Below, Professor of Medicine Dr. Claudio Fiocchi, of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, talks about these beneficial bacteria, and what role they might one day play in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.
What role do bacteria normally play in the gastrointestinal tract?
The bacteria that we have in the gastrointestinal tract are essential, and without them, we can't live. In very simple terms, they break down the food, and allow us to absorb nutrients that are beneficial to us. Many vitamins, for instance, or essential amino acids, can only be absorbed by the body after a bacteria has broken them down. So they're absolutely essential in that respect.
How do probiotics function in the body?
Most of the information about how they work is not particularly solid from a scientific standpoint. But when probiotics are introduced into the body, they establish a rapport with other bacteria that naturally reside in the body. The probiotics live together with the preexisting bacteria in our bodies, and counteract the negative effects of other bacteria. But probiotics only persist as long as they are continually ingested. So if you don't eat any foods or supplements containing probiotics, after about a month, they will be all gone.
