Know Your Gut, Support your Gut
Understanding the gut and knowing how it works to help your body operate daily can save you a lot of stress. The gut (gastrointestinal tract) is the long tube that starts at the mouth and ends at the back passage (anus). The gut processes food – from the time it is first eaten until it is either absorbed by the body or passed out as stools (faeces).1
Our digestive system (gut) is central to supporting our health as it contains more than 70% of the body’s immune system cells and 10 times more bacteria than we have cells in our whole body.
This bacteria is made up of many different species, some of which are considered friendly and others termed pathogenic. The bacteria line and the gut wall help to stop toxins and harmful substances passing through the gut into the body – so ideally, we need a lot more good than bad. The ideal ratio has been estimated at 85% good to 15% bad bacteria and if this balance is affected it may lead to digestive symptoms such as bloating or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
There are a number of everyday items that may disrupt your gut and should be avoided. The stresses of our modern lifestyles have been shown to have an impact on reducing the levels of friendly bacteria and potentially give the pathogenic bacteria a chance to become dominant. Stressors include a high sugar intake, lack of or too much exercise, illness (especially food poisoning) and medications (particularly antibiotics), environmental toxins and lack of nutrients.
Good digestive health is linked to the balance of this bacteria and friendly bacteria supplements can help to maintain this balance. Some of the key elements to look for include:
- Human strains
- Clearly defined strain numbers
- Evidence that the bacteria survive stomach and bile acids
- Bacteria supported by research
- Multi-strain
- Survival at room temperature
- Guaranteed bacteria count to expiry
One of the most common uses of probiotics is in addressing diarrhea and constipation. Studies have shown that probiotics can help treat a wide variety of types of diarrhea, including antibiotic-associated diarrhea; interestingly enough, they can also have a seemingly opposite impact on the digestive tract by preventing constipation.2
ProVen Probiotics for Adults – 25 Billion High strength for everyday use has high-strength friendly bacteria for everyday use for adults aged 16+ and is suitable during pregnancy. The bacteria used in the ProVen pregnancy products have been trialled in pregnant mums and newborn babies and have been used by these potentially vulnerable groups since 2013.3 ProVen Probiotics for Adults – 25 Billion has also shown to help with bloating, IBS and supporting the gut alongside antibiotics.
ProVen Probiotics are available to purchase online with nationwide deliver to your door, anywhere in South Africa. Visit your store to purchase: https://www.provenprobiotics.co.za/products/
Sources:
1Patient: https://patient.info/news-and-features/the-digestive-system
2Dr Perl Mutter : https://www.drperlmutter.com/benefits-of-probiotics-for-your-mood-gut-and-immune-system/
3ProVen Probiotics UK: https://www.provenprobiotics.co.uk/knowledge-centrefaqs/
