Derived from Greek, ‘probiotics’ literally translates as ‘for life’ (as opposed to antibiotics which means ‘against life’). By definition, probiotics are “live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host” (Hill et al., 2014). 

Based on this definition, it is evident that to achieve true ‘probiotic’ status, a microorganism must fulfill the following criteria:

1. The microorganism must be alive at time of ingestion
2. Ingested in a dosage high enough to cause an effect
3. The ingested live microorganisms need to grant a beneficial effect to the host in order to be a probiotic

Probiotic levels can be affected by a wide range of factors including poor diet (too many fats or processed foods or too little fibre), excess stress, toxic substances (including antibiotics) and excess alcohol intake. While a good diet and exercise is the first line of defence, the large demands of the modern-day life can limit our ability to achieve our goals. Understanding the potential benefits of probiotics, can help you consider how adjusting your intake (of probiotics) may best benefit you.

One of the world’s most documented strains of probiotics, Lactobacillus Casei is a dairy derived probiotic, which has been described in over 90 scientific publications and more than 20 clinical studies. The substantial amount of clinical data from these studies has indicated that Lactobacillus Casei may have beneficial effects in the gastrointestinal and immune areas: