![]() So, what has all this got to do with the gut? Once inside, the virus starts attacking the cells along the airway and replicates there.¹³ The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the respiratory pathway when droplets of infected saliva enter another person’s body through the mouth or nose. Probiotics in the gut could have a similar connection to lung immunity, which experts have termed the “gut –lung axis (GLA)” or “gut –lung immune axis.” Experts suggest that this is also the most likely way in which probiotics help combat the SARS-CoV-2 virus.¹² The gut –lung axis - how gut health affects lung immunity They do this by either binding to cholesterol molecules or helping to make chemicals that help break down cholesterol.¹¹ Probiotics can also have an indirect positive effect on other parts of the body through a cascade of biological processes.įor example, some probiotics can improve heart health by reducing cholesterol. ![]() They also play an important role in maintaining a healthy vaginal environment and preventing urinary tract infections.¹⁰ In fact, probiotics can actually be found throughout the body.įor example, probiotics in your mouth help reduce plaque and prevent gum disease. Some of these processes can also affect other parts of the body and even your overall immunity. They can also prevent the growth of bad bacteria by producing bacteria-killing substances like lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and bacteriocins.⁹ Probiotics aren’t just for gut health Probiotics colonize the sites on the barrier so that toxins don’t adhere to it instead.⁸ Probiotics can help strengthen the gut barrier - a layer of cells that lines the digestive tract, which helps keep out harmful bacteria and other toxins. They do this through several biological processes. One of the most well-known benefits of probiotics is their ability to improve gut health. The most common probiotics used in products belong to the following families: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Escherichia, and Bacillus.⁷ How can probiotics keep you healthy? You can also get probiotics from supplements. Many people associate probiotics with yogurt, but they are also found in other fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso. They can offer a range of health benefits for your gut, immunity, and more.⁶ However, not all bacteria are bad - some types are actually good for you.Ĭollectively, all the good and bad microorganisms (including bacteria and viruses) that live in the human body are referred to as the microbiome.⁵ The helpful bacteria are known as probiotics. You might assume you need to avoid all bacteria as they cause illness and infection. So, how exactly would something that mainly occurs in your digestive tract help with a respiratory infection? First, we need to understand probiotics. They found that every 1g increase per day in the average amount of fermented vegetables consumed by a country was associated with a 35.4% decrease in the COVID-19 mortality rate.⁴ The probiotics were also found to be well-tolerated by participants, meaning they caused no severe side effects.Īnother group of researchers performed an analysis demonstrating that countries with high rates of fermented vegetable consumption had fewer COVID-19 deaths. Only 28.1% of the group taking the placebo were asymptomatic by day 20 and testing negative. ![]() The researchers found that 53.1% of those in the probiotic group were asymptomatic and tested negative for the virus by day 30. A total of 300 participants with COVID-19 took part in the study and were randomly assigned to either take a combination of four probiotics or a placebo.³ An example of such a study is a quadruple-blinded, placebo-controlled randomized trial (considered the gold standard of experimental design) conducted by scientists in Mexico. ![]()
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