Why Bother with Probiotics? Probiotics - Part 2

1. The human body contains roughly 10 trillion human cells. However, the intestine contains 90 trillion bacterial cells! Within this bacterial biomass there are about 1000 different species and the capacity to dramatically impact on health if the balance of good and bad bacteria is seriously disturbed.

2. Increases in certain bad bacteria are known to produce neurotxins which cause paralysis of the bowel that leads to constipation.

3. If bad bacteria bind to structures in the small intestine called "Peyer's Patches" in greater numbers than good bacteria the immune system will switch towards a more inflammatory response and reduce our resistance to infection.

4. Bloating in the small intestine can be caused by an overgrowth of yeast or bacteria or both. What we eat feeds the overgrowth and produces gas which is trapped in the gut, hence the bloating.

5. An overgrowth of bad bacteia also can cause the small intestine to 'leak' by compromising the barrier properties of the small intestine. So harmful bacteria can travel across the wall of the intestine into the bloodstream triggering auto immune diseases in those of us who are genetically predisposed.

6. If large food molecules "leak" across the broken barrier into the bloodstream antibodies form to fight the 'invasion' leading to food sensitivities to these foods.