Digestive issues are an ever increasing issue in the modern world. 20 million Americans suffer from a chronic digestive disease, and 72% of Americans experience at least one symptom of digestive distress. It’s twice as common to see in women, and it’s a health issue a lot of people fail to address.
Luckily, there are causes and solutions. The modern American and global citizen at large tend to consume a lot of sugar, exercise too little, and use a lot of antibiotics to treat various diseases. These are all factors that work to weaken one’s digestive and overall health.
This makes it easy, on some level, to say one should eat healthier, workout more, and reduce the use of antibiotics when possible. This is typically easier said than done though, especially for those who may be in poverty or have a disease that requires a consistent use of medication.
A more universal and long term solution comes in the rising star, probiotics. Probiotics are a type of bacteria that provide health effects by taking over and influencing one’s digestive tract. These have been around for a long time in fermented foods such as yogurt and cheese, but lately have been growing in popularity as a supplement.
These supplements will cause the growth of positive bacteria, influence all major organs, reducing inflammation, and regulate the digestive system as a whole. This all comes with a relative lack of downsides, only posing a potential risk to immunocompromised individuals.
Infection-wise they are proven to reduce multiple types of diarrhea and clostridium difficile infections while being effectively used in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, respiratory tract infections, UTI’s, food allergies, and metabolic disorders.
This all makes probiotics a strong modern solution to the various digestive issues that only continue to grow globally. It’s important for people to consider not only how they’re feeling, but why they are feeling that way and the long term solutions to those issues.
