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What do probiotic bacteria do?
You can buy many different probiotics but it is important to remember that they are not all created equally. First of all, you must choose a product that contains optimum numbers of the right species of bacteria.
(below is a list of scientific research references related to each strain. You may need to download files and/or register on the third party site to access the information)
Lactococcus lactis, proven to fight off the harmful salmonella species of bacteria and also have an anti-inflammatory effect in the bowel.
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00253-015-6498-0 – general properties of species
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/08830189809043006 – Inflammation
Bifidobacterium longum, which is one of the earliest to colonise our bowels when we are infants. It is considered a staple species in a healthy microbiome.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC137899/
Bifidobacterium breve is another healthy microbiome staple and plays a key role in protecting our bowel from being colonised by harmful bacteria.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2949774/ – IBS
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3048518/ – childhood constipation
Lactobacillus acidophilus are a species of bacteria that produce chemicals that kill off dangerous bacteria when they ferment our food. These bacteria are also helpful for digestion and treating diarrhoea.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16875422
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266241/ – treatment of colitis
Lactobacillus plantarum is an important species as it helps to suppress the growth of bacteria that produce gas and therefore cause unpleasant symptoms such as wind and bloating. It is also showing a lot of promise as a treatment for depression.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3601973/ – intestinal permeability and depression
- http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1130-01082009000800006&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en – gas production
Lactobacillus rhamnosus is shown to be important for the prevention and treatment of diarrhoea through its ability to kill off harmful bacteria.
- https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00005176-200001000-00018 – diarrhoea in children
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5745464/ – antibiotic-associated diarrhoea
Streptococcus thermophilus has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of diarrhoea that is caused by antibiotics.
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1026155328638
In combination, these species are shown to alleviate the symptoms of IBS, prevent diarrhoea associated with travelling and antibiotic use and calm inflammation in the gut.
If you want to boost your daily intake of probiotics try our probiotic supplement Daily Vitality