Therapeutic Impacts of Probiotics - as Magic Bullet

¹Department of Life Sciences, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad.

²Department of Dairy Microbiology, Anand Agricultural University, Anand.

^*Corresponding Author

Pooja Nilesh Thakkar

39/233, Vijaynagar Housing Society, Near Ankur Cross Roads

Naranpura

Ahmedabad-380013, Gujarat

India

Phone: +91-9909804647

Email: poojathakkar16603@gmail.com

Abstract

Probiotics are the live microbial food/feed supplements which benefit the host when administered in a certain number. Probiotics have been within our domestic use for as long as people have consumed fermented milk, curd, butter milk, but their association with health benefits dates only from the turn of the last century, when Metchnikoff drew attention to the health promoting effects of some gut microflora on the host, and suggested that ingestion of fermented milk products ameliorated this so called auto-intoxication. Species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus, Streptococcus, Lactococcus and Saccharomyces are commonly used as Probiotics. Recently, probiotics are immensely showing fruitful results for the treatment of various diseases and to alleviate the symptoms of many others like diarrhea, pouchitis, cancer, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel disease, and a host of many others. The complete mechanisms of action of probiotics in disease management and enhancement of the health of the host remain largely unknown, but the major activities appear to be via modulation of immune responses and colonization and competitive shielding off of pathogens. This paper is set to review some of the ailments for which probiotics have been tested. With an upsurge in the use of probiotics, also comes an increase in skeptics on the safety of their use for medical purpose, the safety concerns that may obstruct effective usage, therefore cautious applications of probiotics in disease management necessitate further investigations.

Keywords: Probiotic, Lactic acid bacteria, Health, Infection, Disease management.

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