益生菌的重要性
近期,大眾對含益生菌(Probiotics)的補充品越來越重視,因為這些產品能幫助維持腸道健康並提升免疫力。但你對益生菌的了解有多少呢?市面上有各式各樣的益生菌補充品,並不是每種都適合你。單靠益生菌補充品,真的能全面確保腸道健康嗎?進食時又需注意什麼?讓註冊營養師為你解答。
腸道微生物的組成
人體腸道的健康與免疫力密切相關,因為近70%的免疫細胞來自腸道。腸道內住滿了近百兆的微生物,其中約20%是益菌,20%是壞菌,剩餘60%是中性菌。這些微生物的平衡決定了它們對身體的影響:
- 益菌:能製造抗體,抑制壞菌繁殖,維持腸道健康及提升免疫力
- 壞菌:過多時會引發不適,降低免疫力
當腸道失衡(dysbiosis)時,容易出現不適,增加生病的風險。
益生菌的種類
目前已知的益生菌類型超過500種,科學研究支持的主要類別包括:
1. 雙歧桿菌(Bifidobacterium)
- B.breve(短雙歧桿菌)
- B.longum(長雙歧桿菌)
- B.bifidum(比菲德氏菌)
- B.lactis(乳酸雙歧桿菌)
2. 乳酸桿菌(Lactobacillus)
- L.acidophilus(嗜酸乳桿菌)
- L.rhamnosus GG(鼠李糖乳酸桿菌)
- L.gasseri(加氏乳酸桿菌)
這些菌種各具獨特功效:
- L.rhamnosus GG:舒緩抗生素引起的腹瀉、旅行者腹瀉 (Traveller’s diarrhoea) 、腸易激綜合症 (Irritable bowel syndrome) 及潰瘍性結腸炎 (Ulcerative colitis)
- L.reuteri:減少女性尿道炎的風險。
- B.bifidum:降低嬰兒患輪狀病毒相關腸胃炎的機會。
壞菌的影響
常見的壞菌包括:
- 葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus)
- 大腸桿菌(E. coli)
- 鏈球菌(Streptococcus)
- 綠膿桿菌(Pseudomonas aeruginosa)
- 克雷伯氏肺炎菌(Klebsiella pneumoniae)
這些壞菌可能引發身體各部位的炎症,包括:
- 肺炎
- 尿道炎
- 腸道炎症(如克隆氏症和潰瘍性結腸炎)
進食益生菌的考慮因素
雖然大多數益生菌補充品都包含上述兩類益菌,定期食用有助於維持腸道健康和提升免疫力,但除了益生菌,益生元(Prebiotics)同樣重要。益生元是益生菌的「食物」,雖然它們無法被腸道消化,但能促進益生菌的生長。益生元的天然來源包括高纖維的蔬菜、水果及全穀類,如:
- 蘆筍
- 蘋果
- 紅菜頭
- 菊苣
- 燕麥
- 韭菜
- 洋蔥
- 蒜頭
每日成年人的建議纖維攝取量為不少於25克。
如何確保益生菌的活性
為了確保益生菌的活性,營養師建議:
- 避免使用過熱的水來服用益生菌。
- 不要與抗生素同時服用。
- 建議餐後服用,以減少胃酸對益生菌的影響。
總結
益生菌在維持腸道健康和提升免疫力方面至關重要,但單靠補充品並不足夠。搭配益生元的攝取及健康的飲食習慣,才能全面保障腸道健康。在選擇益生菌產品時,建議諮詢專業的營養師,以找到最適合自己的產品。
心然推介
心然兒童益生菌軟糖 (60粒)
每粒提供25 億 CFU DE111® 益生菌
- 有助腸道消化和吸收營養
- 有助腸道健康和支持免疫力
- 適合成人及 2 歲以上兒童
資料源:
Bouvier M, Meance S, Bouley C, Berta JL, Grimaud JC. Effects of consumptionof a milk fermented by the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010 on colonic transit times in healthy humans. Bioscience Microflora 2001; 20; 43-48.
Meance S, Cayuela C, Turchet P, Raimondi A, Lucas C, Antoine JM. A fermented milk with a Bifidobacterium probiotic strain DN-173 010 shortened oro-fecal gut transit time in elderly. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease 2001; 13; 217-222.
Lievin V, Peiffer I, Hudault S, et al. Bifidobacterium strains from resident infant human gastrointestinal microflora exert antimicrobial activity. Gut 2000; 47; 646-652.
Randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial of a Lactobacillus crispatus probiotic given intravaginally for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection (2011) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21498386/
Prevention of travellers’ diarrhoea by Lactobacillus GG (1990) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2184847/
Efficacy of Lactobacillus GG in maintaining remission of ulcerative colitis (2006) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16696804/
Probiotics for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection in women: a review of the evidence from microbiological and clinical studies (2006) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16827601/
Oral administration of Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 alleviates rotavirus gastroenteritis through regulation of intestinal homeostasis by inducing mucosal protective factors (2017) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28346473/
資料來源:
Review article: bifidobacterial as probiotic agents – physiological effects and clinical benefits. (2005) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2005.02615.x
Bifidobacterium vs. Lactobacillus probiotics: what’s the difference (2020) https://www.mygenefood.com/blog/bifidobacterium-vs-lactobacillus-strains/
Bouvier M, Meance S, Bouley C, Berta JL, Grimaud JC. Effects of consumptionof a milk fermented by the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010 on colonic transit times in healthy humans. Bioscience Microflora 2001; 20; 43-48.
Meance S, Cayuela C, Turchet P, Raimondi A, Lucas C, Antoine JM. A fermented milk with a Bifidobacterium probiotic strain DN-173 010 shortened oro-fecal gut transit time in elderly. Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease 2001; 13; 217-222.
Lievin V, Peiffer I, Hudault S, et al. Bifidobacterium strains from resident infant human gastrointestinal microflora exert antimicrobial activity. Gut 2000; 47; 646-652.
Randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial of a Lactobacillus crispatus probiotic given intravaginally for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection (2011) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21498386/
Prevention of travellers’ diarrhoea by Lactobacillus GG (1990) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2184847/
Efficacy of Lactobacillus GG in maintaining remission of ulcerative colitis (2006) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16696804/
Probiotics for prevention of recurrent urinary tract infection in women: a review of the evidence from microbiological and clinical studies (2006) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16827601/
Oral administration of Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1 alleviates rotavirus gastroenteritis through regulation of intestinal homeostasis by inducing mucosal protective factors (2017) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28346473/