Do You Have Enough Probiotics?

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a particular type of friendly bacteria that lives within the small intestines and the female reproductive organs. This beneficial form of bacteria is important as it assists the body with the digestion of proteins whilst maintaining the optimal function of our small intestine.

Acidophilus is important as it aids digestion by increasing the amount of nutrients which can be absorbed from the food as most vitamin and minerals are absorbed in the small intestines where the lactobacillus acidophilus lives. A decreased amount of these friendly bacteria can lead to a range of health complaints which include abdominal bloating, gas, constipation and recurrent yeast infections.
These friendly bacteria are very fragile and can be destroyed by a variety of influences to which we are exposed regularly. One of the most harmful substances to these bacteria is antibiotics. Antibiotics are designed to kill harmful bacteria however antibiotics cannot differentiate between harmful bacteria and friendly bacteria as they are both single celled organisms. Yeast infections like thrush can also kill off lactobacillus acidophilus which then makes the yeast infections even harder to get rid of as this friendly bacterium is required to keep yeast infections under control.

As you can see we need the number of lactobacillus acidophilus to be greater so that we can prevent the discomfort associated with gastrointestinal intestinal disturbances whilst improving the amount of nutrient absorption from our diets. This can be counter balanced through avoiding the substances which harm the lactobacillus acidophilus and by using products which are full of friendly bacteria like yogurt or through the use of acidophilus supplements.