How to Make the Body More Resilient Against Stress
-A diet low in flour and sugar and rich in natural foods such as vegetables, fruit, meat, and eggs strengthens the protective function of gut flora.
-Fermented products (pickles, yogurt, cheese, vinegar, salted foods) increase the probiotics present in gut flora.
-Our daily fiber requirement is about 25-30 grams. For this, vegetables, fruit, whole grain products, and dried legumes should be eaten. The natural fibers found in these foods stimulate beneficial gut bacteria, providing a prebiotic effect.
-The foods richest in probiotics are breast milk and yogurt.
-Since pasteurization largely destroys the probiotics in food, daily pasteurized bottled milk and yogurts made from it should be preferred, and long-life boxed products should be avoided.
However, it is almost impossible to correct gut flora that has already been disrupted using fermented products alone. In cases of partial disruption, foods such as yogurt, kefir, pickles, vinegar, and similar items can somewhat delay the deterioration of gut flora, but they cannot correct an already disrupted bacterial flora (dysbiosis).
PREBIOTICS
Prebiotics are indigestible food substances (for example: inulin, galacto- or fructo-oligosaccharides) that reach the large intestine unchanged. The digestion of these fibers by gut flora stimulates the growth and activity of the microorganisms.
Prebiotics are fermentable, indigestible carbohydrates that increase the activity of non-pathogenic colon bacteria and facilitate colonization. Dried legumes containing lactulose (a disaccharide), inulin, oligosaccharide, maltose, soy, xylose, oligofructose, and galactose are prebiotic food sources. One serving of leeks, one small banana, one small onion, and garlic meet the daily prebiotic requirement. Breast milk is also a very important prebiotic due to the oligosaccharides it contains.
PROBIOTICS
The word probiotic comes from Greek and means "for life." According to the WHO (World Health Organization) and FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization), probiotics are defined as follows: "Live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host."
PROBIOTICS ARE A POWERFUL SUPPORT FOR WEAKENED GUT BACTERIA
Probiotics contribute to the flora by improving the bacterial balance in the gut, and by binding to receptors, they leave no room for pathogenic agents and ensure their elimination through the stool. Live bacteria used as probiotics must be derived from gut flora, be resistant to stomach and bile acids, be able to adapt to intestinal cells, and be capable of colonization. They are also expected to sustain their effects when taken alongside antibiotics. Food sources rich in probiotics include fermented yogurts, cheese, pickles, bread, beer, red wine, and kefir, which contain lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, enterococci, and streptococci.
Various health benefits of probiotics have been proven. They help prevent the development of diseases related to exogenous or endogenous factors, and make the body more resilient against antibiotic use or stress.
Probiotic bacteria have a synergistic interaction with the physiological flora of the gut. Probiotic bacteria have a positive effect on the organism's immune system by replacing harmful (pathogenic) bacteria and activating the immunological recognition mechanisms in the intestinal mucosa.
The mechanisms of this interaction are still not fully understood. Various clinical studies show that probiotics have a positive effect on the organism's health and on gut flora.
Probiotics to be used as a food supplement or as medication must meet certain conditions. The microorganisms used must be a natural component of the physiological gut flora and must be able to survive passage through the stomach and intestines so that they can reach the epithelium of the large intestine.
The most commonly used and well-known probiotics are strains of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, belonging to the lactic acid bacteria group. In addition, Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces boulardii, and other bacteria are also used as probiotics.
A point to note is that the properties of probiotics differ from one another. Their effect or spectrum of activity varies by species. This shows that not every probiotic has disease-preventing or treating properties.
Each probiotic has a specific spectrum. For this reason, rather than using a single type of probiotic, one should benefit from the synergy of various probiotics.
POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF PROBIOTICS
Scientific publications on the possible effects of probiotics have increased greatly in recent years.
The main positive effects shown in these studies are as follows:
-Strengthening the barrier function of the intestinal mucosa, inhibiting or eliminating pathogenic microorganisms in the gut
-Reducing the adhesion of foreign bacteria to the intestinal mucosa
-Preventing the proliferation of harmful bacteria
-Lowering intestinal pH
-Stimulating the immune system
-Anti-inflammatory effects (inhibition or modification of cytokine production)
-Stimulating intestinal peristalsis, facilitating carbohydrate breakdown, and enabling better digestion through dietary fiber
-Enabling the digestion of dairy products that are difficult to digest due to insufficient lactase enzyme.