Probiotics- What are they?

Probiotics is a term that has been getting a lot of press lately. You hear about it all over the place, including in commercials selling yogurt. So what are probiotics and why do we need them? The term means "pro life." Why you ask?

Probiotics are living microorganisms, which when administered effectively and in adequate amounts, into our bodies, have significant health benefits to us. You see, the adult intestinal tract is home to both good and bad microorganisms, and keeping a healthy balance between the two is key to our health. In the diets of many people today, sugar, refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats and chemicals are upsetting the balance. Probiotics introduces healthy bacteria into our bodies to restore it.

A healthy digestive system helps to alleviate gastrointestinal problems like constipation, diarrhea, and indigestion. In fact, Irritable Bowel Syndrome is the most common gastrointestinal diagnosis in the US. It is one of the top 10 reasons for visiting a doctor. Another staggering fact is that it has been estimated that medical costs related to digestive problems totals as much as $105 billion annually. Therefore, it is easy to conclude, that help in strengthening our digestive help is definitely a necessity.

If getting more healthy microorganisms introduced into our body is so important, then making sure they get all the way to the large intestine, where they can colonize and grow is the number one goal. Studies have shown that the naturally occurring probiotics in milk, yogurt and cheese are not successful in doing this. The stomach acid and biles salts kill the healthy microorganisms before they can reach the large intestine. Therefore, finding an adequate delivery system is important. Xocai chocolate is one such delivery system. Studies done in Belgium have shown that chocolate is a natural protector for the probiotics in the harsh stomach acids, and safely delivers the living microorganisms to the large intestine where they can colonize and grow.

To see more detail about the Xocai Probiotic Chocolates, visit the link and click on the Xobiotics Product.