Have you ever noticed that essential connection between your gut and your overall health? And did you know that caring for your gut by taking the best probiotic for men can help boost your testosterone and vitality?
How about the significant connection of the gut to our brain? Yes, there’s actually a connection – for instance, your stomach gets upset every time your brain becomes overwhelmed with stress.
In fact, many naturalistic doctors believe in that idea. Among them is Natasha Campbell-McBride, a Russian-born physician and UK nutritionist who developed the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) concept.
According to her, a healthy gut is a cornerstone of good holistic health. Well, it definitely makes sense since the stomach and the intestines are necessary for absorbing essential nutrients that the body needs.
Get the picture? If you want to achieve complete wellbeing, you have to take the necessary steps to protect your gut health – and one way of doing that is by taking probiotics.
Holistic Health and Probiotic’s Role
Decades ago, knowledge on probiotics in conventional medicine was still limited. Patients were only treated for any specific symptoms that manifested, leaving out the holistic nature of health.
Interestingly though, healing the body as a whole is something that traditional medicine, such as Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, has perfected more than a thousand years ago.
A holistic view makes you realize that your body is home to billions of microorganisms with a special role. Your natural gut bacteria co-exist with you and help influence the way you think, feel, and work.
You can improve your digestive health by feasting on probiotic food – but don’t run to your nearest health food shop just yet! Let’s take a closer look at these beneficial microorganisms and see how they work.
Understanding Beneficial Microbes
Your gut is guarded by an assortment of beneficial microbes – and that means there’s more than one probiotic strain. Here are the most common ones you’ll find when you finally start to upgrade your pantry.
These three examples of good probiotic have one thing in common – their ability to keep your gut healthy and clean. And remember, a healthy gut is crucial in attaining complete health.
Lactobacillus
This is the most common probiotic, and it exists as part of your natural gut flora. You’ll most likely get it from fermented food and yogurt.
Lactobacillus can be further broken down into several strains:
- Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GGThis strain is known to aid healing rotavirus-borne diarrhea, as well as traveler diarrhea (Montezuma revenge), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and common health issues like yeast infection.
- Lactobacillus AcidophilusIt can help enhance your overall immune system. Like L. rhamnosus GG, the acidophilus strain can ease symptoms of digestive problems and infection caused by bacteria and yeast.
Bifidobacterium
This probiotic is also commonly found in dairy. Like Lactobacillus, it is effective in alleviating constipation, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and digestive tract irritation.
Bacillus Coagulans
It’s often mistaken for Lactobacilli because of its lactic-acid forming properties. What sets it apart though, is that it creates spores – a structure that allows for improved survival.
Bacillus coagulans is known to aid in rapid healing of digestive problems, specifically irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Studies have shown that the microbe can be effective in reducing the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the gut.
Do Probiotics Keep You Healthy?
Obviously, you’ll reap a myriad of benefits if ever you’d choose to take probiotics. For the sake of keeping this concise though, here are five of the most remarkable perks these helpful microbes offer:
- You get improved defenses against invading microorganisms. Colonies of good bacteria make it harder for pathogens to grow and multiply within the body.
- You’ll reduce the load on your immune system. Since your gut flora fights off harmful microbes that end up in the digestive tract, your immune cells get to focus their attention elsewhere.
- You easily replenish the good bacteria in your system. Antibiotics kill bad bacteria that can cause infection, but they also kill the beneficial ones.
- Your digestive tract’s health will improve, in turn enhancing your body’s absorption of nutrients. The nutritive value of your meals will improve without making any changes to your diet.
- A double-blind placebo-controlled study showed promising evidence of probiotics contributing to the decline of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms such as stomach acid, bloating, and gas.
It should be clear by now that probiotics support general health and wellbeing by protecting your stomach and intestines.
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Other Amazing Benefits of Probiotics
Did you know that probiotics also carry astonishing, lesser-known benefits?
Better Heart Health
Regular consumption of probiotics can cause a significant decline of heart disease biomarkers. Taking in sufficient amounts of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria can actually lower cholesterol levels.
Keep in mind that having low cholesterol levels means your arteries won’t develop blockages. With that, your heart will function optimally since it won’t have to exert extra effort pumping blood.
Infection Prevention
There’s no denying that infection is the most common problem in the urinary tract – and it’s because yeast is naturally occurring in that region of the body.
Yeast isn’t really a problem unless they exceed their normal numbers. Getting enough good bacteria can prevent overgrowth and stop the development of infection.
Stress-Lowering Effect
Cortisol is a hormone secreted during stressful periods. A high level of cortisol in the blood not only signifies stress, but also has many adverse effects such as muscle breakdown and low testosterone levels.
However, there are studies that highlight the positive impact of probiotics on both memory and mood. Low anxiety levels mean that there’s not much stress, which in turn keeps cortisol within acceptable amounts.
It was also demonstrated in a study that the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus has the ability to lower cortisol levels in the bloodstream.
Build Muscle Faster
Cortisol is one of your muscle’s enemies as it tries to heal itself from minor injuries. Fortunately, taking a probiotic food supplement can help reverse the muscle breakdown caused by cortisol.
Again, this all boils down to the ability of good bacteria to stop the impending rise of cortisol levels in your bloodstream – which, as you might know, rises during and after exercise.
Bigger Testicles
Yes, you’ve read that right. Your testicles will thank you for eating foods and supplements loaded with good bacteria – Lactobacillus reuteri to be specific.
This friendly microbe increases serum testosterone. Of course, having more of the male hormone comes with its own perks – bigger balls, increased sperm volume, and visible alpha-male characteristics.
Probiotics can also slow down age-related testicular degeneration and shrinking. Unfortunately, only animal studies have been done to test the microorganism’s hormone-boosting potential.
Still, whatever findings they get in those scientific inquiries can highlight possibilities for human application. While it may seem a bit early to some, there’s good reason for all men to rejoice.
Cortisol is one of the biggest muscle building enemies, but taking a probiotic food supplement can stop that process that’s slowing down your results.
By using pregnenolone cream or pregnenolone supplements, the levels of the compound in the body increases, and this brings about various benefits such as fatigue relief, and delay of the aging process.
Getting Your Daily Dose of Probiotics
You’re probably excited to ramp up your intake of these friendly microorganisms now. So, let’s take a look at some good dietary sources of probiotics.
Yogurt
Yogurt is probably the most popular probiotic product in the world. It’s made from fermented milk fortified with live Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria strains.
Some people also include yogurt in their weight-loss diet. Here’s something you need to keep in mind though – not all yogurt variants are healthy.
Watch out for heavily processed yogurt since they’re usually full of sugar. You wouldn’t want that, because these sugars will feed the harmful bacteria in your gut, letting them thrive instead.
Go for organic and all natural variants such as Greek yogurt. Also, don’t forget to check whether the one you’re planning to buy contains live active cultures or has not undergone heat processing.
If you’re among those who have problems processing dairy, you’ll appreciate the fact that yogurt is easier to digest – and that’s because the microbes pre-digest it for you.
Blue Cheese
Blue cheese is a fermented cheese that’s moist and crumbly in texture. It contains active strains of Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, and Debaryomyces (a good kind of yeast).
This dairy product is a great source of protein and vitamin K. These nutrients are essential for building strong muscles and tissues, as well as keeping blood circulation in check.
Blue cheese is also rich in saturated fat, which helps boost testosterone levels. Crumble this melt-in-your-mouth treat over salad and make it part of your weight loss regimen.
Fermented Leafy Vegetables
Sauerkraut and kimchi are classic examples of fermented veggies. These delicious dishes are made from cabbages, and are popular in Germany and Korea, respectively.
Apart from being an excellent source of probiotics, these dishes are also rich in vitamins K and C – micronutrients that are vital for proper blood coagulation and strengthens immunity.
These two dishes can likewise ramp up your testosterone levels. Simply put, eating sauerkraut and kimchi helps you fulfill your body’s requirements for vegetables and good bacteria at the same time.
Tempeh
Tempeh is a popular Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. It looks like a firm patty, and is generally used as a protein-rich meat substitute.
Tempeh is rich in vitamin B12, an essential nutrient that helps produce energy. This vitamin doesn’t naturally occur in soybeans, but is a byproduct of the fermentation process.
In addition, tempeh has small amounts of phytic acid – and it’s a good thing since the acid hinders the absorption of essential nutrients (particularly zinc and iron).
Soybean is naturally loaded with phytic acid. But again, the fermentation process cuts the acid’s amount, thus allowing tempeh eaters to make full use of zinc and iron from food.
Knowing which food supplements are great for your gut means not only having a fantastic health, but successfully boosting your muscle building efforts.
By using pregnenolone cream or pregnenolone supplements, the levels of the compound in the body increases, and this brings about various benefits such as fatigue relief, and delay of the aging process.
Kefir
This cultured dairy food might not be as well-known as yogurt, but it’s becoming more popular as of late due to the assortment of health benefits it offers.
Kefir can be produced by fermenting any kind of milk – be it cow, goat, sheep, rice, and soy. You can even make kefir from coconut water!
Apart from offering improved gut health due to the probiotics it contains, the dairy product also enhances bone health better than most other fermented goods.
Consuming kefir as a daily probiotic is highly recommended for lactose-intolerant people – those who can’t properly digest some of the most common dairy products.
Probiotic Supplements
If you can’t get your hands on probiotic-rich food, supplements will definitely come in handy. These pills can help you get your daily fix of gut-friendly microbes easily and safely.
The best probiotics for men will not just keep your digestion in check, but will also boost your male hormone levels. This leads to impressive benefits such as increased vigor and a leaner physique.
As you surely know by now, increasing the amount of testosterone in the blood translates to better quality of life – and that has been proven firsthand by countless men.
All these food and supplements can help increase your daily intake of healthy microorganisms. They offer a safe yet effective way of keeping your entire body healthy!
What’s a Prebiotic? Is It Important?
Prebiotics are carbohydrates that serve as food for probiotics. Your body cannot digest these carbs; they go directly to your gut’s good bacteria and serve as their nourishment in order to thrive and multiply.
Well, it can be said that prebiotics are essential for good microbes to healthily remain in your gut. Natural dietary sources of prebiotics include the following:
Alternatively, you can grab prebiotic supplements for your daily fix. This way, you’re ensured of properly feeding your good bacteria, amplifying the positive health benefits that they give your body.
Do the Right Thing and Start Today
It’s about time to bring probiotics to the limelight. After all, they boast a number of remarkable health benefits, making it easier for countless men to achieve health and wellbeing holistically.
Start stocking up on probiotic-rich food and supplements touted as the best probiotic for men today – getting some prebiotics is also recommended. Try them out yourself to finally get what many already enjoy.
