Your body consists of good bacteria and bad bacteria. When there is a balance between both, your body is capable of functioning at its optimum. But often due to the onset of an illness or other external factors, this balance gets disturbed. There are times when there may be a shortage of good bacteria in your body, also known as probiotics. These probiotics are important for one to stay healthy.

What are the top rated probiotics?

There are many different types of probiotics. Following are the top probiotics of 2017.

Bifidobacterium
There are four strains that come under this family. It is considered to be one of the best probiotics.

B. Longum
This strain can help in improving your memory power and are capable of increasing your retention power. These bacteria strains also help to relieve you from constipation. This strain can help you to decrease your stress levels as well. They can help with preventing the growth of any bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract that could harm you in any way. It helps to boost the normal functioning of your brain as well.

B. Lactis
This strain can help improve your immunity by aiding in the proper functioning of your immune systems.

B. Breve
This is particularly beneficial for children who face constipation issues. It can also be useful for people who are often exposed to the harmful rays of the sun. The reason is that it protects your skin from any type of damage. This is another bacteria strain that is helpful in relieving you from abdominal pain.

B. Bifidum
This bacteria strain helps to decrease the symptoms caused by Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This strain can be used for increasing your body’s ability to fight against any type of infection. It helps in regulating digestion by boosting the process and maintaining the perfect balance of bacteria in your body.

Streptococcus
A strain of Streptococcus is called S. Thermophilus. Studies have shown that this particular strain helps to increase ceramide levels. This compound is in charge of keeping your skin healthy both inside and out.

Therefore, this strain has been shown to make skin healthier, smoother, and to save it from any form of infection. Additionally, the strain helps to prevent any type of diseases in your body. This is accomplished by increasing the number of antioxidants in the body.

Lactobacillus
There are four main types of strains in this family that help you in a myriad of ways. Read on to know more.

L. Rhamnosus
Are you suffering from eczema? Then this strain can be highly beneficial for you. It can help in preventing the problem of eczema. There are studies that show that pregnant women who had this strain as a supplement gave birth to children who were much less likely to develop eczema. This is compared to women who did not take any supplement with this particular strain in it.

When you are traveling or you are on antibiotics, your gut is the part of your body that is affected the most. There are many healthy bacteria which are killed during this process. L. Rhamnosus helps to treat people who get diarrhea because they travel a lot. This strain has been widely studied and it has shown to be beneficial.

L. Casei
This strain of Lactobacillus has shown that it can help support your digestive system by making it work efficiently. It helps you when you are going through a rough phase of diarrhea. There have been studies that have shown that this strain has helped a lot in treating depression and it can make you feel more relaxed as well.

L. Acidophilus
This strain has been found to help people who are lactose intolerant. Studies have shown that it also decreases the risk of colon cancer. This helps to treat various types of vaginal infections as well.

Many people have shown major improvements in recovering from acne when treated with this strain. The results were positive in people with inflamed acne.

L. Plantarum
If you suffer from abdominal pain frequently, then this strain of probiotic is recommended for you. It helps people who bloat easily as well. Hence, people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome can take this strain as a supplement to get immediate relief. This strain can help in controlling and decreasing the inflammation that is caused in the gastrointestinal tract.

Before you take probiotics
You can take foods that contain probiotics in them such as kimchi, kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, soy drinks, and miso. Otherwise, you can take probiotic supplements that are available in the market.

Some of the top probiotics supplements include—Culturelle Digestive Health Probiotic, Schiff Digestive Advantage Daily Probiotic, Trunature Digestive Probiotic, and Ortho Molecular Product Ortho Biotic.

You should speak to your doctor before you take any probiotics supplements since even the best probiotic supplement may not be ideal if unrequired. If you are someone who is pregnant, taking other medications, or if you have any serious health conditions, you must definitely consult your doctor before taking any kind of probiotics.

Probiotics might have mild side effects although they are widely considered and proven to be safe. If you have any queries, consult a medical professional.