Bacteria: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

If you thought all bacteria were ‘bad’ then think again!

While the word bacteria may conjure up unsanitary images of dirty washrooms and ‘not quite right’ takeaway dinners, some bacteria are not only good for us (hence called friendly bacteria or probiotics) but actually play an important role in our health! Yes it’s true!

More than 400 species of microflora are constantly doing good work for us in our intestinal tracts, helping us to digest our food and perform other functions.



One of the star performers is Lactobacillus acidophilus. We are not born with an instant supply of acidophilus - or any other bacteria, for that matter.

It is a gift of birth from our mother, collected as we make our way through the birth canal to come into this world and then transferred to us during breastfeeding. (Assuming that these two natural processes occur) This is our first line of defence which will help to protect us later on in life.

Then as we’re introduced to a variety of solid foods, the good and bad bacteria begin to colonize our bodies. Throughout our lives, we need enough of the good microflora to help keep us healthy and to keep the bad kind in check. There are times, though, when those friendly bacteria can use some help.

Introducing: The Friendly Acidophilus

While the value of friendly bacteria is only recently being understood in our society and becoming more publicised in the media lately, it is nothing new - The beneficial effects of acidophilus have been recognized since 1908 by the Russian scientist Metchnikoff.

Metchnikoff concluded in his writings, that in order to increase one's life expectancy, it was necessary to replace the putrefactive microflora with a healthy flora of lactic acid bacteria, particularly the lactobacilli. He cited examples of long life in persons consuming milk fermented by lactobacilli.



Since that time there has been great interest in lactobacilli. The importance of consuming a dietary supplement of lactobacilli to maintain a balanced intestinal microflora has focused attention on Lactobacillus Acidophilus.

Acidophilus or lactobacillus acidophilus is the most commonly used friendly bacteria. These bacteria protect against the entrance and proliferation of harmful organisms that can cause diseases. Plus a whole lot more.

These friendly cultures thrive in the normal, healthy, low pH environment of the gastrointestinal tract. Research shows that the metabolic byproducts of these friendly microflora help maintain this healthy, low pH intestinal environment. This same acidic environment discourages the growth of undesirable bacteria and helps maintain a healthy balance of intestinal microflora.

Acidophilus is one of the good bacteria that should be part of the daily diet of humans.



Where do we find these friendly bacteria or probiotics? Probiotics can also be found in traditional cultured dairy products such as natural yogurt, kefir, or fermented foods such as sauerkraut. However, the number of live organisms varies greatly from product to product due to differences in processing methods. Eg acidophilus can be destroyed by heating.

Benefits of Acidophilus

Adding beneficial acidophilus cultures to our diet protects the body in many valuable ways and provides numerous benefits. Some of these include, suppressing the growth of potentially harmful bacteria, aiding digestion, easing constipation, reducing gas, preventing & helping to treat yeast infections (eg candida) and urinary tract infections.

It can improve lactose absorption, reduce the risk of allergies such as asthma, hay fever and skin reactions such as eczema and reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Moreover, it can also help to improve respiratory infections such as sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. Other benefits include supporting B vitamin production, especially folic acid and biotin, and vitamin K, (important for blood clotting) improving mineral absorption and often improving the biological value of foods, lowering cholesterol and promoting general colon health.



Some experts even believe it is valuable in cancer prevention, since it improves the natural immune response, can improve bowel transit time making the digestive system more efficient (important in bowel cancer prevention) and may suppress the toxic effects of carcinogens. (cancer-causing compounds)

How to Order 

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