In case you haven’t noticed, probiotics are a hot topic among the health-conscious community. You find these gut-friendly organisms in supplement form and in fermented foods, like yogurt, kefir, and fermented vegetables. Most people consume probiotics for digestive health, but they also play a role in immunity and immune balance. Surprisingly, they may help your body eliminate certain toxins. But first let’s review what probiotics are.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms, usually bacteria, although fungi and viruses can live in your gut too. The term probiotic literally means ‘for life.” When you consume these live organisms, they take up residence in your gut and give you potential health benefits. Some of the most common strains of probiotics that scientists believe have health benefits include strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. For example, Lactobacillus produces a weak acid, called lactic acid, which helps keep harmful bacteria from growing in your intestines.
Benefits of Probiotics for Gut Health
As mentioned, one benefit probiotics offer is better gut health. These beneficial organisms help maintain gut balance and enhance food breakdown and nutrient absorption. One way they do this is by competing for the resources that harmful bacteria use to stay alive. So, they out compete them for food. Studies also link a healthy gut microbiome with a more balanced immune system. This isn’t surprising since your gut is home to 70% of your immune cells. Here, they help fight low-grade inflammation, the type that leads to health issues, like cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic health issues.
Probiotics and Detoxification: What Does It Mean to Detoxify?
People toss the term detox around lightly and sometimes make false claims about this process to sell a product. But here’s the reality. We’re exposed to toxins every day through what we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe in. So pervasive are pollutants in the environment that it’s impossible to avoid all of them. Now, it also includes microplastics and nano plastics that come from the breakdown of plastic products.
That’s why your body has mechanisms for detoxifying, or breaking down, toxins. Your liver, kidneys, and skin all participate in this process. However, a lot of toxins enter your intestinal tract, and you absorb them through your intestines. That’s where probiotics come in.
Detoxification refers to the body’s natural process of eliminating toxins. In today’s world, where exposure to pollutants and chemicals, including heavy metals and pesticides, is almost unavoidable, supporting the body’s detoxification processes is more important than ever. These substances can accumulate in the body over time, leading to chronic health issues, including cancer and neurological disorders. Probiotics may play a role in this process by aiding in the breakdown and removal of toxins.
What Science Shows
Beyond their role in digestive and immune health, science suggests that they could help your body break down harmful substances you absorb from the food you eat and the environment. According to studies, some strains of probiotics can bind to and neutralize the effects of these toxins on your body and your health. An example are lactobacillus strains that bind to heavy metals and keep your intestinal tract from absorbing them, so they don’t exert harm.
Interestingly, studies show that probiotics have “anti-mutagenic” effects, meaning they help prevent damage to the genetic material in your cells called DNA. This type of damage is particularly dangerous, as it changes your genetic code and leads to uncontrolled cell growth or cancer.
What type of toxins can probiotics bind to and potentially help detoxify? These include:
- Heavy metals, like lead, mercury, and cadmium
- Acrylamides (a carcinogen formed from cooking food to high temperatures)
- Aflatoxins – produced by fungi and known carcinogens
- Benzo[a]pyrene – a carcinogen
Despite these appealing benefits, probiotics vary in their effectiveness. Whether you get the full benefits may depend upon the strains you’re consuming and how much. Plus, it depends upon the composition of your own gut microbiome. Gut microbiomes are as unique as our fingerprints. No two are the same. So, it could take time to identify the best organisms for detox. Still, you can’t go wrong adding more of the probiotic species known to have health benefits, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species, to your diet. For most people consuming fermented foods that contain these organisms is safe. But talk to your doctor before taking a probiotic supplement. If you have a compromised immune system, your doctor can tell you whether it’s wise to take probiotics. Plus, there is concern that antibiotic-resistant genes that some probiotic cells could carry could transfer to healthy gut microorganisms. It’s an area that needs more research.
Also, some people experience digestive discomfort, including bloating and gas, when they first start using probiotics or eating probiotic-rich foods. However, these symptoms often go away once your digestive tract adapts to the new probiotic residents moving in. If you’re taking a probiotic supplement, your doctor may recommend starting with a low dose and gradually increasing it over time to give your body a chance to adjust.
Conclusion
While the potential of probiotics is exciting, more research is needed to fully understand their capabilities and limitations. We need further research to identify the most effective strains and understand exactly how they offer their benefits. And don’t count on probiotics to be a gamechanger on their own. Everything works better when you have a balanced and healthy lifestyle style that includes nutrient-dense unprocessed foods and stay physically active. And don’t underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep and stress management. It all counts!
References:
- Oana Lelia Pop, Suharoschi R, Gabbianelli R. Biodetoxification and Protective Properties of Probiotics. Microorganisms. 2022;10(7):1278-1278. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071278.
- Pop OL, Suharoschi R, Gabbianelli R. Biodetoxification and Protective Properties of Probiotics. Microorganisms. 2022 Jun 23;10(7):1278. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10071278. PMID: 35888997; PMCID: PMC9319832.
- Zhang, L., et al. (2023). Probiotics, Gut Microbiota, and Their Role in Human Health: A Review. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14, 1034567. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1034567.
- Cani, P. D. (2023). Gut microbiota: Key players in metabolic disease. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 19(6), 347-366. doi:10.1038/s41574-023-00730-7.
- Ghosh, T. S., et al. (2023). Role of the Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease: An Overview. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 20(4), 217-232. doi:10.1038/s41575-022-00569-7.
- Markowiak P, Śliżewska K. Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics on Human Health. Nutrients. 2017 Sep 15;9(9):1021. doi: 10.3390/nu9091021. PMID: 28914794; PMCID: PMC5622781.
- “8 Health Benefits of Probiotics.” 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-health-benefits-of-probiotics.
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