For a healthy digestive system and a healthy body, it is necessary to have beneficial (good) bacteria in the intestines, which are called “digestive system microbiota”. There are about 100 trillion living bacteria, of which there are more than 400 types, in the human digestive tract. Most are benign bacteria. These benign bacteria keep a small amount of malignant bacteria under control, break down the toxins released from them with some chemical substances and render them harmless, and help the immune system to fight against malignant bacteria. When the balance between good and bad bacteria is disturbed, disorders and diseases occur in the digestive system. Necessary unnecessary use of antibiotics; After microbial intestinal infections, sometimes as in patients with reflux or gastritis, the use of acid-blocking drugs for a very long time, change of location, consumption of stored and spoiled foods, excessive consumption of ready-made and frozen foods lead to the decrease of benign bacteria and the proliferation of malignant ones. The most common complaints are gas and bloating. In addition, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, excessive belching and or winding are also common, sometimes in the form of spasm. Complaints often exacerbate in attacks, reduce daily activities and quality of life, and deteriorate work, school and social activities more than chronic diseases. In the United States, 60-70 million patients apply to the hospital with these complaints every year, and 125 million dollars are spent on diagnosis and treatment expenses. Although there is no reliable data on this subject in our country, one out of every 3-4 patients who apply to gastroenterology outpatient clinics applies with the complaint of gas bloating and the patients are looking for a solution to their problem by going doctor to doctor with the concern of cancer. Most of the time, every doctor he goes to looks at the stomach and intestines with endoscopy and he has 8-10 gastroscopy and colonoscopy reports. As a result, on the one hand, the patient’s work, school, social activities and quality of life deteriorate, on the other hand, there is a serious loss of workforce and health expenses increase. Disruption of the digestive system microbiota is most commonly seen in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), antibiotic-associated diarrhea, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD: Ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease), lactose intolerance.
Correcting the deteriorated intestinal microbiota is possible by consuming foods and beverages containing benign live bacteria. These foods and beverages containing benign live microorganisms are called “PROBIOTIC”. The oldest known probiotic is homemade yogurt made with the traditional fermentation method. Commercial yoghurts made with pasteurization do not have probiotic effects, as benign live bacteria are killed by pasteurization. There are 100 million live bacteria in yogurt, but the kind of good bacteria is limited to one. Kefir, the traditional drink of our ancestors, contains more than 10 species of benign live bacteria, and there are 7-10 million live bacteria in 1 milliliter. When you drink a glass of kefir, 1.5 trillion good-natured live bacteria enter the digestive system. Correction of the digestive system microbiota with 1 glass of kefir to drink daily; It greatly reduces the complaints in IBS, helps and supports the main treatment in IBD, lactose intolerance responds better to a lactose-free diet; When used in addition to the treatment of Hekilobacter pylori, which causes gastritis and ulcers in the stomach, the rate of removal of bacteria increases. Consumption of live bacteria is quite safe, except for some special cases. It may rarely cause sepsis (microbe entering the blood), endocarditis (heart valve inflammation), liver abscess, and fungal infections in patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer, those with severe immune system suppression, and those with serious chronic co-morbidities. Care must be taken in this aspect.
