How Effective Are Probiotics for Constipation?

Probiotics are a kind of active microorganisms that are beneficial to the host by colonizing in the human body and changing the composition of the flora of a part of the host. By regulating the host's mucosal and systemic immune function or by adjusting the balance of the intestinal flora, it promotes the absorption of nutrients and maintains the health of the intestinal tract, thereby producing a single microorganism or a mixed microorganism with a well-defined composition that is beneficial to the health of the host ^[1] .

Chinese name: Probiotics
Foreign name: Probiotics

safety: Non-toxic side effects
stability: High stability

Probiotics Features

1. Can tolerate gastric acid and bile salts ^[1] .

2. Adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells of the host ^[1] .

3. Can clear or reduce the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria ^[1] .

4. Can inhibit pathogenic bacteria ^[1] .

5. Safe and non-pathogenic ^[1] .

Probiotic classification

Beneficial bacteria or fungi in humans and animals are mainly yeasts, probiotics, clostridium butyricum, lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, actinomycetes, etc. ^[2] .

1. Yeast: At present, it has been found that yeast has good probiotic properties such as regulating intestinal balance, promoting feed conversion, and improving the immune function of the body. It is mostly used as a feed additive for livestock and poultry breeding. The most studied yeasts are Saccharomyces saccharomyces, Saccharomyces delbuichia, Candida, Wickhamia, Pichia, Blastocystis, Pseudomonas leukomyces, and Shewanella Genus, Rhodotorula, Schizosaccharomyces sp., Bordetella ^[2] .

2. Probiotic Bacillus: a kind of aerobic or facultative anaerobic bacillus-producing bacilli that have probiotic properties to the body, and are Gram-staining positive bacteria ^[2] .

3. Clostridium butyricum: also known as Clostridium butyricum, is an anaerobic Gram-positive Bacillus isolated from the intestines of healthy humans and animals. At present, studies have found that Clostridium butyricum has good probiotic characteristics such as maintaining the intestinal flora balance, enhancing the body's immune function, generating nutrients, and preventing enteritis ^[2] .

4. Lactic acid bacteria: Lactic acid bacteria refers to a class of spore-free, Gram-positive bacteria whose main product of fermented sugars is lactic acid. Lactic acid bacteria are the most common probiotics and have been widely used and considered safe for humans and animals ^[2] .

5. Bifidobacteria: It is a kind of physiological bacteria existing in the human body. It is one of the most beneficial bacteria in the human body. It is inseparable from human health.

Probiotic function

Probiotics promote digestion and absorption of nutrients

Probiotics can synthesize digestive enzymes. Together with digestive enzymes synthesized by the animal body, they participate in the digestion of nutrients in the intestine ^[3] , stimulate the animal body to secrete digestive enzymes, reduce the depth of the small intestine crypts, increase the height of the villi, increase the surface area of the small intestine, and promote Intestinal nutrient absorption ^[4] .

Probiotics improve immunity

Probiotics' own structures such as peptidoglycan and lipoteichoic acid can be used as antigens to exert immune activation directly, or to stimulate the host's immune system through autocrine immune activators, thereby improving the immunity of animals and enhancing the body's innate immune cells And natural killer cell activity, activate dendritic cells, stimulate the body to produce cytokines, and stimulate B cells to secrete antibodies ^[5] . Probiotics can stimulate the intestine to produce secretory globulin A (SIgA), protecting the body's health.

Probiotics maintain structural balance of intestinal flora

The intestine is not only a normal part of the body, and participates in important physiological activities of the body. At the same time, there are also complex intestinal flora in the intestine, which play an important role in the growth, development and health of the host ^[6] .

Probiotics improve meat quality

Probiotics can increase muscle brightness by inhibiting lipid peroxidation and delaying the formation of methemoglobin ^[7] . Probiotics can also affect fatty acid metabolism and increase muscle tenderness.

Probiotics increase body antioxidant levels

Oxides in the body such as oxygen radicals and hydroxyl radicals, which contain unpaired electrons, are prone to redox reactions. When the oxides in the body are excessive, it will cause oxidative damage. Antioxidant systems exist in the body, they continuously remove the oxides synthesized by the body, and maintain the dynamic balance of the oxides ^[8] .

Probiotics inhibit intestinal inflammation

Probiotics can relieve the body's inflammatory response ^[9] .

Probiotics protect the intestinal mucosal barrier

Probiotics can reduce the permeability of the intestinal mucosa, thereby protecting the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier ^[8] .

Probiotic culture water quality adjustment

Probiotics participate in various cyclic processes in water bodies. Through their own metabolism, they consume organic matter in the water and reduce the concentration of nitrite nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen in the water body, thereby achieving the effect of improving and maintaining good water quality ^[8] .

Probiotics are suitable for people

In terms of probiotic supplements, the following groups need to be actively supplemented:

1. Artificially fed infants with low immunity, prone to colds and intestinal diseases, premature babies, low birth weight babies, cesarean sections, etc. They need to supplement probiotics to promote intestinal absorption and increase immunity ^[10] .

2. In constipation and diarrhea, probiotics can promote intestinal peristalsis and enhance intestinal flora balance, so as to effectively treat constipation and diarrhea ^[10] .

3. People with indigestion, and patients with enteritis ^[10] .

4. Middle-aged and elderly people whose intestinal function is gradually weakening. Probiotics such as bifidobacteria in the intestinal tract decrease due to age. Proper supplementation is a beneficial health measure ^[10] .

5. People with congenital lack of lactase, bloating and diarrhea will occur when lactase is lacking or because lactose cannot be broken down. Probiotic supplementation has a good effect ^[10] .

6. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy for tumor patients, because probiotics are easily killed by chemotherapy drugs, resulting in intestinal flora imbalance, so chemotherapy or radiotherapy should be actively supplemented with probiotics ^[10] .

7. In patients with liver cirrhosis and peritonitis, probiotics can inhibit the spoilage bacteria that produce amines in the intestine, reduce the content of endotoxin in the blood and reduce the acidity of the intestine, and prevent intestinal endotoxemia ^[10] .

Probiotics considerations

1. The scientific and reasonable use of probiotics can really be beneficial to the human micro-ecological balance, and be beneficial to the enhancement of human health and immune function ^[10] .

2. Research shows that there are about 1.5 kg of bacteria in an adult. Most of these bacteria are "pacifists" in the bacteria. They will not have any effect on the human body. Only a small part of them are pathogenic bacteria. Some are "probiotics" that are good for the human body ^[10] .

3. The human flora should be kept in a balanced state, so the more probiotics are not, the better. Excessive intake and supplementation of probiotics not only can not have a positive effect on the human body, but also may cause the human organs to be overloaded. Negative effects, which severely disrupt the intestinal environment ^[10] .

4. In terms of probiotic supplementation, people should focus on eating foods containing probiotics appropriately, rather than relying too much on probiotics ^[10] .