The relationship between probiotics and human physical and mental health

Probiotics, as the name implies, are microorganisms that are beneficial to humans and other organisms. In recent years, research on the effects of probiotics on human health and the food industry has become increasingly in-depth and booming. When we talk about health, we usually pay the most attention to physical health, and microecology and microorganisms are often mentioned. Therefore, the research and use of probiotics are widely favored.

The Human Genome Project, a grand project, has cost a lot of money and has made great achievements, but it has not achieved the expected goal of completely solving the problem of human health. Earlier genetic engineering provided a cautionary lesson because it exaggerated its role in solving the human health code (The earlier Human Genome Project should provide a cautionary lesson about overselling. Vol 453 Issue No.7195, 29 May 2008). From the genetic differences between plants and animals, that is, the comparison of the number of species genes, the number of human genes is very small. For example, the number of genetic genes of wheat is more than 100,000, the number of genes of corn is more than 52,000, the number of genes of rice is more than 47,000, the number of genes of fish and insects is about 31,000, and the number of genes of humans is only 19,000. It can be seen from the comparison of genes of different species that the origin and evolution of species did not give animals a large amount of genetic information, but allowed them to obtain symbiotic microorganisms, especially probiotics, through eating to compensate for a larger part of the genetic information, so as to survive.

In fact, the more bacteria (probiotics) an animal carries, the greater the health advantage. Because as a simple animal, it completely relies on the genes transmitted vertically from the parents, as a complex animal, in addition to the genes transmitted vertically, it must also rely on bacteria to transmit genes horizontally. Therefore, people should be in close contact with the environment to obtain necessary beneficial microorganisms. However, with the advancement of industrialization, urbanization and modernization, the diversity of microorganisms in the natural environment is disappearing in recent years. The whole world attaches great importance to the environment. my country has put forward the slogan "Green water and green mountains are gold and silver mountains", and environmental conditions have improved. Human beings are born in the natural environment, grow in the natural environment, and have a close relationship with the nutrients, energy, information, etc. provided by the natural environment, especially with microorganisms. People can be healthier only when they are in close contact with nature. It can be said that most of the physical and mental health of human beings depends on the state of symbiotic microorganisms.

The paper “Who are we?” published in Nature, Issue 453, on May 29, 2008, points out that we are a complex of humans and microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses) (The “we” refers to the wild profusion of bacteria, fungi and viruses that colonize the human body.).

Judging from the intestinal microorganisms alone, the average person's intestines carry more than 2 kilograms of thousands of microorganisms. These microorganisms coexist with the human body and maintain the balance of the human microecology. In his study "Your Intestine Has Its Own Brain - The Second Brain", Dr. Michael D. Gershon, a doctor of medicine at Columbia University, found that the nerve cells for thinking and memory exist not only in the brain, but also in the human digestive tract, and the number of nerve cells in the digestive tract is equivalent to that of the brain (the same order of magnitude). The difference is that the brain does not have the direct participation of microorganisms, and the gut brain must coexist with intestinal microorganisms to have behavioral memory functions. The intestine has a complex nervous system that is completely independent of the brain. The number of neurons in the intestinal nervous system far exceeds that of the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. The state of the gut brain determines the instinct of animals (Instinct of animals partially determined by state of gut brain). Disordered food and flora will lead to disordered behavior. Artificial food feeding may change the nature of animals and even humans. Is it food that changes animal behavior or the associated microorganisms that change animal behavior? The answer is the latter.

Numerous experiments have proven that probiotics can treat some common diseases in some mammals, improve their sub-health status, and treat difficult diseases. Therefore, it should also be possible to extend this to humans. Clinical research on beneficial bacteria for humans is ongoing.

Probiotics and health

Some scholars at home and abroad believe that the effects of probiotics on health can be summarized as follows:

①Prevent or improve diarrhea: Poor eating habits or taking antibiotics can disrupt the balance of intestinal flora, leading to diarrhea. Supplementing with probiotics can help balance intestinal flora and restore normal intestinal pH, relieving diarrhea symptoms.

②Relieve symptoms of lactose intolerance: Lactobacillus can help the body break down lactose, relieve diarrhea, bloating and other uncomfortable symptoms, and can be consumed with milk.

③Preventing reproductive system infection: Lactobacillus acidophilus in yogurt and Rekafo antibacterial spray can inhibit the reproduction of Candida albicans in the vagina. This has been confirmed by a double-blind controlled trial conducted in Europe. The results showed that the incidence of reproductive system infection was greatly reduced when patients supplemented their bodies with 10ml of active probiotics every day. Long-term supplementation of active probiotics can help repair the microcirculation of the reproductive system.

④ Enhance human immunity: There is a very developed immune system in the intestines. Probiotics can stimulate the immune function in the intestines and adjust the low or high immune activity to a normal state. The immune regulation effect of probiotics is also believed to help fight cancer and inhibit allergic diseases.

⑤ Promote the health of the intestinal digestive system: Probiotics can inhibit the reproduction of harmful bacteria in the intestines, reduce toxins, promote intestinal peristalsis, thereby improving intestinal function and improving bowel movements.

⑥ Reduce serum cholesterol: The Caucasus Mountains and the Mediterranean coast in Europe are famous places of longevity. Locals often drink homemade yogurt and rarely suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. A large number of scientific studies have confirmed that this is related to the probiotics in yogurt. These probiotics can reduce serum cholesterol levels. In addition, long-term supplementation of probiotics can also help prevent bone loss and osteoporosis.

⑦ Help absorb nutrients: If you take probiotics every day, it can not only curb the production of harmful bacteria in the intestines, but also provide a good growth environment for beneficial bacteria in the intestines, creating a healthy intestine.

Patients who regularly take health foods containing probiotics can prevent and treat diarrhea. There are more than 500 species and tens of trillions of different bacteria living in the normal human intestines. In most cases, they restrict each other and coexist and prosper. Once the balance of intestinal flora is broken, diarrhea will occur. Secondly, the abuse of antibiotics can also cause diarrhea. Some European medical centers have tried oral liquids with lactobacillus, bifidobacterium and inulin as the main ingredients to treat traveler's diarrhea, and have achieved good results.

Drinks containing lactic acid bacteria. But don't drink too much. If you are healthy, don't drink more than 2 bottles a day. If you are sick, consult a doctor if you can drink it.

Formula milk containing probiotics. Some milk powders contain probiotics, such as Leho, which can help babies’ intestines become healthier.

Probiotics and Sub-health

The proportion of sub-healthy people in the world is very high. Chinese medical experts pointed out that the proportion of "sub-healthy" people in China is currently 70%. Statistics from the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences show that there are significant differences in the various states of sub-health among people in different regions. However, indigestion is a common situation, which is mostly related to the lack of beneficial bacteria or imbalance of bacterial flora. Indigestion: recurrent or persistent upper abdominal distension, anorexia, heartburn and other symptoms, no stomach, liver, gallbladder and pancreas diseases are mostly functional indigestion, and probiotics can promote digestion. If the intestines are well maintained and bacteria control appetite, it can lose weight and beautify, and indigestion can be adjusted. It is usually obtained by adding probiotics to milk and other beverages. People in different places have different bacterial species and their balance in their bodies due to different diets.

Lactose intolerance (milk allergy): congenital lactase deficiency, or intestinal infection, malnutrition, etc., when lactase is lacking, lactose cannot be broken down, resulting in abdominal distension and diarrhea. Probiotics can help break down lactose in milk and promote the absorption of nutrients in milk, which requires the supplementation of necessary beneficial bacteria. In addition, for middle-aged and elderly people: probiotics such as bifidobacteria in the human intestine will decrease with age. Supplementing probiotics can be used as a health care method for the elderly.

There is growing evidence that a healthy combination of gut flora can help us choose healthier foods and stay slim, while a wrong combination of gut flora can make us gain weight and crave processed junk food. Researchers analyzed the types of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract of 154 people and found that the diversity of small firmicutes in the gut flora of obese people can absorb more calories from food.

Another big discovery about the microbiome is that the food we eat determines which bacteria will have the upper hand in our digestive system. When we change our diet, the gut flora changes rapidly. According to a study of 21 people, increasing fiber intake by 21 grams per day increased the number of Bacteroidetes in the gut and decreased Firmicutes after three weeks. The good bacteria in the gut love fiber-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Eating too much processed junk food, however, leads to the opposite result. British professor Tim Speck persuaded his son Tom to do an experiment of eating only fast food for ten days. The results showed that more than a third (1,300 species) of bacterial species in the gut were almost extinct, with Bacteroidetes being the main ones. He felt fine for the first three days of the experiment, but then it went from bad to worse. He felt drowsy. After the study, Tom quickly rushed to the supermarket to buy fruit and salad.

Probiotics and general diseases

Newborns should have been able to obtain sufficient probiotics from their mothers’ birth canal since birth, but in recent years, there has been an increase in non-natural births, especially caesarean sections, premature babies, low-weight babies, and mentally retarded babies, and children in these situations are more susceptible to colds or enteritis. If they can be supplemented with necessary probiotics, it can become the basis for further treatment. Some mothers are unwilling to breastfeed their babies, but breast milk actually promotes the growth of special healthy intestines in babies, so we advocate breastfeeding. Of course, newborns who have been supplemented with sufficient probiotics will have their immunity restored or enhanced.

Paying attention to hygiene and improving the living environment has kept us away from bacteria and brought us closer to diseases. With the popularization of "hygiene", the types and number of diseases have increased sharply, and they are significantly younger. With the advancement of urbanization and modern life, more and more people live in high-rise buildings, with less contact with soil and nature. Too clean, they are away from beneficial bacteria, breaking the balance of the bacterial flora. In addition, foreign fast food has aggravated the deterioration of physical fitness.

Probiotics and major difficult diseases

Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy: Chemotherapy drugs and radiation will kill probiotics, leading to intestinal flora imbalance and intestinal dysfunction, manifested as abdominal distension, constipation, loss of nutrients and absorption of toxins, which not only affect the patient's recovery, but may also force chemotherapy and radiotherapy to be interrupted. Scientific research has new evidence on colorectal cancer and flora imbalance. The latest research predicts the causal relationship between flora and colorectal cancer, and also provides a good idea for new therapies. Mayo Journal: Intestinal flora is indispensable for precision cancer treatment. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is used to treat recurrent CDI (Clostridium difficile infection), with an effective rate of 86%, and there are no serious adverse reactions and infectious complications. In cancer patients with high risk of infection, FMT is safe and effective for the treatment of CDI. The relationship between intestinal flora and cancer is responsible and close. It can be used as a biomarker, diagnostic tool, and therapeutic target, and is an indispensable factor in precision cancer treatment. According to an article in Science: Whether immunotherapy for lung cancer is effective or not depends on intestinal flora. Protecting good intestinal bacteria will make immunotherapy for cancer faster and better. Other studies have shown that naturally fermented yogurt has the potential to protect against a variety of diseases, including diabetes and cancer.

Probiotics and Mental Health

Probiotics in the soil are Prozac, and some articles show that probiotics can help relieve postpartum depression. More and more studies show that intestinal flora can be linked to brain biochemistry and behavior through the microbial-gut-brain axis.

Gut microbiota imbalance has been linked to a number of health problems, including many psychiatric disorders such as autism, depression, and anxiety, which are associated with increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increased oxidative stress, altered gastrointestinal function, and decreased trace elements and omega-3 fatty acids. Interestingly, changes in the composition of the gut microbiota in healthy adults can affect mood.

Probiotic intervention has also been shown to have a positive effect on anxiety and depressive behavior in animals, and some clinical trials have also shown the role of probiotics in alleviating depression. In September 2017, a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial published in the journal EBioMedicine evaluated the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus probiotic supplementation on postpartum depression and anxiety in a group of healthy women. Because probiotic treatment is safe, it will become the best means to prevent or treat postpartum depression and anxiety.

Japan's Sendai Hospital conducted a clinical trial using NS lactic acid bacteria. After 2 months, the psychological test scores of the elderly people improved from 6 and 16 points to 14 and 24 points. Lactic acid bacteria have a good therapeutic and adaptive effect on cognitive impairment in the elderly.

From this we can infer that probiotics will be the key to solving problems with human mental state, and preventing the abuse of antibiotics and psychiatric drugs is an important way to solve human physiological and psychological diseases.

In short, probiotics are closely related to human physical and mental health. Probiotics can regulate the balance of human microecology, maintain and promote human health, including regulating sub-health, treating some common diseases, and regulating, improving and promoting human mental health.