Second brain is stomach: Probiotics are the lifeblood of health, your 100 lakh crore friends live in the intestines

Whether it is headache, body ache or fever, Indians have a habit of taking pills. In most of the cases these pills are taken without doctor’s advice. India is the country that consumes the largest number of antibiotic pills in the world. In 2019, Indians consumed 500 crore antibiotic pills in a country with a population of 135 crore.

This figure is before the arrival of Corona. Corona further increased the consumption of these pills. health magazine ‘Lancet’ This has come to the fore in a recent report. in these antibiotics ‘azithromycin’ The tablet is on top. Most of the antibiotics were not approved by the Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) i.e. Government of India. To avoid the side effects of antibiotics, it is important to include probiotics in the diet.

As the name suggests, antibiotics mean drugs that work to kill bacteria. Bacteria are present throughout our body from the time of birth. Be it the mouth, skin, respiratory system or digestive system, their presence is everywhere. So is it necessary to eliminate these bacteria?

Good bacteria are called probiotics

As soon as we hear bacteria or virus, it seems that there is talk of disease, but not every bacteria harms us. Some bacteria are our friends and some harm us. Both types of bacteria act as a ‘check and balance’ in our respiratory (windpipe) and digestive system (in the stomach).

Now you must be wondering what do good bacteria do in our body. If you have taken more antibiotic pills due to some disease, then probiotics are useful to reduce its damage. These probiotics can be taken through food and nutritional supplements. These are the good bacteria in probiotics and the best example of probiotics, which is present in every household, is yogurt.

100 lakh crore bacteria live in our intestines

Every disease begins in the stomach. This line is often heard. This is also true. If your stomach is not good then nothing is fine. There are many types of bacteria present in the human body. Research by Harvard Health suggests that there are about 100 trillion bacteria inside our digestive system alone, which is called the microbiome. The home of bacteria, that is, our stomach, protects us from all diseases. 70 percent of this immune system is connected to our stomach. This is the reason why the stomach is called the second brain.

So let us now explain to you the role of antibiotics and probiotics.

What is the role of antibiotics and probiotics?

Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacterial infections present in the body. But they also kill some good bacteria as well. That is why antibiotics should not be taken without the advice of a doctor. While antibiotics kill bacteria, probiotics are live bacteria. found in ‘Lactobacillus’ And ‘Bifidobacterium’ Bacteria keep us healthy. They strengthen our immune system in fighting any disease.

That’s why the second brain is our stomach.

Now think of it like this, there are billions and billions of micro-organisms living in our intestines. These include viruses, bacteria and fungi. So the gut microbiome i.e. gut bacteria work in our body to control blood sugar, produce vitamins and other hormones, balance cholesterol, control calories. Apart from this, their job is also to fight disease-causing external microorganisms and communicate with our nervous system and brain. So it is correct to say that stomach is our second brain as we have told you above.

How are the stomach and the brain connected?

The connection between the stomach and the brain is called the ‘gut brain axis’ in the medical language. Even if this term is new to you, but whenever you are under stress and not feeling hungry or when the thought of meeting someone starts tickling in your stomach, this is the ‘gut brain axis’. Celebrity gut health coach Payal Kothari says that what we eat is our mood. The direct connection of stomach and brain together affects our digestive system and mental health. That is why it is said, ‘As the food is eaten, so should the mind.’

Indians in bad condition in terms of stomach health

Last year, on the occasion of ‘World Digestive Health Day’, ITC conducted a survey on consumer lifestyle and eating habits for its brand of Atta. The survey covered 538 mothers from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai. All these women were working, businesswomen and homemakers from the age group of 25 to 45. Of these, 56 per cent admitted that they had digestive health issues in their family. At the same time, the study also revealed that gas, acidity and indigestion are the three main problems that afflict more than 50 percent of the households.

Indians are allowed to spend more for health

It has also been revealed in a survey by food company ‘Beneo’ that two-thirds of Indians are adding vegetables, fruits and such grains in their diet, so that their digestive system is correct. Furthermore, Beneo’s survey found that 77 percent of Indian consumers are willing to spend more money on food and drink for health. There has been an increase in the awareness about the problems of stomach and digestion among the people in the country, after which the demand for probiotics has also increased. After Kovid, there has been a lot of change in the food pattern of the people. People have started giving preference to immunity-boosting food.

Not Every Fermented Foods Is Probiotics

You know that probiotics are found in fermented food. Now the question is bound to arise in your mind that curd is healthy, then why are fermented food items like pickles and bread not healthy? So for this question, we talked to Dr. Sritesh Mishra, working as MD in Government Hospital, Banaras. The doctor says that the fermentation that occurs in curd is natural. While pickles or breads all use preservatives (chemicals), due to which the amount of sodium in them is also high. In addition, they contain different types of fungi and bacteria. Because of which fermented food like pickles and bread cannot be called healthy.

The diet of probiotics is prebiotics

Prebiotics are essential for the probiotics that live in our body. Now you will say that both these names are similar in hearing. But the work of these two is different. Prebiotics are fiber or carbohydrates from foods, which our body cannot digest. It is the food of the bacteria living in the stomach. Also it helps us in food digestion. Overall, prebiotics and probiotics help each other to maintain a balance of good bacteria. The lack of one can upset the balance of the other.

When did the term probiotics first come into use?

The term probiotics was first mentioned in 1953. The German scientist Werner Kolath was the one who introduced this term. In this, ‘Pro’ is derived from Latin and ‘Bio’ from Greek. It means ‘for life’. But the term was introduced 12 years later in 1965 by Daniel M. Lilly and Rosalie H. Stillwell. Both of them used the word probiotics in a magazine named ‘Science’. In the year 1992, Scientist Fuller gave it a new definition and openly told about it that it is a live bacteria, which is very important for the human body.

Probiotics effective not only for stomach but also for vaginal health

By the way, probiotics are necessary and beneficial for everyone. But it is a panacea in some problems of women. The ‘Middle East Fertility Society Journal’ reports that ‘Lactobacillus probiotics’ maintain the vaginal microbiome. Also it helps in conceiving. Increases fertility, prevents infections during pregnancy and menopause.

Payal Kothari, who has studied in depth on stomach diseases, says that it is true that probiotics can cure problems like urinary tract infection, white discharge, PCOS 100% or not, but it definitely prevents them.

How is the body’s need for probiotics determined?

Payal says that everyone should take probiotics. No one has an ideal lifestyle. Pesticides are also used in the food we are eating in the environment of stress and pollution. Different probiotics are needed for each problem. Through a stool test (microbiome), DNA or blood test, you can find out which probiotic strains your body needs.

How Beneficial Is Taking Probiotics Pills?

If you take care of the diet, then probiotics also work both naturally or in the form of pills. But if you eat junk food along with probiotics supplements, drink less water, don’t get enough sleep, indulge in smoking or alcohol routine, and remain stressed, nothing works. These probiotics have a positive effect on health only after adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Graphics: Prerna Jha

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