Probiotics - the "nutritional magician" in the intestines. Your stomach and intestines need it during the Spring Festival.

The New Year is coming soon. Which of the following situations will you encounter?

Spring Festival Scenario 1: Returning Home or Traveling

Workers who are busy all year round take advantage of the long Spring Festival holiday to go back to their hometowns or travel. However, this long journey is likely to cause gastrointestinal disorders and gastrointestinal diseases due to fatigue and unfamiliar climate.

Spring Festival situation 2: Family and friends dinner

Finally, we got the Spring Festival holiday. We had a party with relatives and friends, and drank three or five cups. Don't even think about drinking to relax. If you indulge in alcohol without restraint, it will irritate the gastric mucosa and intestinal mucosa, leading to an imbalance of intestinal flora.

Spring Festival situation three: eating New Year's Eve dinner

The most anticipated New Year's Eve dinner includes chicken, duck, fish and meat, stewed, fried and stir-fried. The mouth is comfortable, but the gastrointestinal tract is in trouble. Alternating hot and cold food + overeating suddenly increase the burden on the stomach and intestines, which can easily cause indigestion, bloating and other problems.

In order to help the "intestines" work better and let everyone enjoy a healthy and safe New Year, let us understand in which situations we can consider using probiotics to maintain a healthy intestinal environment:

One is intestinal discomfort. If you experience abdominal pain or bloating, this may be due to intestinal flora disorder, an increase in harmful bacteria or a decrease in beneficial bacteria. Supplementing with probiotics can help restore the balance of intestinal flora and relieve discomfort.

The second is constipation. Constipation may be caused by slowed intestinal peristalsis. Probiotics can help break down food and promote intestinal peristalsis. The organic acid produced by fermentation can stimulate the intestinal mucus secretion, lubricate the intestines, and make feces easier to excrete.

The third is diarrhea. After infectious diarrhea, the intestinal flora is destroyed. Supplementing with probiotics can regulate the intestinal flora, enhance the barrier function of the intestine, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, and alleviate diarrhea symptoms. At the same time, after long-term use of antibiotics, the intestinal flora is affected and diarrhea occurs, which can also be improved by supplementing with probiotics.

Probiotics - the " nutritional magician " in the intestines

Probiotics are no stranger to everyone. You can usually find probiotics in yogurt, beverages, and some snacks. It seems that anything you eat that has something to do with probiotics is considered high-end.

So what exactly do probiotics do?

There are hundreds of millions of bacteria living in our bodies, especially in the digestive tract, with more than 800 species. Among these intestinal flora, probiotics are a type of active microorganisms that are beneficial to the host (human or animal). They can improve the host's microecological balance and play a beneficial role. They mainly include common strains such as bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, and yeast.

The role of probiotics in intestinal health is mainly reflected in

The first is to maintain the balance of intestinal flora. A healthy intestine contains probiotics, harmful bacteria and neutral bacteria. Probiotics can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria by competing for nutrients and adhesion sites. For example, bifidobacteria and lactobacilli can form a biological barrier on the surface of the intestinal mucosa, preventing the adhesion and invasion of harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella, so as to keep the intestinal flora in a stable state.

The second is to enhance the intestinal barrier function. Probiotics can stimulate intestinal epithelial cells to secrete mucus, which can protect the intestinal mucosa from damage by harmful substances. At the same time, probiotics can also strengthen the tight connection between intestinal cells, reduce intestinal permeability, prevent harmful substances, bacteria and their toxins from entering the blood through the intestinal wall, and reduce the risk of inflammatory response.

The third is to regulate intestinal immunity. They can stimulate the intestinal immune system and keep the immune cells properly active. This immunomodulatory effect can also have a positive impact on the systemic immune system and play a remote health-promoting role, such as improving allergic reactions.

In addition, studies have shown that probiotics may also have a certain effect on body weight and metabolism. Probiotics mainly affect a variety of metabolic diseases by regulating the composition of intestinal flora, regulating intestinal microbial metabolites and improving intestinal barrier function.

Who needs to supplement probiotics?

Seeing so many benefits above, some people want to ask: Can I use it? Probiotics are relatively safe for most people. Please check your own physical condition:

Healthy people can take probiotics to prevent intestinal problems and maintain normal intestinal function. For example, for office workers who often eat takeout and have irregular diets, probiotics can help them maintain the balance of intestinal flora and reduce the burden on the stomach.

People with weak gastrointestinal function: The intestinal function of the elderly declines with age. Probiotics can improve their intestinal digestion and absorption capacity, enhance intestinal motility, and prevent constipation and other problems. For children, especially those who are prone to diarrhea or constipation, probiotics can regulate intestinal flora and improve intestinal discomfort.

People with intestinal diseases: For example, probiotics can help improve intestinal inflammation and relieve symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Patients with irritable bowel syndrome can also regulate intestinal function and reduce the frequency of abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation by supplementing with probiotics.

However, for some clinically seriously ill patients, such as those with extremely low immunity or serious underlying diseases (such as the use of immunosuppressants after organ transplantation, severe blood system diseases, etc.), probiotic supplementation may have certain risks because it may cause infections such as bacteremia. Therefore, these people need to be cautious when using probiotics, and it is best to do so under the guidance of a doctor.

Probiotics depend on the strain , but the amount of live bacteria is more important

There are many products containing probiotics on the market, but it is useless to just look at "what it contains". You also need to know what it contains and how much it contains. During the Spring Festival, you can use probiotics to maintain intestinal health from the following two aspects:

The first is to choose the right probiotic product.

First of all, we need to pay attention to the strain. Different probiotic strains have different functions. For example, bifidobacteria can help improve constipation and regulate the balance of intestinal flora; Lactobacillus has a certain effect on improving lactose intolerance. If you consume more dairy products during the Spring Festival and cause gastrointestinal discomfort, Lactobacillus may be a better choice. If you are constipated, products containing bifidobacteria will be more suitable.

The second thing to consider is the type of product. Probiotic products come in a variety of forms, such as capsules, powders, and yogurt. Capsules and powders are usually more convenient for controlling dosages and can better maintain the activity of probiotics, especially for some people who need precise probiotic supplementation. Yogurt is a common food containing probiotics, which is convenient to eat and can provide additional nutrition. However, be careful to check the product label, as the activity of probiotics in some yogurts may be reduced during processing.

The second is to choose a reasonable time and method of consumption.

Time: You can take probiotics about half an hour after a meal. Because gastric acid secretion is relatively reduced after eating, it is beneficial for probiotics to reach the intestine alive and play a role.

Food pairing: Avoid eating with overheated food, as high temperatures will kill probiotics. If it is probiotic powder, you can take it with warm water. At the same time, eating with foods rich in prebiotics can provide "food" for probiotics and better play the role of probiotics. Foods such as onions, garlic, and bananas contain prebiotics. You can eat these foods appropriately with probiotic products during the Spring Festival.

Of course , in addition to taking probiotics, other interventions for intestinal flora include:

Dietary adjustment: By taking in foods rich in dietary fiber, such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, you can provide nutrition for beneficial bacteria and promote their growth and reproduction. Reduce the intake of high-fat and high-sugar foods to avoid excessive growth of harmful bacteria.

Prebiotic supplementation: Prebiotics are substances that cannot be digested and absorbed by the human body but can be utilized by intestinal flora, such as oligofructose and inulin. They can selectively stimulate the growth and reproduction of beneficial bacteria.

Fecal microbiota transplantation: For some intractable intestinal diseases, the functional flora in the feces of healthy people are transplanted into the patient's intestines to restore the balance of intestinal flora.

Misconceptions about probiotics :

Probiotics are a kind of medicine. When you are sick, you can take them to quickly cure intestinal problems such as diarrhea and constipation. Probiotics are not medicines. They mainly improve intestinal function and immune status by regulating the balance of intestinal flora. For example, in the case of mild constipation or diarrhea caused by intestinal flora imbalance, probiotics can assist in regulation, but for serious intestinal diseases, such as intestinal infections accompanied by fever, bloody stools, or other organic lesions, you cannot rely solely on probiotics for treatment. You must go to the hospital for professional treatment.

All probiotics are similar, and the effects are the same no matter which one you buy - different probiotic strains have different functions, and even different strains of the same species have different functions. For example, there are many strains of Bifidobacterium, and Bifidobacterium longum may be more effective in improving intestinal motility, while Bifidobacterium breve may have a better effect on regulating intestinal immunity. When choosing a probiotic product, you should carefully study the strains and functions contained in the product according to your specific needs.

Probiotics are a panacea for all diseases - the functions of probiotics are mainly focused on regulating intestinal health and immune system-related aspects. Although intestinal health is closely related to overall physical health, we cannot expect probiotics to solve all health problems. For example, probiotics have a certain effect in improving intestinal digestion and absorption, but for weight loss, it is only an auxiliary means and cannot replace healthy eating and exercise habits.

Author: Professor He Fang, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University