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Some weeks ago, I stumbled on where African star apple known as “agbalumo” in Yoruba and “Udara” in Igbo was called Chrysophyllum africanum. I will like to make some clarification. Chrysophyllum albidum is the botanical name of the agbalumo we have in this country. Chrysophyllum africanum is the botanical name for another species of agbalumo.
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that have beneficial effects on your body. They are often referred to as “friendly” or “good” bacteria. These species already live in your body, along with many others. For example, Acidophilus is found naturally in your mouth, gut, stomach, lungs, vagina and urinary tract and it can help restore balance in all of these microbiomes (the community of microbes living in your gastrointestinal tract).
The root of the word probiotic comes from the Greek word pro, meaning “promoting” and ‘biotic’, meaning ‘life’. The discovery of probiotics came about in the early 20th century, when Elie Metchnikoff, known as the “father of probiotics,” had observed that rural dwellers in Bulgaria lived to very old ages despite extreme poverty and harsh climate. He theorized that health could be enhanced and senility delayed by manipulating the intestinal microbiome with host-friendly bacteria found in sour milk. Since then, research has continued to support his findings along with suggesting even more benefits.
An October 2001 report by the World Health Organisation defines probiotics as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.”
Following this definition, a working group convened by the Food and Agriculture Organisation /WHO in May 2002 issued the Guidelines for the Evaluation of Probiotics in Food. A consensus definition of the term probiotics, based on available information and scientific evidence was adopted after the aforementioned joint expert consultation between the FAO of the United Nations and the WHO.
This effort was accompanied by local governmental and supra-governmental regulatory bodies’ requirements to better characterize health claims substantiations.
That first global effort was further developed in 2010; two expert groups of academic scientists and industry representatives made recommendations for the evaluation and validation of probiotic health claims. The same principles emerged from those two groups as were expressed in the “Guidelines” of FAO/WHO in 2002. This definition, though widely adopted, is not acceptable to the European Food Safety Authority because it embeds a health claim that is not measurable.
A group of scientific experts assembled in Canada in October 2013 to discuss the scope and appropriate use of the term “probiotic”, adjusting the definition to be “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.”
Maintaining the correct balance between good and harmful bacteria is necessary for optimal health. Age, genetics and diet may influence the composition of the bacteria in the body (microbiota).
An imbalance is called dysbiosis, and this has possible links to diseases of the intestinal tract, including ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease, as well as more systemic diseases such as obesity and type 1 and types 2 diabetes.
Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms intended to maintain or improve the “good” bacteria (normal microflora) in the body. Prebiotics are foods (typically high-fiber foods) that act as food for human microflora. Products that contain both prebiotics and probiotics are referred to as synbiotics. Synbiotic products usually combine friendly bacteria along with some food for the bacteria to eat.
Some of the most frequently studied and recommended probiotics include:
The Lactobacillus genus, including L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. casei and L. plantarum.
The Bifidobacterium genus, including Bifidobacterium longum and Bifidobacterium breve.
Acidophilus (L. acidophilus) may be the most well-known probiotic on the market today, possibly because it has so many different applications.
Other common kinds are Saccharomyces, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Escherichia and Bacillus.
When are probiotics recommended? If you have symptoms of dysbiosis (an imbalance or a deficit of beneficial microbes in your microbiome) in your digestive system or elsewhere, probiotics may be recommended to help bring your microbiome back to balance. If you have recently had an illness or treatment that weakened your microbiome, probiotics will help rebuild it. For example, probiotics are needed after finishing a course of antibiotics.
Let us see some of the health benefits of probiotics:
Help your body maintain a healthy community of microorganisms or help your body’s community of microorganisms return to a healthy condition after being disturbed
Regenerates our digestive system with good microbes that will neutralize the harmful ones
Probiotics may help boost your immune system and protect against infections.
4 Certain probiotics may help you lose weight and belly fat. However, other strains have been linked to weight gain.
Probiotics may help reduce the symptoms of bowel disorders like ulcerative colitis, IBS and necrotizing enterocolitis.
Probiotics may reduce the risk and severity of certain allergies, such as eczema in infants.
Probiotics may help protect the heart by reducing “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and modestly lowering blood pressure.
Research shows taking probiotics may help improve symptoms of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, stress among others.
Research into the benefits of probiotics has been branching out, and new areas are emerging. Preliminary research has linked them to supporting the health of the reproductive tract, oral cavity, lungs, skin, the gut-brain axis and the prevention and treatment of obesity and type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Probiotics are active live organisms that can help support a healthy gut microbiome and may confer health benefits,” says Dr. Carolyn Newberry, a gastroenterologist and physician nutrition specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He added that “Incorporating more probiotic, fermented foods in the diet can help some people.”
According to Georgia Giannopoulos, a registered dietitian and manager of NYPBeHealthy, NewYork-Presbyterian’s health and well-being program “There’s been a lot of research looking into how probiotics can benefit us. We’re still learning what strains work best for certain conditions, but in general, they’re great for keeping your gut healthy.” He went further to say that ‘Probiotics can be found in yogurt with live and active cultures, that’s an important thing to look for when you’re at the grocery store, because if the product’s label doesn’t note that, it may not contain probiotics’.
A study titled Health Benefits of Probiotics: A Review by Kechagia et al concludes that there is scientific evidence supporting the incorporation of probiotics in nutrition as a means of derivation of health benefits.
A study titled Anti-tumor activities of probiotics in cervical cancer by Jahanshahi et al concludes that probiotics have remarkable abilities which may lead to the prevention or treatment of cervical cancer including induction of apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation, reducing inflammation and suppressing metastasis. Evidence suggests that concurrent use of probiotics with other therapeutic drugs results in an improvement in treatments. When combined with anti-infective drugs, probiotics have been shown to provide a better diagnostic method for cervical cancer patients. Overall, probiotics appear to be potential anticancer agents which can be used in the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer
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