What is a probiotic?

A biota is the set of living organisms (flora, fauna, fungi or micro-organisms: bacteria, yeasts, micro-fungi...) present in a particular habitat (natural, semi-natural) or biotope. This is how the bacterial flora of the intestine constitutes the intestinal biota. A balanced intestinal biota is a guarantee of good health. A microorganism or bacterium capable of rebalancing or reseeding the intestinal biota is called a probiotic, which means "for life", as opposed to the term antibiotic, "against life". There are some in our food. Unheated and unpasteurized yogurt (not industrial), kefir and sourdough are an excellent source of lactic bacteria. Brewer's yeast is very often mentioned, but to fulfill the role of probiotic, it is absolutely necessary that it be alive and this is rather difficult to find, it seems. Remember that most beers are heated during preparation. Less known in our latitudes, shoyu, tamari, miso or tempeh, all from fermented soybeans, can also provide probiotic bacteria. Another excellent source of lactic ferments are foods preserved by lacto-fermentation, including sauerkraut and olives. It seems that some cheese rinds or top-fermented beers also contain it. Probiotics can be found in kombucha, a drink fermented in a sugar medium from bacteria and yeast.

If you do not eat these foods, you can replenish your intestinal flora with prebiotics in the form of food supplements.

What is a prebiotic?

To be fully effective, these probiotics should be accompanied by "prebiotics," meaning a substance that stimulates the growth and/or activity of gut bacteria or probiotics. In dietary supplements, they are very often made up of fibers and/or fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), sugars of vegetable origin. The inulin extracted from chicory has very interesting prebiotic effects. Inulin fiber and FOS are not digested or absorbed until they reach the colon, so they can serve as food for bacteria to grow. Prebiotics therefore contribute to the renewal of the cells of the intestinal mucosa, but they also reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels and lower blood sugar. They increase the absorption of calcium at the intestinal level, promote the elimination of toxins, while regulating the transit.

What is a symbiotic?

It is simply a product that combines both probiotics and prebiotics.

What are the qualities of a good probiotic?

• A maximum of bacterial strains, i.e. at least: Lactobacillus acidophilus - Lactobacillus rhamnosus (type B, Bifidus) - Bifidobacterium lactis - Bifidobacterium longum - Bifidobacterium Bifidum - Streptococcus thermophilus, etc., which will act at different places in the intestine and by different means.
• The micro-organisms must be alive, hence the need for gastroresistant capsules.
• Gastroresistant and enteric-coated capsules so that the active ingredients are protected from gastric juices and act locally in the colon.
• High bacterial dosages: minimum 10 to 25 billion strains per capsule.

What is the purpose of a good probiotic?

For the past thirty years, the many positive effects of probiotics have been demonstrated by numerous serious scientific studies. Thus, we now know with certainty that the restoration of the intestinal flora allows :

• The normalization of the transit as well in case of diarrhoea as in case of constipation,
• The effectiveness of the immune system,
• The improvement or even the disappearance of psychological or psychiatric disorders (depression, neurosis, autism...),
• Detoxification in collaboration with the liver, a good flora allows to eradicate pathogenic microbes and invading microorganisms such as candida albicans,
• The reduction or even disappearance of food intolerances: gluten, lactose, but also allergies,
• Reduce cholesterol, triglyceride and blood sugar levels,
• Prevention of cancers and degenerative diseases,
• To avoid nutritional deficiencies and to potentiate the nutritional assimilation of food and nutrients,
• To avoid problems of intestinal permeability and all that ensues.