Posts Tagged ‘Probiotics’
Benefits of Prebiotics and Probiotics (Part 2)
3. Prebiotics are found naturally in breast milk and some fruits and vegetables: bananas, garlic, leek, onion, artichokes, asparagus, tomato, chicory root, and so on.
Due to its beneficial effects, has started to add inulin and oligofructose in foods such as yogurt, ice cream, milk drinks, juices, breakfast cereals, bread, snacks, confectionery … without adversely affecting the taste of them. Yogurt and fermented milks are the most common foods that we find the probiotics.
As a result of their action, can be highlighted a number of beneficial effects on the body:
Prebiotics:
- Prevents constipation and diarrhea.
- Decrease blood pressure and plasma cholesterol.
- They promote bone mineralization.
- They have protective properties against cancer colorectal.
Probiotics:
- Are useful in the prevention and treatment of infectious diarrhea due to antibiotic use.
- Decrease lactose intolerance.
- Reduce the symptoms of intestinal inflammation.
- Reduce cholesterol levels.
- Prevent colon cancer and atopic disease.
Benefits of Prebiotics and Probiotics (Part 1)
Functional foods are those which, besides its nutritional, show that exert beneficial physiological effects in the body, thus improving the health and welfare of people and even reducing the risk of certain diseases. Prebiotics and probiotics are the two types of functional food ingredients that most well known and studied, being and acting in a different way, achieve a profit similar to “promote intestinal health.”
1. Functional foods
Functional foods are those with a healthy addition to our diet. In addition to foods that naturally contain functional ingredients, food is traditional to the food industry has added, deleted, increased or modified any of its components to contribute to improve the functionality of the organism as a whole (hence is his name).
Among the fortified functional foods that most often we are in the market include milk, yogurt, juices, cereals, eggs, margarine, bread, salt, etc. The components most often added to these products are minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, selenium), vitamins (A, D, E, C, folic acid), fiber, fatty acids ( oleic acid, omega-3, or conjugated linoleic acid CLA), antioxidants (isoflavones, carotenoids, selenium, vitamin E), phytosterols (plant sterols and stanols), phytoestrogens, prebiotics, probiotics.