Probiotics For Women : 8 Ways Probiotics Benefit Women
Healthy gut flora is critical to overall health and beauty, and for women, maintaining a healthy balance has even more health benefits.
Women tend to have more digestive issues than men.
Aside from the most common issues caused by an imbalance in your gut flora, such as, poor immune function, skin disorders, headaches, diarrhea or constipation...
For women, an imbalance in your gut flora can also increase yeast infections, urinary tract infections, throw hormones out of balance, and even increase constipation problems during pregnancy.
Modern diets full of processed foods and artificial ingredients decrease the populations of good bacteria in our gut and as we age, the level of beneficial bacteria also decreases.
It is widely known that probiotic supplements can increase the population of good bacteria and restore a healthy balance.
Probiotics are live beneficial microorganisms that promote gut health and benefit the digestive system.
1. Gut Health
Probably the most known benefit of probiotics is the increase in good bacteria in the gut flora. Research shows that women tend to suffer from digestive issues more than men. A study by the American Physiological Society found that irritable bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are more common in women because their digestive systems are more sluggish. Women are also less likely to talk about problems related to digestive issues, leading to long term suffering.
Using a probiotic can improve your intestine function and help with issues such as diarrhea, headaches, fatigue, constipation and gas. Balancing the ratio of good to bad bacteria in your gut microbiome can also help your body better absorb nutrients from food and significantly increase your immune system.
2. Immune System Boost
When beneficial gut bacteria is increased, it has a positive impact on the immune system. This is because over 70% of our immune system is our gut microbiome. The immune system is heavily impacted by problems such as stress, lack of sleep, and diet. And more commonly than not, the cause of such issues is the populations of good and bad bacteria being out of balance.
Taking prebiotics and probiotics add beneficial probiotic bacteria such as beneficial yeast and lactic acid bacteria. Like other fermented foods, these good bacteria supply trace minerals, vitamin B, and enzymes and increase immune deficiencies by being natural antibiotics.
3. Increase Mental Health
A poor microbiome can actually impact mental health as our brain has a symbiotic relationship with our body's microorganisms. Our brains and our gut flora heavily influence each other and can have negative impacts when exposed to prolonged stress. It is not a coincidence that digestive health issues can sometimes go hand in hand with stress.
Conversely, finding yourself easily stressed or finding the inability to manage normal stress is likely your gut health telling you it is out of balance. If this sounds like you, consider it a sign from your gut and immune system and consider a probiotic. A study in the Nutrition Neuroscience Journal in 2016 found those who took a probiotic daily, experienced better overall health and decreased depression, anxiety, and stress.
4. Regularity
Irregularity can be more then just an annoyance and shouldn't be ignored. Research has show that women who have regular and frequent bowel movements (think 1 bowel movement per 1-2 meals), have a lower risk of breast cancer. This is because bile acids from your intestines can concentrate in the breast tissue, promoting tumor growth. In addition, bowel movements rid the body of toxins and wastes are expelled more often when the body is regular.
Beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus strains and saccharomyces cerevisiae among many others, account for over 70% of a healthy gut and heavily influence regularity. If you find you're constipated regularly or tend to go days between bowel movements, adding a probiotic can help.
5. Pregnancy and Nursing
Pregnancy and nursing are unique time periods in a women's life and come with a long list of bodily changes both amazing and uncomfortable. 40% of moms-to-be suffer from constipation as hormones change and intestines increasingly become squished. Focusing on gut health can help alleviate digestive issues and help with regularity.
Another bonus of balancing hormones and your digestive system with probiotics is less instances of morning sickness.
When mothers become pregnant, their microbiome is transferred to the womb from the beginning of conception. The new life relies on its mother's immune system as his/hers has not fully developed yet.
In fact, research shows that any antibodies created during pregnancy is transferred to the new baby and they will have those antibodies for life.
PRO EM-1 Probiotics help with constipation during pregnancy
For nursing mothers, keeping your microbiome health in check can help increase mild supply. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a beneficial yeast, is a supplement often used to increase milk production and recommended by lactation specialists. The beneficial yeast produces protein, some B vitamins, and minerals. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a main ingredient in Pro EM-1®.
Focusing on gut health can help alleviate digestive issues and help with regularity.
Another bonus of balancing hormones and your digestive system with probiotics is less instances of morning sickness.
When mothers become pregnant, their microbiome is transferred to the womb from the beginning of conception. The new life relies on its mother's immune system as his/hers has not fully developed yet.
In fact, research shows that any antibodies created during pregnancy is transferred to the new baby and they will have those antibodies for life.
For nursing mothers, keeping your microbiome health in check can help increase mild supply. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a beneficial yeast, is a supplement often used to increase milk production and recommended by lactation specialists. The beneficial yeast produces protein, some B vitamins, and minerals. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a main ingredient in Pro EM-1®.
6. Vaginal Health
Lactobacillus plays a major role in women's vaginal microbiome by producing lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide which act as natural antibiotic compounds. A balanced microbiome can heavily influence the pH of the vagina, keeping it acidic and able to fend off the bad bacteria that cause bacterial infections.
75% of women have had at least 1 yeast infection in their life, caused by a non-beneficial yeast called Candida albicans.
This yeast is actually naturally present in a healthy women, but can cause infection when exposed to poor diet (especially sugar). Research also shows stress, dietary changes, illness and hormone changes can cause this otherwise dormant yeast to proliferate and cause the uncomfortable symptoms.
Increasing the populations of beneficial microorganisms with probiotics and a healthy diet can balance the microbiome even in the vagina and prevent issues such as urinary tract, yeast infections, and bacterial vaginosis (BV).
7. Weight Management
When your microbiome is populated with bad bacteria instead of beneficial bacteria you can experience inflammation, bloating, and hormonal problems that make weight loss challenging. Beneficial microorganisms are key in proper digestion of food and break down what we eat into the protein, enzymes, vitamins and fatty acids that will be used for energy.
Research shows those that take a probiotic or eat probiotic food (probiotic yogurt, fermented foods) daily tend to eat more balanced and influence the brain to make better choices. Probiotics have been shown to increase energy and reduce stress, also leading to easier weight loss.
8. Clearer Skin
With a healthy gut microbiome you will find your skin is clearer and less likely to breakout. A combination of better health, balanced hormones, and an increase in mental health can decrease skin issues significantly. Your skin has its own microbiome with trillions of microbial cells, when bad bacteria are more abundant in the skin issues such as eczema, acne, and allergic reactions can increase.
Probiotics have been heavily studied to increase skin health and can help fight skin damage. A study from the WHO even found pregnant women with chronic skin issues were able to reduce the chance of passing the condition to their child when taking probiotics.