Although I find this article to be a bit too negative on the use of antibiotics, it does explain well how probiotics can put our body microflora into balance, particularly after a long treatment regimen with antibiotics.

“It’s important to remember that the other half of the therapy is to replant the forest with the good bacteria,” Huffnagle says. And while scientists are still trying to determine exactly how the microflora in the digestive tract affect the immune system, he says, studies have shown that probiotics can be a powerful tool to help strengthen immune systems and reduce the effects of allergies.

Probiotics, found in foods like yogurt and aged cheeses, “are eventually eliminated after a couple of days,” he says. “But they straighten up the house while they’re there, making an effort to create a more normal flora and to get the ratios right by the time they’ve disappeared.”

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Probiotics May Reduce Allergies, Stengthen Immune System

And like yoghurt, kefir seems to have probiotic effects, enhancing the populations of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and inhibit the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. According to a new study on mice, milk kefir and soymilk kefir significantly increased the fecal populations of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, while it significantly decreased those of Clostridium perfringens.

Additionally, data suggest that kefir may also help prevent food allergies, by inhibiting the allergen specific antibody Immunoglobulin E (IgE), which is responsible for the release of histamine, a chemical which stimulates allergic responses, such as inflammation and constriction of airways.

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Probiotic and Anti-Allergenic Properties of Kefir

Our digestive tracts (or other parts of our body, for that matter) are full of microorganisms. Not all of them are bad and cause disease. In fact, some of them are beneficial. In contrast to antibiotics which we take to kill the disease-causing bugs, probiotics are composed of microorganisms that help promote the growth of beneficial bacteria. By competing for space and nutrients, these “good” bacteria can inhibit the growth and/or activity of the “bad” bugs. For probiotics to be able to weild their power, though, they must reach the destination (usually, the gut) alive, and in significant numbers.

Most probiotic bacteria are sold as components of dairy products (Danone, Nestle and Yakult are some of the most popular brands), although capsules and tablets containing freeze-dried probiotic bacteria are also available in the market. And though there are many microorganisms involved in the production of probiotic dairy products, those which have probiotic activity belong to the Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium genera.

There have been many health benefits attributed to probiotics, some with more scientific backing than others. Do you need to consume probiotic products? Are probiotics safe? The US Probiotics FAQ webpage has a good primer about probiotics and will answer most of these questions. For specific health benefits, we’ll tackle them one by one in the succeeding posts.

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What are Probiotics?