You can get your daily dose of probiotics in certain foods—such as the aforementioned live-cultured yogurt and even fermented vegetables like sauerkraut—as well as in supplement form.
Here are four of the lesser known health benefits that probiotics convey… a few may surprise you:
1. Oral health
Poor oral health can domino effect into a whole series of health woes—including heart disease, diabetes, and low weight births. However, probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri battles evil tooth decay by killing bad bacteria in the mouth, you know, the kind that causes gingivitis and dreaded cavities.
2. Reduces cholesterol
If you’re on a quest to lower your cholesterol, look no farther than that carton of yogurt in your lunch bag. Scientific studies show that a strain of probiotics found in dairy and meats called Lactobacillus reuteri can lower LDL levels by nearly 12-percent, and overall cholesterol by 9-percent due to the fact that this strain disintegrates bile salts and decreases their re-absorption in the gut.
3. Lessens respiratory issues
A study of daycare kids from the Cochrane Library in Helsinki, Finland linked probiotics to fewer upper respiratory infections when children who drank probiotic-enriched milk were found to be 17-percent less likely to get a respiratory infection.
4. Fewer yeast infections
Much sought-after relief can be had by women prone to yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, or UTIs—just by adding probiotics to your daily diet. According to scientists at Harvard’s Medical School, probiotics help balance the bacteria in the vagina and prevent harmful bacteria overgrowth.
Source: Yahoo News
