Digestive Health and Nutrition - Some bacteria are good to eat

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Some bacteria are good to eat

The human body plays host to many types of good and bad bacteria, particularly in the intestinal tract, where bacteria help break down food and allow us to absorb nutrients. Researchers are finding that consuming good bacteria called probiotics can help maintain health. Probiotics don't normally exist in the intestine in great quantities, so to keep them at high levels they have to be continually ingested. Many people obtain these beneficial bacteria when they eat yogurt. But they can also be introduced to the gut via nutritional supplements. This is particularly beneficial for people living with inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, where it helps to balance out the bad bacteria that can produce toxins that irritate the inflamed gut.

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