Probiotics have extensive potential for therapeutic use, and we continue to discover their specific actions. The previous article looked at classification and the role of probiotics with regards to immune function and digestion, including autoimmunity, atopic skin reactions, and respiratory conditions.
The human digestive tract is a dynamic ecosystem made up of a rich and diverse microbiota consisting of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. Each person has a unique composition of microbiota, and the balance in this symbiotic relationship must be “respected in order to optimally perform metabolic and immune functions and prevent disease development.
Our knowledge of connections between the human microbiome, immune system, and disease continue to evolve. Gut microbiota are influential in the health of our bodies and function to both increase immune-system function and suppress colonization of pathogens.
With spring come seasonally grown local foods and green leafy vegetables (GLV) become more desirable for quality, and especially for their overall health benefits. Examples of GLV include salads, kale, broccoli, collard greens, spinach, mustard greens, etc.
In conditions that promote a leaky gut, the compounds of the food bolus that are usually kept safely in the intestinal lumina—including undigested food macromolecules, toxins, bacteria, or parts of bacteria known as endotoxins—has now the potential to pass through the fragile and unicellular mucosal membrane of the small intestine, and to reach the blood circulation.
The body’s ability to detoxify uses several organs such as kidneys, the liver, the skin, bowels, and the lymphatic system. The liver involves phase 1 and phase 2 enzymes.
By now, most of us have heard the word microbiome—the collection of trillions of functional bacteria of all different species found in many places throughout our bodies, such as our skin, gut, mouth, vagina, and lungs.
The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) alone contains 1014 microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. That’s approximately 100 times more microbial cells than human cells, which shows how much of an impact they can have on human health.
Irritable bowel disease (IBD) includes ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). It is one of the five most prevalent gastrointestinal diseases in the United States. People with IBD and other gastrointestinal diseases like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) suffer from the effects of damaged gut tissue due to inflammation. The symptoms are often life-altering, painful, and chronic.[1]
