Yogurt Micro-Organisms Are Blessing For Your Gut Health

Living amongst pandemic state with the harmful virus and various bacteria jeopardizing mankind, have you ever wondered what made yogurt with live bacteria, so beneficial for your health especially gut health?

The reason being the live yogurt enriched with trillions of bacteria, that are gut-friendly and plays a crucial role in promoting your overall well being, once the bacteria reaches the large intestine where it can perform its job.

Yogurt as a Source of Probiotics

Yogurt has B-D- galactosidase which helps break down lactose present in dairy products into the sugar glucose and galactose.

If this enzyme goes missing from yogurt, it can cause lactose malabsorption.

In the situation when a person is not able to produce enough lactase and suffers uncomfortable symptoms such as bloating, diarrhea, and gas, yogurt is recommended as a dairy food that contains lactose. The live bacteria in yogurt containing lactase are released in the intestine where it assists lactose digestion.

Lactobacillus Bulgaricus is the probiotic organism present in yogurt which is responsible for the beneficial effects in the gut. Although these good bacteria cannot survive for long in the gut, they help in balancing the gut microbiota and contribute towards our health benefits.

People, who consume fresh yogurt, containing life and active culture, can digest lactose better than those consuming pasteurized yogurt. This is because the heat treatment kills the beneficial bacteria of the yogurt.

Probiotic products like yogurt and other cultured food improve the body's bacterial environment inside and outside and improve illnesses.

Importance of Yogurt

According to the recommended dietary intake, an adult should consume 3 cups of calcium-rich dairy products that include milk, cheese, and yogurt per day.

As a rich source of minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium, yogurt helps in building and maintaining bone health.

As a fermented dairy food, yogurt was also linked to various health benefits such as reducing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart issues, colorectal cancer, and bladder cancer.

Irrespective of fat content, yogurt has been proven to be beneficial for the heart by increasing "good" HDL cholesterol levels in the body and stabilizing blood pressure.

Yogurt as a Protein Source

Yogurt is known for its fullness-promoting effects especially the Greek yogurt. This kind of yogurt is a very thick variety prepared from the specific strain. It is higher in protein than regular yogurt, rendering about 22 grams per 7 ounces (200 grams) of protein. This yogurt protein helps to control appetite and weight.

Yogurt for Immune-Boosting

Probiotics present in yogurt have been studied to reduce inflammation, caused due to health issues ranging from viral infections to gut disorders. Yogurt with probiotics boosts the immune system and reduces the chances of contracting an illness. The immune-enhancing properties of yogurt can be attributed to minerals present in it namely magnesium, selenium, and zinc.

How Probiotics Help Our Bodies?

Probiotics through yogurt help to:

- Improve the immune system

- Improve digestion and absorption of food and nutrients

- Fights back hostile bacteria in the gut to prevent infection

Probiotics as Gut Friendly Microorganisms in Yogurt

Under normal circumstances, gut-friendly bacterias in the yogurt are more in number than unfriendly ones. Probiotics act as a physical barrier against unfriendly bacteria and promote gut health.

Probiotics also help to neutralize the bacterial imbalance caused by antibiotics consumed because antibiotics kill both good and the harmful bacteria creating conditions like gas, cramping, or diarrhea. Probiotics benefits treat or prevent conditions like diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease.

As probiotics help break down proteins and fats in the digestive tract former these are extremely beneficial for infants, toddlers, and patients who need to build up strength after chronic illness.

To be considered as probiotic, your yogurt must contain one of the strains of probiotics.