Probiotics

I'm reading up on probiotics. Here are a collection of good articles on the topic with some interesting findings. There are numerous health benefits associated with probiotics (outlined in all of the articles below). But then again, the name itself means that the agent produces some benefit in the host, so by definition it must have health benefits.

Background and findings

• Wikipedia article "Probiotic" - includes a history of how probiotics were discovered and research and a list of strains
• NIH - "An Introduction to Probiotics" - covers much of the same stuff
• Life Extension Magazine - "Optimizing Digestive Health" - this is a fantastic article and highlights the benefits of BACILLUS COAGULANS. Although many people take probiotics supplements, much of the effort can often be wasted because those probiotics are not able to survive and colonize in your gut. Part of the reason is that natural food sources with live cultures (e.g. yogurt) are often on the shelf too long. With supplements, many bacteria are not able to make it through the manufacturing process. Dead bacteria, no matter how many make it to the intestines, don't really help. The goal is to have colonization in the gut. Bacillus coagulans is a probiotic bacteria that is able to survive through the harsh conditions of the stomach to make it to your intenstines. It then quickly multiples via spores to colonize the intestines. An additional benefit of the bacteria is that it produces lactic acid which aids in digestion and helps to kill off other pathogens. For those three reasons, it is a superior probiotic to other alternatives.

Natural Food Sources:

• eHow article - "Food Sources of Probiotics" -

From reading all this, it seems that the tablet form of Bacillus coagulans is worth a try, as is continued inclusion of natural forms of probiotics in the diet (yogurt, kimchi, etc.).