Probiotics: How to Enlist the Help of Friendly Microbes
Published Aug 1, 2014
Most people living in the United States today have been treated with antibiotics at some time in their lives. For the past half century medicine has waged war against harmful microorganisms—administering antibiotics to treat everything from infection to inflammation. Certainly antibiotics have saved many lives. But that success has come at a cost: drug-resistant bacteria and potential side effects, such as diarrhea, yeast infections of the mouth and vagina, allergic reactions, and more.
Probiotics, on the other hand, focuses on the microorganisms that help us. These microbial allies, or so-called “good” bacteria, are live microorganisms that confer a health benefit. Probiotic research often focuses on specific strains of bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacter) and yeast (Saccharomyces boulardii). Naturally occurring in the intestines, these helpful microbes are often lost when taking antibiotics.
According to Michael Blaser, a leading researcher and professor of microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine, “Germs make us sick. But everyone focuses on the harm.… [I]t’s not that simple, because without most of these organisms, we could never survive.” Research suggests that the destruction of bacteria may contribute to Crohn’s disease, obesity, asthma, and many other chronic illnesses. A researcher for more than 30 years, Blaser considers the research on probiotics “the most exciting and important work” of his lifetime.
Microbes colonize our bodies. Before a child’s first birthday, he or she is home to a hundred trillion or more microorganmisms—bacteria, viruses, and fungi that inhabit the mouth and teeth, blanket the skin, and line the throat and digestive system. Together they make up our microbiome—a kind of ecosystem all our own.
How “good” microbes help us—and our complex microbiome—is the subject of a great deal of current research still in its early stages. We do know, however, that these microbes outcompete disease-causing organisms, enhance immune function, maintain mucous membrane health, optimize digestion, and manufacture certain vitamins. According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, evidence suggests that probiotics may help:
- Treat diarrhea, especially following a course of antibiotic treatment
- Prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections
- Treat irritable bowel syndrome
- Reduce bladder cancer recurrence
- Speed treatment of some intestinal infections
- Prevent and treat eczema in children
- Prevent or reduce the severity of colds and flu]
So what are some of the foods that contain probiotics? Probably the most well known source is yogurt with its live, active cultures. Other products include fermented foods such as cultured buttermilk, miso, tempeh, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickles.
You can buy most of these products at your local markets or health food stores. If you’d like to prepare your own probiotic super-bacterial foe, try this simple recipe for brothy miso soup from 500 Time-Tested Home Remedies and the Science Behind Them. (Miso is made from fermented soybeans.)
¼ cup miso paste
2 cups water
1 scallion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Spoon the miso paste into a bowl Boil the water in a saucepan and lower the heat to low. Pour ¼ cup of boiled water into the bowl with the miso, and stir until themixtures is smooth. Add the miso mixture to the remaining water in the saucepan. Stir until fully blended. Add the scallion. Sir in the garlic just before serving. (By not cooking the garlic, you maintain its key ingredients.)
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