Although probiotics are still considered to be on the alternative side of medicine, they are widely accepted as a valid means of controlling bacteria within your body. While probiotics occur naturally in some foods, there is a growing trend towards probiotics as an additive to food, or as a supplement on its own. Acidophilus and Bifidus are two of the more common probiotics available that act as good bacteria, and combat bad bacteria.
Probiotics
Your body naturally contains billions of "friendly" bacteria. They live in your gastrointestinal tract, where their presence crowds out harmful bacteria that could potentially colonize your intestines and create health problems. Some food products contain live bacteria that can be safely consumed, and that confer positive health benefits, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. These friendly bacteria have been given the name "probiotics."
Probiotics vs. Antibiotics
When you have a bacterial infection, your doctor sometimes prescribes drugs called antibiotics to kill off the bacteria. Unfortunately, antibiotics cannot discriminate between harmful and helpful bacteria, and they kill the helpful bacteria that normally live in your intestines along with the harmful bacteria that the antibiotics are meant to target. As a result, the populations of healthy bacteria that live in your body may be decimated during a course of antibiotic therapy.
Benefits of Acidophilus
Lactobacillus acidophilus is a type of bacteria that lives in your small intestine, where it contributes to the production of vitamin K, the milk-sugar-digesting enzyme lactase, and substances that fight harmful microbes. Acidophilus is used as aid in fighting infectious diarrhea in children, as well as antibiotic-induced diarrhea, traveler's diarrhea, lung infections, ulcerative colitis, bacterial vaginosis, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema and ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori infections, according to MedlinePlus.
Benefits of Bifidus
Bifidus is a shortened form of bifidobacteria, another probiotic that inhabits your intestines. According to MedlinePlus, this strain of probiotic is possibly effective in treating an intestinal infection called necrotizing enterocolitis, preventing traveler's and infectious diarrhea, and addressing a number of other conditions such as ulcerative colitis, Helicobacter ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome and eczema.
Dosages
Some foods such as yogurt contain probiotics, but if you wish to consume probiotics via a supplement, it's important to understand the dosages. Probiotic dosages are labeled according to the number of live cells per dose. Recommended dosages vary according to the illness being addressed, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. For instance, UMMC recommends between 1 and 2 billion colony-forming units per day in the treatment of diarrhea. Check your product's label for dosage recommendations
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