Around the world, people have turned to probiotics for many years. In America, they have become increasingly available in supplements and foods. With all the attention in commercial media and retail stores, you may be wondering ‘What are probiotics?’

The World Health Organization defines probiotics as “live microorganisms which – when administered in adequate amounts – confer a health benefit on the host.” Probiotic means “pro life.” There are a number of reasons people are interested in probiotics for health purposes. Good bacteria are essential to proper development of our immune system to protect against bad bacteria that can often cause disease and again, to aid in the absorption of food and nutrients.

Christine Gorman wrote about probiotics in a Time magazine article, stating there are “at least 400 species of bacteria” in your colon. “Which ones you have depend largely on your environment and diet. An abundance of good bacteria in the colon generally crowds out stray bad bacteria in your food. When the balance is disrupted between the good and bad bacteria in your body, this can impact your health.

You may be wondering how the balance of good bacteria and bad bacteria was thrown out of balance in the first place. By taking antibiotics, you not only kill the bad bacteria in the body that is causing you illness, but you also kill the good bacteria. People use probiotics to ease symptoms of lactose intolerance – a condition in which the gut lacks the right enzyme needed to digest sugar in milk. Probiotics are also thought to suppress the growth and activity of unsmiling conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, skin infections, vaginal infections and tooth decay.

When considering a product with probiotics, it is important to ascertain what strains are used and if they have been clinically tested. The International Probiotics Association (IPA) offers guidelines to manufacturers to state both the specific strains and quantity of probiotics at the end of shelf life. This helps consumers make an informed choice when comparing different probiotic foods, supplements and enzymes. The IPA has been working with companies to clearly delineate on their packaging which strains are used.

Eamonn M.M. Quigley, MD, and Mary Ellen Sanders, PhD, stipulate, “When considering which probiotic formulation – supplements or foods – to recommend to patients, the most important criterion is that the probiotic has been clinically tested and shown to be useful for the particular indication. They also point out that “the benefits of probiotics are strain-specific.”

When first acquainting oneself with probiotics, the nomenclature can be a bit confusing. The IPA Web site has cleverly described the naming of specific strains in terms of German cars to help specify what each part of the probiotic strain name means. According to the Web site http://blog.attunefoods.com:

Bacterial group –>  German car = lactic acid bacteria

Bacterial genus  –> Volkswagen = Lactobacillus

Bacterial species –> VW Golf = Lactobacillus acidophilus

Bacterial strain –>    VW Golf 1.4 D = Lb. acidophilus LC1

In the United States, probiotics are becoming increasingly available in supplements, enzymes and foods. Foods known for probiotics include yogurts, kombucha and other fermented foods, as well as chocolate bars and granola from Attune Foods.

Attune’s chocolate probiotic bars each have 6.1 billion probiotic colony forming units (CFUs) of three of the most clinically tested strains. Probiotics thrive and stay alive when refrigerated. So while it might seem like an interesting place to look for them, the chocolate bars are available in the yogurt aisle or in the probiotic section of many grocery stores, including H-E-B and Whole Foods. Attune’s chocolate probiotic bars are available in milk chocolate, white chocolate and three vegan dark chocolate flavors. Attune bars are an excellent source of calcium and a good source of fiber, and they have less sugar than most yogurts. Not to mention, all of the Attune chocolate bars are gluten free.

So whether you enjoy your probiotics in yogurt, supplements, drinks or Attune bars, probiotics are the good bacteria that’s good for you.

For more information please visit http://blog.attunefoods.com.