The Role of Probiotics and Nutraceuticals in GI treatment

Why is gut health important?

Your gut’s actions impact other processes that take place in your body. It’s the most central organ that other organs depend on for life-supporting nutrition. This is why gut health is very important. The gastrointestinal tract is where the food is digested, all the nutrients are absorbed and assimilated, and waste is segregated and eliminated.

Signs of poor gut health
Following are a few signs of an unhealthy gut:

• Abdominal discomfort or pain
• Diarrhoea
• Heartburn
• Constipation

Role of Probiotics²

The digestive tract contains what’s known as the gut microbiome, a term used for combined genetic material. \Such healthy bacteria are known as probiotics. Probiotics are also found in various foods, such as yogurt, buttermilk, kefir, and soy products. Also, probiotics are available in supplement form.

Benefits of Probiotics 

In addition to helping the body create healthy bacteria, food sources with probiotics also contain rich amounts of viral nutrients such as minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins. A few of the potential benefits of probiotics include:

• Management of diarrhoea
• Improved gut microbiome health
• Improved IBS symptoms
• Restored balance in the gut microbiome
• Enhanced immune functions

Probiotics help improve the immune and emotional health by lowering levels of anxiety or depression. Probiotics are essential from a gut microbiome point of view and also to treat some diseases.

What types of bacteria are in probiotics?
Probiotics may contain a wide variety of microorganisms. The most common are bacteria that belong to groups called Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. A few of the other bacteria may also be used as probiotics, as may yeasts such as Saccharomyces boulardii. Different types of bacteria have different effects. They help treat most gastrointestinal diseases.

How might probiotics work? 

Probiotics may have a variety of effects on the body, and different probiotics may act in different ways. Probiotics might:

• Produce substances that have desirable effects.
• Help the system maintain a healthy community of microorganisms, or also help the body’s community of microorganisms return to a healthy condition after being disturbed.
• Influences the body’s immune response.

Best sources of probiotic foods³

Here are some of the best probiotic foods that  can be eaten to stay healthy and well-balanced:

1. Yogurt
2. Traditional buttermilk
3. Kombucha
4. Pickles
5. Cheese
6. Sauerkraut
7. Kefir
8. Kimchi

Role of Nutraceuticals⁴
Nutraceuticals are pharmaceutically formulated products that have medicinal and nutritional value. They are developed to improve mental and physical health, prevent chronic diseases, fight stress, and increase life span. Taking into consideration the present preventive healthcare system, the relevance of nutraceuticals has increased over other supplements and medicines. Nutraceutical products in India play a very crucial role in avoiding or treating threatening conditions such as obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, GI infections, and so on. Top nutraceutical companies in India produce nutraceutical products in the form of capsules, liquids, powders, and tablets that can be divided into dietary fibers, probiotics, prebiotics, and other natural foods.

Nutraceutical categorization
Depending on various parameters, multiple classifications of nutraceuticals are proposed. Following is the classification:

• Established nutraceuticals consist of compounds that exhibit health benefits and are well clinically backed.
• Nutraceuticals consist of compounds that offer therapeutic benefits in multiple types of epidemiology/ research studies but lack compliance with large-scale research

It can be divided based on the nutraceutical sources from which they are extracted or isolated:

1. Microbially extracted nutrients, such as vitamin A
2. Phytochemicals: extracted from plants or herbs, such as flavonoids
3. Nutrients of animal origin: extracted from livestock

Divided based on chemical properties, nutraceuticals are classified as

1. Vitamins
2. Prebiotics
3. Polyunsaturated fatty acids
4. flavonoids

Benefits of Nutraceuticals⁵

Following are the health benefits to humans due to the consumption of functional foods.

1. Reduced osteoporosis
2. Improved health in general
3. Reduced risk of cancer
4. Improved gastric health
5. Improved foetal health
6. Improved mental health
7. Reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases
8. Improved weight loss/ management

How does nutraceuticals work?⁶

These nutraceutical products show their biological effects by participating as substrates, or inhibitors of enzymes in biochemical reactions, influencing absorption and the stability of nutrients, eliminating and scavenging toxic compounds along the GI, and being selective growth factors.

Best sources of Nutraceuticals

Here are some of the best sources of nutraceuticals to stay healthy and well balanced:

1. Onion
2. Garlic
3. Avovida
4. Marshmallow
5. Saffron
6. Pomegranate
7. Omega-3
8. Vitamins

Conclusion

Probiotics and nutraceutical products are expected to play a more important role in potential therapeutic development. They act as a powerful tool to preserve health and treat acute and chronic diseases caused by nutrition, thereby enhancing health. They generally don’t cause any harm. One can start incorporating probiotic-rich foods into their diet, like yogurt and a few natural products.

References: 

1. Kim SK, Guevarra RB, Kim YT, Kwon J, Kim H, Cho JH, Kim HB, Lee JH. Role of Probiotics in Human Gut Microbiome-Associated Diseases. J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2019 Sep 28;29(9):1335-1340. doi: 10.4014/jmb.1906.06064. PMID: 31434172.
2. https://www.gidoc.net/blog/the-roles-of-prebiotics-and-probiotics-in-gut-health
3. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/14598-probiotics
4. Khalaf AT, Wei Y, Alneamah SJ, Al-Shawi SG, Kadir SY, Zainol J, Liu X. What Is new in the preventive and therapeutic Role of dairy products as nutraceuticals and functional foods?. BioMed research international. 2021 Feb 22;2021:1-9.
5. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/nutraceuticals-the-therapy-for-lifestyle-diseases/
6. Banerjee A, Giri R. Nutraceuticals in gastrointestinal disorders. InNutraceuticals 2016 Jan 1 (pp. 109-122). Academic Press.
7. Pandey M, Verma RK, Saraf SA. Nutraceuticals: new era of medicine and health. Asian J Pharm Clin Res. 2010 Jan;3(1):11-5.