The market today is suddenly packed with probiotic products claiming to do wonders for maintaining a healthy body. So what exactly is probiotic and what can it do for our health?
Probiotic means healthy bacteria that help to maintain the acidic balance in the stomach. These good bacteria also help to produce vitamin B12 in the intestines. Both good and bad bacteria are present in each individual’s body, probiotic products help in neutralizing the harmful bacteria and microorganisms in our body. These products assist in regeneration of damaged intestinal mucous membrane which in turn helps in dealing with repeated infections.
Life today is characterized by increasing stress, irregular eating habits and indiscriminate use of antibiotics (I recently did a 5 day course of antibiotic as my ear piercing was not healing!); these factors contribute to digestive disorders. It is here that probiotics come to the rescue by improving digestion of lactose, reducing acidity and preventing antibiotic associated diorrhoea.
Indian food has many probiotic products that can be made at home like dahi(curd),Naan,Dhokla,Chaas,idli and khameeri roti. Probiotic products available in the market include milk, ice creams and yogurt. Cultured bacteria are added in large numbers to the commercially prepared products to make them probiotic. Brands like Amul, Nestle and Mother Dairy have ventured into the probiotic market segment.
However one of the biggest drawbacks of such products is that they must be constantly refrigerated. This is required for the good bacteria to remain alive and active at all times. The cold storage facilities available in smaller towns and the electricity problems in bigger cites pose a threat to these products.