The good bacteria are every so often called probiotics (it means 'for living') because they are believed to offer health benefits when consumed. They are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for health, expressly the digestive system, and doctors often acclaim them for gut-related problems.
Even if they are naturally found in the body, they can also be seen in some foods and supplements. It's only since the mid-1990s that people began to express more interest in probiotics and their health aids.
People Usually Think Of Bacteria As Causing Diseases
"Microorganisms are the unseen health providers," Maryam Tajabadi, founder, and director of Iranian Society of Probiotics and Functional Foods (ISPFF) told the Persian-language weekly Tejarat-e-Farda.
"There are millions of various bacteria in the world, only 200 of them causes diseases," she noted. "This is while food is one the most important causes of infectious diseases." Over 25 diseases and syndromes occur due to bacterial unevenness in the body with Alzheimer's, depression, and rheumatic diseases.
When the body loses good bacteria, such as after taking anti-biotics, probiotics can help replace them. The healthy bacteria aids balance the good and bad bacteria to keep the body in good shape. Many types of bacteria are categorizing as probiotics.
"Applied microbiology is one of the most capable majors globally," said Tajabadi, who is also founder and head of Tak Gene Bio Company, the only producer of probiotics for humans and animals in Iran.
Thanks to her hard work, there are now 13 national standards demarcated in producing probiotic products permitted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and a probiotic culture collection set up at the Iranian Biological Research Center.
Health Benefits: Body Consists Of Bacteria; Both Good And Bad
There are abundant benefits of using commercial probiotics, such as lessening of gastrointestinal anxiety or establishing healthy immune system, Tajabadi said.
Probiotics have advantageous effects on humans as well as animals. They support in treating various gut-related as well as resistance related diseases. They are gaining extensive popularity owing to the increase in consciousness of the relationships between nutrition, diet, and health.
One systematic review of 15 human randomized precise trials from July 2016 found that certain commercially available strains of probiotic bacteria when taken by mouth in daily doses of 109-1010 colony forming units for one to two months, possess behavior efficacy in certain psychological disorders, e.g. anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder - and improves certain aspects of memory.
Tajabadi emphasized reaching self-sufficiency is important for the quality and price of probiotic products, "since live microbe imports could undergo changes that affect quality during a long transport haul."
Moreover, bacteria vary in the products of each region as well as in people from different parts around the world. "The probiotics industry is an intelligent engineering that will only grow in time," she noted.
"Iranians are not aware with probiotic products yet, which will take time." One instance of a highly popular probiotic byproduct in the country is Javaneh Biscuits manufactured by the giant conglomerate Minoo Company.
Over 90 percent of the people don't have adequate information about the beneficial properties of probiotic foods, drinks, and supplements as per studies conducted by the FDA.
The exact strains of microorganisms used in probiotic products are required to be written on the product labels, as there are many diverse types of probiotics and all have different properties, per Behrouz Jannat, director general of the Food and Drugs Research Laboratory at the FDA.
Thirty licenses to produce probiotic supplements have been allotted by the FDA Hussein Rastegar, head of the FDA's Food and Drug Control Laboratories, had said last February. The global probiotics market is expected to reach $66.04 billion by 2024, per international reports.
Major market players are focusing on R&D to gain traction as far as innovation in product portfolio is concerned. Companies are impending probiotics production through a comprehensive approach to providing unique product differentiation and boost customer loyalty.
"We allocate about 12-15 percent of our resources for R&D because this field of science and business must be constantly upgraded." The company has signed agreements in research projects with three local research foundations.
