In general, most people are unaware that more than 400 different species of microorganisms coexist in our digestive tube and comprise what is known as the "intestinal microbiota". There are whole groups of bacteria acknowledged as beneficial for the individual and other groups potentially harmful that coexist in a state of equilibrium.

Any unbalanced food and particularly that poor in fibre, provokes an imbalance of the intestinal microbiota making the organism vulnerable to deceases. The stability of the intestinal flora is important for all its functions to operate, both nutritional and metabolic as a defence of the organism, contributing towards maintaining a better state of health and well being.

Martín Gotteland Specialist in Digestive Physiology at the INTA.

Stress, poor eating habits and the abuse of antibiotics are the principal factors that can negatively affect the equilibrium of our intestinal microbiota. Thus, a healthy diet, natural and with no side effects, is the best alternative for considerably improving the intestinal function and, thereby, optimising our health. Functional foods such as probiotics have also much to contribute towards recovering this equilibrium. This affirmation was made by Martín Gotteland, Specialist in Digestive Physiology at the University of Chile's Nutrition and Food Technology Institute (INTA), who defines probiotics as "live microorganisms, present in diets, that survive their transit through the digestive tube where they have physiological benefits on the host's health.

Probiotics contribute to the maintenance of the equilibrium of the intestinal microbiota, regulating the digestive function, interfering with pathogens and modulate the immune system, benefiting therefore the organism's health". Martín Gotteland is clear when he points out the numerous studies on the effects of probiotics that have demonstrated that a significant percentage of lactic bacteria consumed survives in the digestive tube, modulating the microflora, stimulating the local immune system and improving the digestion of certain foods.

What are functional foods? These are foods that, in additional to their fundamental nutritional effects, contain components that have a beneficial effect on some of the functions of the organism. Thus, they permit a better state of health for the people that consume them, reducing the risk of illness. As such, probiotics represent a very important group within functional foods.

Benefits from probiotics - Increase the defences of the human organism - Balance the intestinal flora - Regulate the intestinal transit - Prevent intestinal infections - Improve the digestion of certain foods

It is important to point out that these effects depend specifically on the type utilized, which makes the process of selection of the probiotics and the criteria used that much more important. Without doubt, in addition to the necessary changes in habit, probiotics are a good alternative for regulating the intestinal flora.