Probiotics are live microbial food ingredients that are very good for the human health. According to a new research published in American Heart Association Journal Hypertension , eating Probiotics can improve the blood pressure complications.
The concept of Probiotics came into light in the 20th century by a scientist called Elie Metchnikoff for which he received Nobel Prize in 1988. According to his hypothesis the Bulgarian peasants lived a long and healthy life due to their consumption of fermented milk products. The fermented products contain Lactobacillus bacteria that when consumed proved good for the microflora of the intestine.
The bacteria commonly used for the production of Probiotics-containing food products are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strain. Probiotics food products are mainly produced in Japan and Europe. However, the health and food industry is US too is investing in Probiotics-containing food products.
Human body and microbial flora Our body is the natural habitat of hundreds of microbes. They live in thehuman skin, mouth, intestine and vaginal tracts. Although our body does not necessarily require these microbes for survival, yet various studies have shown that the organisms with no microbial flora are most susceptible to infections from other dangerous microbes. The answer to the condition is that without any microbial flora our body’s immune system will not able to identify and memorize the invading microbe.
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Probiotics for the improvement of hypertension: There are various studies that prove that the consumption of probiotics as a part of healthy lifestyle is beneficial to treat the high blood pressure. Probiotics in food come in the form of yogurt, fermented milk, cheese, sour milk and probiotic supplements. Some very common and world known probiotic producing brands are:
• Yakult (Tokyo, Japan) • Danone (Paris, France) • Urex Biotech (London, Ontario, Canada) • Nestlé (Lausanne, Switzerland)
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Some quickfacts: • According to the studies done by Takano (1998) probiotic bacteria in food products help in controlingblood pressure to a great extent.
• According to Nakamura et al. and Hata et al. role of probiotics in the treatment of blood pressure problems have been identified. According to them the fermented milk products (having bacterial strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus Helvetica) contains two tripeptides:
1. Valine-proline-proline& 2. Isoleucine-proline-proline These two tri-peptides function as Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme inhibitor that act to reduce the blood pressure. It must be noted that the probiotic viable cells are not the ones that induce this effect but, in fact, the fermentation end products of the probiotics are very important for the improvement of High blood pressure.
• Another activity of antihypertensive effect is seen in the cell wall fragments of the bacterial strain Lactobacillus case
A data of studies involving 543 adults with either normal or increased BP show that: • In comparison to those who did not consume probiotics, people who were regular consumers of the probiotics, showed a standard reduction in blood pressure
• The greatest benefits of consumption of Probiotics was seen in the people with elevated blood pressure (higher than 130/85)
• People who consumed probiotics for more than eight weeks showed the improvement in blood pressure in comparison to those who consumed for less than eight weeks.
• Probiotics food products containing multiple types of bacteria was more effective in lowering the blood pressure than those products with a single type of bacteria
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Probiotics not only help in improving the blood pressure condition, but also help in various other health conditions such as cholesterol, urinary problems, stomach problems and immune functions, etc. The probiotics help in the treatment of high blood pressure by lowering the total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein, or LDL. Theyalso regulate the hormonal system of the body, so they further help in the regulation of blood pressure via hormonal balance.
Conclusion: There are various probiotic food products available in the market today, and it would not be wrong if we assert that probiotics are very good for our overall health. Not only are they good for the treatment of blood pressure problem, but also for various other conditions. So, include probiotics in your daily diet and enjoy a healthy life.
