At present, people have a deep understanding of the importance of macro-ecological balance, but micro-ecological balance is far from receiving the attention it deserves. Understanding the importance of the micro-ecological balance of the human body and maintaining the micro-ecological balance can enable human beings to adapt to the large environment externally, adapt to the micro-environment internally, and maintain the unity of life and environment. The human micro-ecological system mainly includes 5 ecological areas of oral cavity, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract and skin. The gastrointestinal microecosystem is the most important part of human microecology, and it is also the largest and most complex microecosystem. The gastrointestinal ecological space consists of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The total number of bacteria is 1014 colony forming units (CFU), which is nearly 10 times the number of human somatic cells.
More than 70 years ago, Dr. Yoshida Yoyo of Kyoto University in Japan put forward the term “good intestine and longevity”. If the micro-ecological environment in the intestine changes, the flora will be imbalanced and harmful bacteria will increase. The intestines age, and the “intestinal age” is much greater than the actual age. One of the causes of human aging is directly related to intestinal aging: harmful bacteria in the large intestine catabolize food residues, produce harmful toxins, poison the body, and lead to aging. For human health and longevity, aging should be prevented in the intestines.
Scholars at home and abroad have found that the health effects of probiotics can generally be summarized as follows:
Intestinal regulation
Adjust microecological disorders and prevent diarrhea. Probiotics enter the human intestinal tract alive, promote the normalization of the intestinal bacterial community through their growth and various metabolic effects, inhibit the production of intestinal spoilage, and maintain the normal intestinal function. It has therapeutic and preventive effects on viral and bacterial acute enteritis, dysentery, and constipation. Probiotics are closely related to many chronic gastritis, digestive ulcers and other digestive tract diseases. Part of the probiotics can resist gastric acid, adhere to the surface of epithelial cells of the stomach wall, inhibit the growth of Helicobacter pylori through its metabolic activity, and prevent gastric ulcers.
Relieve symptoms of lactose intolerance
Promote the body’s nutrient absorption. Probiotics help the digestion of nutrients in the intestine. It can break down lactose into lactic acid and relieve lactose intolerance. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus can not only produce various vitamins such as vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, niacin and folic acid, etc., for the body’s needs, but can also protect the supply of vitamins by inhibiting certain vitamin decomposing bacteria. In addition, bifidobacteria can also reduce blood ammonia and improve liver function.
Prevent vaginal infection
Many probiotics can acidify the genitourinary tract. It can inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria by lowering the pH value. It is also possible to contain harmful bacteria by competing for space and resources.
Relieve allergy
Allergy is an immune disease, which is an imbalance of immune function in the human body. People with allergies when foreign substances or organisms stimulate the immune system to produce immunoglobulin (IgE) excessively, causing it to release a substance called histamine to cause allergic symptoms. Probiotic therapy is currently one of the effective methods for adjuvant treatment of allergies at home and abroad. Probiotics can be used to regulate immune globulin (IgE) antibodies in the body to achieve immunotherapy to relieve allergies.
Lower serum cholesterol
It may be related to its regulation and utilization of endogenous metabolites and acceleration of short-chain fatty acid metabolism. The microecological preparations of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli can convert cholesterol into fecal sterols that the human body does not absorb, thereby reducing cholesterol levels.
Prevent cancer and inhibit tumor growth, etc.
Lactobacillus can increase the activity of macrophages and prevent tumor growth. Probiotics can inhibit the activity of certain enzymes in the intestinal tract, such as β-glucosidase, β-glucuronidase, urea, enzymes, nitroreductase, azo reductase, etc. These enzymes may be involved in the formation of carcinogens in the intestine. Bile salts may dissociate when encountering harmful bacteria through the intestinal tract, which will produce carcinogens and easily cause intestinal cancer. But probiotics can inhibit harmful bacteria, even in the presence of bile salts, the carcinogenic rate is greatly reduced.