You are what your gut is!  Recent research is intensely focusing on the health of the gut, or the gastrointestinal tract as the basis for human health and disease conditions.   There are close to 100 trillion microbes (tiny organisms not visible to the naked eye) residing in the human gut and they influence our health in many ways.  Of course, there are the good, bad and ugly microbes and the balance of these is what is believed to be the key to preventing and managing many health conditions.

The most important factors that influence what kind of microbes get to live in our gut, are the “probiotics”  and the most popular food that offers “probiotics” is our dahi, or curd.  Probiotics are nothing but live microorganisms including bacteria and yeast that work towards enhancing our gut health and composition.  The functions of these beneficial microbes have an important effect on our overall health.

Probiotics have been used frequently as a dietary method of influencing the gut flora composition.  These beneficial microbes present in curd, dahi or yoghurt, act as a functional barrier against a hostile take over bid by harmful pathogens (disease causing microbes) and promote normal gastrointestinal function.   Not only that, probiotics enhance our immunity by building natural resistance to a host of diseases.  Such foods which offer health benefits are also termed “functional foods”.

So, in what wonderful ways do we benefit from eating curd, yogurt  or lassi ?  Read on as you dig into your bowl of fresh and healthy curd..

1.       Stimulate blood flow in intestine: Probiotics present in curd or lassi help digest undigestible dietary fibers from foods such as the outer skin and seeds of fruits, nuts and vegetables in the lower intestine.  During the process of such digestion, fatty acids are released by the probiotics.  The fatty acids promote blood flow and increased mineral intake by the cells in the intestine.

2.       Cancer prevention: Studies done on the impact of probiotics in cancer prevention at  Baylor College of Medicine and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center revealed how a strain of beneficial bacteria contained in curd called Lactobacillus reuteri might work to slow the growth of certain cancerous tumors.  The researchers found that this bacteria prevents multiplication of cancer cells and promotes cancer cell death. More such studies in the future could actually result in an effective strategy to prevent colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

3.       Enhanced protection against infections: Researchers at the same facility also found that probiotics when given along with an antiviral vaccine against an infection called “rotavirus” which commonly causes diarrhea and severe malnutrition in children, gave better protection against the disease , when compared to giving the vaccine alone.  During prolonged antiobiotic use, as in conditions such as urinary tract infections, tuberculosis or other serious illnesses, antibiotic resistance and increasing resistance to commonly used antibiotics makes treatment and prevention of infections difficult. Probiotics provide a useful and safe alternative to antibiotics according to many researchers.

4.       Cure for diabetes ?  Probiotics are being studied as a  possible and promising cure for preventing and curing diabetes.  Researchers at the Cornell University , US fed a modified probiotic to a group of diabetic rats. After 90 days, they compared the  effects of probiotics on blood glucose levels, to those rats that did not receive the probiotics. Researchers found the rats that received the modified probiotic had blood glucose levels up to 30% lower than those that did not receive the probiotic. Scientists believe the probiotic took over the role of the pancreatic beta cells (that manufacture insulin that controls blood sugar levels in healthy individuals) and brought down the sugar levels of diabetic rats.

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