the gut’s connection to our overall well-being is growing.

Why are probiotics important to human health?

All the research is telling us to pay close attention to our gut. And there’s this thing called the brain-gut connection (yep, your gut can actually send messages to your brain, and vice-versa!). Probiotics can help restore the natural balance of bacteria in your gut, and they have a whole range of other health benefits.

Probiotics can be found in several areas of the body, including the gut, stomach, and skin.

You can take probiotics as a supplement, but they can also be found in foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, yoghurt, and kimchi.

The word probiotic is taken from Latin, meaning ‘for life’. Probiotics are often described as ‘good’ or ‘friendly’ bacteria that can help improve your gut health and boost your immune system.

Want to know more about how probiotics can improve your physical and mental health? In this article, we’ll explore ten (research-backed) ways probiotics can improve your health.

Let’s dive in and explore some of the main health benefits of probiotics.

How can probiotics improve your health?

1. They can help support digestive health

Research has shown that probiotics can be effective for various gut conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome. They also help to maintain a balance of gut bacteria. For example, when you’re ill, probiotics can help restore the natural balance of microorganisms in your intestines. According to research, probiotics may help to reduce IBS symptoms, specifically bloating.

2. They can with mental health

There appears to be a link between mental health and gut health. Who knew these two things could be interrelated? There’s actually a concept called the gut-brain axis, and studies on the connection between the gut and the brain have shown that humans and animals with a disrupted gut experience mental health issues. Apparently, “probiotics attenuate (reduce the effect of) anxiety and depressive-like behaviours in experimental animal models.” Probiotics may help to boost your mood and also your cognitive function. 

3. They can have an impact on your immune system

Probiotics can help your immune system, too. How? Studies seem to show that certain probiotics have substances that can help regulate our body’s defence system. Think of it like this. Good bacteria work with our immune cells to improve their performance. Some studies have shown they might help with inflammatory diseases such as MS. 

4. They can help with skin conditions

We just talked about a connection between gut health and your brain, but apparently, there’s also a connection between intestinal microbiota homeostasis (the balance of organisms living in your gut) and your skin! Yep, initial findings are showing the potential for probiotics to help with some skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis and dermatitis. 

5. A healthy gut can mean better sleep

Stomach issues like bloating and cramps can prevent you from having a good night’s sleep. In fact, some research has suggested that the gut microbiome might influence sleep quality. Who knew what’s going on in your gut could impact your beauty sleep? 

6. They can help reduce stress

When you’re stressed, it can throw your gut bacteria off balance, and as we mentioned earlier, there’s a link between your brain and your gut. In one study, consuming probiotics relieved stress and anxiety. More research needs to be done in this area, but the results are very promising. But it does make sense that when you’re feeling super stressed, this is bound to have an impact on your digestion. And perhaps probiotics can give your gut a helping hand. 

7. They can help fight off colds

In a study on whether probiotics can reduce the severity of colds, people treated with probiotics reported fewer days with a fever and lower symptom severity, and their colds were shorter. So, in summary, they could help make colds less severe and shorter. Now, doesn’t that sound appealing? We all could do with one or two less colds in our lives!

8. Help tackle antibiotic resistance

As we all know, we shouldn’t take antibiotics unless we really need them. And that’s partially due to the fact that antibiotics can sometimes reduce the good bacteria in our guts. We also don’t want the bacteria causing infections to become resistant to antibiotics. Taking probiotics while having antibiotics can help to protect the good bacteria and offset the damage caused by antibiotics. 

9. They can contribute to Bone Health

You may be surprised to learn that probiotics have also been shown to impact bone health. Yep, research has found that they increase bone mass density and affect bone health. They may be able to help reduce osteoporosis too. 

“Previous studies on the effect of probiotics and bone have all confirmed that probiotics can increase BMD and BMC and help reduce osteoporosis by different ways.” The National Library of Medicine.

10. They could help with athletic performance

With all the potential health benefits we’ve explored in this article, is it any wonder that athletes may benefit from probiotics? From improved sleep to immune system benefits and digestive health, there are a whole host of possible benefits to athletes and active people. Some studies suggest that probiotics may help improve athletic performance by supporting gut health, reducing inflammation, and boosting the immune system.  There’s also some evidence that probiotics can help aid recovery after muscle-damaging exercise. 

In Conclusion

Are you sold on the ways probiotics can enhance your health? We’re on a mission to educate people about gut health. Why? Because your gut microbiome plays a vital role in your mental and physical well-being. 

We know that loads of people in the UK also struggle with gut issues (88%, in fact!), which can have a big impact on people’s daily lives. So, we’ve created a meticulously researched product range that includes products for gut care, immune boost, and skin health. 

Got questions? Get in touch to find out more. 

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