Food and Nutrition

It is quite humbling to know that most of the cells in our bodies are bacterial cells. Moreover, bacterial system is the largest organ in our body. There are more than a thousand different species in our body that lives in harmony with us. It is there for a good reason; that is helping us to stay healthy. The science of probiotics is mounting exponentially. There is a huge amount of research being done all over the world to demystify this unique system. The role of probiotics in clinical practice is expanding very fast; it is indicated in various gastrointestinal disorders, for example diarrheal illnesses whether that is infectious (Rota, C. Diff, etc.) or antibiotic induced or inflammatory in nature like inflammatory bowel disease. Others may include irritable bowel syndrome, recurrent abdominal pain and several others. Hostile environment like birth by cesarean section, formula fed, frequent use of antibiotics or severe chronic illness may affect the probiotic milieu negatively. These kinds of patients may benefit from restoring their bacterial system. Strong evidence based practice guidelines by international societies are limited; giving the huge number of different probiotics and the substantial differences in methodology of these studies.