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Probiotics are live, beneficial bacteria and yeast that live in peace inside our body. They’re also found in foods like yogurt and kombucha and play an important role in fighting infections.

Probiotics sometimes get a bad rap due to bacteria and yeast’s link to disease. But they’re important for our health. In fact, for premature babies, probiotic milk may mean the difference between making it and succumbing to life-threatening gut diseases.

Milk with probiotics boost gut health in premature babies

British researchers found that milk with probiotics may help prevent serious gut problems and infections in premature babies. They arrived at this finding after reviewing the health outcomes of nearly a thousand very premature infants who were admitted to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH) over a 10-year period.

In 2013, the NNUH introduced daily probiotics dosing for babies after reviewing evidence that milk with live Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium reduces the number of cases of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) – a life-threatening gut disease that mainly affects premature babies. NEC causes the intestinal tissues to become inflamed and start to die.

The researchers found that since the probiotics program was introduced, the number of NEC cases among very preterm babies dropped from 7.5 percent to 3.1 percent, while the number of sepsis cases fell from 22.6 percent to 11.5 percent. Sepsis is a potentially fatal response to an infection and is considered a risk factor for NEC.

“We’re feeding more than one billion healthy live bacteria a day to each baby and it seems to have had the beneficial effect on reducing NEC that we had hoped for,” said Dr. Paul Clarke, a newborn care specialist at the NNUH and one of the study authors.

Among those who received probiotic milk is Archie Faulkner. Born almost three months early and weighing less than two pounds, Archie is now a healthy four-year-old.

“It was a massive shock when Archie was born so early and we couldn’t cuddle him for a couple of weeks because he was so small,” said Archie’s mother, Samantha Howard. She was grateful for the NNUH and applauded the hospital for its brilliant care of her son.

Science-backed benefits of probiotics

Your gut is teeming with trillions of microorganisms that are collectively known as the gut microbiota. While most of these microbes are important for overall health, some are associated with various diseases.

Add more probiotic foods to your diet to keep disease at bay. Probiotics boost your health in many ways: (h/t to Healthline.com)

1. Probiotics promote a balanced gut microbiota. When the gut microbiota becomes imbalanced, you start having too much “bad” bacteria and not enough of the good ones. This can happen due to an illness, use of certain medications, poor diet and more. Thankfully, probiotics can restore the natural balance of your gut microbiota.
2. Probiotics help prevent and treat diarrhea. Diarrhea is a common side effect of taking antibiotics. It occurs because antibiotics cause an imbalance of good and bad gut bacteria. If you’re on antibiotics, taking probiotics after your medication can help reduce diarrhea. Take note that the two should be taken a few hours apart because antibiotics can kill probiotics.
3. Probiotics boost brain health. Many studies link gut health to mood and mental health. One review shows that supplementing with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus for one to two months can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder and memory loss.
4. Probiotics are good for your heart. Research shows that some probiotics help lower blood pressure and “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. High levels of these can increase your risk of heart disease.
5. Probiotics can soothe allergies. An allergy is your body’s immune response to foreign substances called allergens. Some studies suggest that probiotics may reduce inflammatory responses in people with milk or dairy allergies.
6. Probiotics help treat digestive disorders. Certain types of probiotics from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains can reduce the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis, both of which can cause abdominal pain, cramping and diarrhea, among other things.
7. Probiotics can boost your immune system. Some probiotics promote the production of natural antibodies that help fend off infections. Studies also show that some Lactobacillus strains can reduce the risk and frequency of urinary tract infection and respiratory infection.
8. Probiotics promote weight loss. Some probiotics prevent the absorption of dietary fat in the intestine, leaving it to be secreted through feces instead of being stored in the body. Additionally, probiotics can prolong feelings of fullness and boost the burning of calories.

With their several health benefits, probiotics are incredibly good not just for infants but also for people of any age. Add more probiotic dairy and other similar foods to your diet to boost your overall health.

Sources:

ScienceDaily.com

Journals.SagePub.com

Healthline.com