Concern about what we Spaniards put in our mouths is increasing. According to a survey by the NPD company, 86% of us recognize that we are more attentive to what we put on our plate since the covid, ahead of Italians (80%) and British (69%). This also causes us to be interested in products enriched with vitamins, fatty acids… and probiotics.
However, we do not always make good choices, or in other words, we get it right. Are chewing gums enriched with bifidobacterium lactis BPL1, for example, interesting? “To talk about probiotics, the first thing is to know what the microbiota is,” explains Ana Tellería, doctor-nutritionist at IMQ. 'Roughly', it is a set of living microorganisms, composed of bacteria, viruses, yeasts, parasites and archaea that live in certain parts of our body: the skin, the mouth, the vagina…
“At the intestinal level, its function is protective, but also immunomodulatory and nutritional-metabolic.” That is, it influences our immune system and the absorption of nutrients. “When it is in order, both in quantity and form, it is beneficial,” continues the doctor. But, sometimes, it “gets messy”, dysbiosis arises and problems, of greater or lesser importance, begin.
Popular belief invites us to try to reinforce it by taking probiotics, which are live microorganisms present in some foods, and supplements. However, science specifies: “Not all probiotics are the same nor are they suitable for everything.” “They have a genus, species and strain,” and each of them is suitable for certain conditions and not for others. For example: the one they recommend when we take antibiotics, a medication that alters that intestinal flora, is not the same as the one we should supplement if we have atopy or candidiasis.
With these wickers you have to make the basket. Does it help that, worried about my health, I go to the pharmacy to buy any probiotic? «First, don't get obsessed, it's not good. Second, if you don't have problems you don't need anything. And third, if you have them, only professionals know which probiotic is appropriate; For a normal user it is impossible to know them all,” adds Tellería. And even if this were the case, we must also ensure that when we take them they reach the intestine. That is, they are not destroyed by stomach acid, something that depends on the formulation and presentation, among other things.
«Not all probiotics are the same: they have genus, species and strain. “Not all of them are good for everything”
Ana Tellería
IMQ nutritionist doctor
Now, probiotics are not only found in pharmaceutical supplements (which are those whose effectiveness has been scientifically proven), they are also found in products “more or less naturally,” says Aitor Sánchez, nutritionist dietician and food technologist. This is the case of yogurts, the famous kombucha, miso, pickles in vinegar. sauerkraut…
Most are fermented products that should not be pasteurized (this process would kill microorganisms). Of course, in these cases, unlike in supplements, determining which probiotic is present and in what quantity is more difficult, adds Tellería. Yes, they are beneficial, but scientifically it is more complicated to resolve at what level, so to speak. “It's okay to consume them, but you're not curing anything,” says the doctor.
Alive and in quantity
What about those other foods, usually bought in supermarkets, that are “enriched with probiotics”? Are they equally beneficial? «When we talk about a probiotic food, what must be guaranteed is that these bacteria are alive and reach the intestine, settle in sufficient quantity and have a positive effect. “They are big words,” explains Sánchez. Therefore, the claims of certain defendants must be taken with a grain of salt: “Many times they are made simply because they include some strain of bacteria, but there is no further guarantee,” she continues.
Guide to buying live fermented products in the supermarket
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As a general rule, they are refrigerated, with a few exceptions such as some unpasteurized vinegars or kombucha, cabbage, and fermented pickles.
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They must specify the basic foods from which they are used and the ferment or second essential ingredient that promotes fermentation.
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In yogurts, they must at least contain pasteurized milk and milk ferment. You can also have powdered milk, cream, sugar or jam.
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Kefir must contain pasteurized milk, yeast granules and milk ferment.
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Vinegar, kombucha, beer, sauerkraut, or pickles must be “unpasteurized” or, in the case of vinegar, contain the phrase “with the mother.”
This would be, for example, the case of the chewing gum we talked about before. Indeed, they have a probiotic, with a name and two surnames, but its effectiveness must be demonstrated. «In addition, you have to read the rest of the ingredients. If they contain sugar or sweeteners, these can harm our microbiota,” Sánchez points out. So, once again, you have to take care of the fine print. If what we want is to introduce probiotics into our diet to maintain stable intestinal health, we first turn to foods such as kefir, kimchi or pickled eggplant. And if what happens is that we think we have a problem in the microbiota, it is better to consult a specialist. Otherwise, we will be killing flies with cannon shots.
Is bread probiotic?
Eating sourdough bread is recommended. And yes, the reason is in it, the sourdough, which is a natural ferment without added yeast. “It's healthy,” says Dr. Ana Tellería. But, be careful, it is not probiotic. With baking, the live microorganisms in the sourdough die. And then it joins another classification, that of postbiotics, as explained by the expert Cristina Sáez in her book 'The science of the microbiota'. Of course, they also have benefits.
#Probiotics #chewing #gum