It’s becoming increasingly clear that our microbiomes, or the colony of trillions of bacteria that live in our gut, play an important role in our overall health.

Probiotics are a collection of the different strains of these “friendly” bacteria that live inside us. They come in many different combinations and doses, and they can be consumed through probiotic-rich foods and drinks, such as live yogurt, kefir, tempeh, kombucha and kimchi, or through supplements.

When taken alongside prebiotics, the soluble fibre that these good bacteria feed on in our gut, they have the resources to thrive and help grow and diversify our microbiome.

So, what are some of the health benefits of probiotics and a healthy gut biome?

They can help with digestion and nutrient absorption

This is their clearest and most researched benefit. Many studies have shown their effectiveness in improving digestive issues such as gas, bloating, constipation and diarrhea, as well as encouraging regular bowel movements and gut motility (the healthy flow of food through the digestive tract), which is critical to overall good health.⁽¹⁾

When fed with fibre, these good bacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, propionate, and acetate, which not only are used for energy, but also feed your gut wall and perform many other useful metabolic functions, including reducing inflammation and boosting your protection from any unwanted substances and pathogens in your food.⁽²⁾

They also promote feelings of satiety and regulate your body’s fat storing mechanism⁽³⁾

Besides short chain fatty acids, the good bacteria in our bodies also produce essential vitamins, such as vitamin K and vitamins B5 and B12.⁽⁴⁾

Finally, studies have also found them to help in the breakdown and absorption of different nutrients from our food, including protein. Bacillus Coagulans in particular has been shown to lead to 20% greater essential amino acid absorption into the blood when taken with protein. Study participants who took this combination reported better muscle recovery and increased athletic performance compared to a control group as a result.⁽⁵⁾

That’s why we’ve specifically added 1bn CFU of bacillus coagulans to each serving of The Fit One, so you can get all the probiotic health benefits AND be sure every gram of protein you’re drinking will be used fully by your body.

They contribute to maintaining a healthy weight

An increasing number of studies are finding a link between unhealthy gut biomes and obesity.⁽⁶⁾ “Bad” bacteria are thought to contribute to weight gain by impacting the amount of energy extracted from food, the proportion of this stored away as fat rather than burned, the level of resting calorie burn, and the level of inflammation in the body.⁽⁷⁾

High levels of these bad bacteria, such as the Firmicutes species, are commonly found in overweight individuals, along with low levels of others considered “good”, such as Bacteroides.  

A 2013 study on overweight men in Japan found that supplementation with just 10 million CFU of a strain of good bacteria, lactobacillus, every day for 12 weeks led to a decrease in abdominal visceral fat – that’s the kind of fat that’s very hard to shift and which sits damagingly around your internal organs – of 8.5%.⁽⁸⁾

Studies are ongoing, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that improving your biome can lead to fat loss and better body composition.

They can help protect you from a number of diseases

Besides obesity, an unhealthy gut biome has been linked to developing type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, celiac disease, and even colon cancer.⁽⁹⁾

Probiotics can be a useful tool for protecting yourself from these conditions. For example, a large study including 1,600+ participants found treatment with probiotics for 3 to 12 weeks lowered total cholesterol by a significant 7.8mg/dL and LDL cholesterol by 7.3mg/dL.⁽¹⁰⁾

They’ve also been shown to be effective in fighting Helicobacter Pylori infections, one of the most common causes of ulcers and stomach cancer.⁽¹¹⁾

They boost your immune system

In addition to offering protection from the diseases mentioned above, probiotics have been found to boost your immune system against infections such as the common cold, flu and pneumonia.⁽¹²⁾

For example, a large analysis of 20 different studies found that supplementation with probiotics significantly reduced the frequency and severity of respiratory infections, with participants who took probiotics on average being ill for between 0.5 and 1 days fewer over the course of the studies than those who did not.⁽¹³⁾

They have anti-ageing properties

Improving your gut microbiome could help slow down the effects of ageing too.

As we age, we undergo changes that leave us with weakened immune systems and low-grade inflammation (known as “inflamm-aging”), which make us more vulnerable to infections, respond less well to vaccination, and make us more likely to develop age-related diseases.⁽¹⁴⁾

But what if better managing our biomes held the answer to slowing, or even reversing, this trend?

For example, a 2021 study found that supplementing with 40 million CFU daily of a lactobacillus strain, along with improvements to diet, sleep, exercise and relaxation, reduced participants’ biological age by 2 whole years over a period of just 8 weeks.⁽¹⁵⁾

Biological age is a much stronger indicator of vulnerability to age-related diseases and mortality than regular, chronological age, so aiming to reduce it is a great target in our quest for keeping our bodies young.