Beneficial Properties of Probiotics

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Lye Huey Shi
Kunasundari Balakrishnan
Kokila Thiagarajah
Nor Ismaliza Mohd Ismail
Ooi Shao Yin

Abstract

Probiotics are live microorganisms that can be found in fermented foods and cultured milk, and are widely used for the preparation of infant food. They are well-known as “health friendly bacteria”, which exhibit various health beneficial properties such as prevention of bowel diseases, improving the immune system, for lactose intolerance and intestinal microbial balance, exhibiting antihypercholesterolemic and antihypertensive effects, alleviation of postmenopausal disorders, and reducing traveller’s diarrhoea. Recent studies have also been focused on their uses in treating skin and oral diseases. In addition to that, modulation of the gut-brain by probiotics has been suggested as a novel therapeutic solution for anxiety and depression. Thus, this review discusses on the current probiotics-based products in Malaysia, criteria for selection of probiotics, and evidences obtained from past studies on how probiotics have been used in preventing intestinal disorders via improving the immune system, acting as an antihypercholesterolemic factor, improving oral and dermal health, and performing as anti-anxiety and anti-depressive agents.


 


Probiotik ialah mikroorganisma hidup yang boleh didapati dalam makanan fermentasi dan susu kultur, dan digunakan secara meluas dalam penyediaan makanan bayi. Probiotik dikenali sebagai “bakteria baik” yang memiliki pelbagai manfaat untuk kesihatan seperti pencegahan penyakit usus, peningkatan sistem imun, intoleransi laktosa dan keseimbangan mikrob usus, menunjukkan kesan antihiperkolesterolemik dan antihipertensi, meredakan gangguan menopaus, dan mengurangkan cirit-birit pengembara. Kajian baru-baru ini juga telah memberi tumpuan kepada kegunaan probiotik dalam merawati penyakit kulit dan mulut. Di samping itu, modulasi paksi gut-otak dengan probiotik telah dicadangkan sebagai penyelesaian terapeutik baru bagi gejala kebimbangan dan kemurungan. Oleh itu, kajian ini membincangkan mengenai produk-produk semasa yang mengandungi probiotik di Malaysia, kriteria pemilihan probiotik, dan bukti-bukti yang diperolehi daripada kajian lepas tentang bagaimana probiotik telah digunakan untuk mencegah gangguan usus melalui peningkatan sistem imun, bertindak sebagai faktor antihiperkolesterolemik, meningkatkan kesihatan mulut dan kulit, dan berperanan sebagai ejen anti-kebimbangan dan anti-kemurungan.

Article Details

How to Cite
Beneficial Properties of Probiotics. (2016). Tropical Life Sciences Research, 27(2), 73–90. https://doi.org/10.21315/tlsr2016.27.2.6
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Original Article