Did you know that there are more bacteria in your body than there are human cells? About 500 species of bacteria inhibit the digestive tract alone. Don’t shudder. The vast majority of intestinal organisms – more than a kilo of them – are beneficial. The strength immunity, digest milk sugars (lactose), assist in the absorption of nutrients and generally maintain digestive health. But some intestinal bacteria, along with organisms is the vagina and urinary tract, can cause all sorts of problems. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep the fridge stocked with live yoghurt.
What’s it good for?
- athlete’s foot
- cold sores
- diarrhea
- fungal infections
- inflammatory bowel disease
- irritable bowel syndrome
- mouth ulcers
- urinary tract infections
- wind
Yoghurt is milk to which cultures of bacteria are added. The bacteria consume the sugar in the milk for energy and excrete lactic acid (the same acid that builds up in muscles during exercise), which curdles the milk. Yoghurt that contains ‘active cultures’ – meaning live bacteria – is the one that’s brimming with health benefits. That’s because organisms such as Lactobacillus acidophilus. Streptococcus thermophiles and Lactobacillus bulgarious – collectively known as probiotics – protect your body from harmful bacteria by using up resources that those bacteria need in order to thrive. And some bacteria in yoghurt produce acids that kill other bacteria, including the germs that cause botulism, among other ailments.
Eat for digestive health
When you’re healthy, about 85per cent of bacteria in the large intestine are Lactobacillus organisms. The other 15 per cent consist largely of other beneficial strains. But if you’re taking antibiotics, the drugs wipe out the ‘good’ bacteria along with the ‘bad’ ones responsible for your infection. This can lead to diarrhoea, stomach cramps, wind and bloating, fungal infections and less efficient absorption of nutrients.
Yoghurt can protect. US researchers found that patients who ate two 250g servings of live yoghurt a day suffered half as much antibiotic-associated diarrhoea as non- yoghurt eaters.
Other studies show that the beneficial bacteria in live yoghurt (or probiotic supplements) reduce infant diarrhoea, suppress symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome and ease some types of food poisoning. There’s even evidence that yoghurt’s healthy organisms, in combination with a high- fiber diet, can prevent diverticulosis, a painful and potentially serious condition in which small pouches form on the colon wall.
Can’t live without them
Yoghurt has been used for centuries as a multi-purpose healer but it’s only within the last decade or so that scientists have discovered just how beneficial yoghurt really is. Here are some of the things it can do:
- Knock out thrush The yeast fungus, Candida albicans, that normally inhabits the vagina is usually kept in check by other organisms. It’s only when it multiplies that it causes the miserable itching and burning of thrush. A US study found that the rate of infections dropped considerably in women who ate 250mg of live yoghurt a day. Eating live yoghurt – or using acidophilus supplements in pessary (vaginal suppository) form – can treat infections that are already underway. Just make sure its really is a yeast infection; treating a bacterial infection with yoghurt will make the problem worse.
- Protect the bladder Yoghurt can make a real difference if you are one of the many women who suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections. Finnish researchers report that women who eat at least three servings of yoghurt and cheese a week are almost 80 per cent less likely to suffer from urinary tract infections that women who eat these dairy foods less than once a week.
- Strengthen immunity Medical researchers in California found that eating two pots of live yoghurt a day can quadruple levels of gamma infection, a protein produced by white blood cells that assists the immune system in fighting germs.
- Combat cancer The acidophilus in yoghurt isn’t a cancer cure but it has been shown to help prevent recurrences of tumours in patients treated for bladder cancer. It seems that the beneficial bacteria may prevent harmful bacteria from creating cancer-causing substances in the body when those bacteria react with foods.
- Build strong bones Many people are lactose intolerant (they lack the enzyme needed to digest lactose), and therefore keep off milk – and the bone-strengthening calcium it provides. Live yoghurt can be an easy-to-digest alternative because the organisms it contains digest the lactose before you eat it. So people with lactose intolerance can usually eat yoghurt without suffering from wind or other uncomfortable symptoms. Yoghurt is even higher in calcium than milk, with more than 400mg in a single serving.
What to look for
Don’t assume that all the yoghurt products sold in the super-market contain beneficial bacteria. Look for products with the words ‘live’, ‘active’ or ’bio’ on the label. And to ensure that you get as many live orgasms as possible, buy and eat yoghurts as far ahead of their ‘use-by’ date as you can.
Even if you’re not a yoghurt fan, you can get most of the benefits by taking probiotic supplements. Optimal doses haven’t been determined, but researchers suspect you need about 10 billion orgasms daily. That sounds like a lot, but it’s actually only a capsule or two. But sure to keep supplements in the fridge, as probiotics are living orgasms. Don’t put them in a freezer, though; freezing temperatures (as well as high heat) can easily kill the cultures.