Your Health In Mind with Michael Storm and Dr. Dean Lloyd, January 28, 2026 Hour 2
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https://www.healthline.com/health/types-of-probiotics
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live bacteria that are considered “good,” or beneficial for your body’s functioning and your health. Many probiotics are similar to bacteria that are naturally living in your body. You may already be consuming some of these good bacteria if you eat fermented products, such as:
- yogurt
- some cheeses
- some pickled vegetables
The concept of consuming more good microbes to aid health has been discussed since the early 1900s. The term “probiotics” is relatively new. It’s a combination of the Latin word for “for” and the Greek word for “life.”
Research has yielded promising results about the health benefits of probiotics. However, the science is not yet conclusiveon all the benefits of probiotics for healthy people or for treatment of particular diseases.
Today, many kinds of probiotics are commercially available in foods and supplements. As the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health Trusted Source reports, some experts have warned that the rapid growth in probiotics marketing and use may have outpaced scientific research on the benefits.
Why are probiotics beneficial?
Your bowels host an estimated 100 trillion microorganismsTrusted Source from more than 500 different species, according to Harvard Medical School. Your mix of bacteria is unique, like your fingerprint. Sometimes, illness or stress can change the bacterial balance and create digestive and other problems.
Probiotics work by changing the composition of your gut bacteria or the metabolic activity of existing bacteria. The good bacteria crowd out the bad in your intestine. This prevents the bad bacteria from multiplying and causing infection or inflammation.
For example, too much yeast in the body can lead to a yeast infection, but the well-balanced gut biome will keep yeast at lower levels.
Probiotics may help your digestion and enable your body to extract nutrients from your food. Good bacteria may also produce enzymes or proteins that inhibit, or even kill, harmful bacteria. Specific species of probiotics also stimulate your immune system.
Some bacteria are necessary for hormone production or vitamin (e.g., vitamin K) and nutrient absorption. Development of childhood type 1 diabetes may be associated with inflammation related to inadequate gut bacteria biomeTrusted Source.
Research published by the American College of Gastroenterology indicates that particular species of probiotics may:
- aid digestion
- prevent diarrhea
- ease vaginal infections
- prevent autoimmune diseases
- ease skin ailments
- fend off urinary infections
But remember, not everyone responds in the same way to the same probiotic.
Some doctors advise you to use probiotics when taking antibiotics to combat a specific infection. This is because antibiotics kill off some useful bacteria along with the bad, which may cause diarrhea. The probiotics help maintain or restore a healthy balance in your gut.
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! Dean !
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