Probiotics for Men: Essential for Good Health
Men don’t take care of themselves. It’s a stereotypical view of the male half of the species, but it isn’t necessarily wrong. Men have long ‘pushed through’ their ailments and worries, ignoring the need to go to their family doctor, or any other medical professional, for that matter. Men tend to look for an easy answer to their issues, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the easy answer isn’t the best one. Perhaps one of the easiest methods available today is probiotics. Fortunately, there are specifically made probiotics for men that are designed to meet the specific needs of men, including prostate, colon and heart health, while also providing digestive and immune support.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics (from pro and biota, meaning "for life") are "good" bacteria touted to help maintain digestive health and boost the immune system. You can take them in a dietary supplement or get them from food sources, such as yogurt.
Bacteria have long held the reputation of being bad or leading to disease, but probiotics and those that have studied them stymie that claim. Indeed, some digestive disease specialists are recommending probiotic supplements for disorders that frustrate conventional medicine, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Since the mid-1990s, clinical studies suggest that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills.
Furthermore, gut-dwelling bacteria keep pathogens (harmful microorganisms) in check, aid digestion, nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function.
Probiotics seem to be an exceptional option for those who want to improve their health. However, since men and women’s metabolisms work differently, let’s focus on the benefits of probiotics for men specifically.
Benefits of Probiotics for Men
While the benefits of probiotics are often universal and tend to help both adults and children alike, there are gender-specific probiotics that focus on the specific health issues of each gender. For the purpose of this article, let’s focus on five benefits of using best probiotics for men.
1. Keep the Heart Healthy
While it may seem surprising that probiotics aid in heart health, there are a variety of reasons they can help keep your heart strong. Research shows that taking probiotic supplements regularly can help you maintain good cholesterol, as well as help keep your blood pressure at healthy levels.
Probiotics may also be able to lower LDL (or bad) cholesterol. Certain lactic acid-producing bacteria may reduce cholesterol by breaking down bile in the gut. Bile, a naturally occurring fluid mostly made of cholesterol, helps digestion. By breaking down bile, probiotics can prevent it from being reabsorbed in the gut, where it can enter the blood as cholesterol.
2. Urinary Health
Maintaining a balanced gut microbiome can help stop urinary tract issues before they start, as many such problems arise when E. coli migrates from your gut to your urinary tract. Taking probiotics regularly can help keep populations of unwanted bacteria under control, so there’s less of a chance of them causing problems elsewhere.
3. Healthy Bones
As we age, our bone density begins to change. Typically, we may be tempted to reach for calcium supplements, but probiotics can help us there as well.
Studies indicate that taking probiotics can help support your bones' rebuilding process. Strains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium help keep your gut microbiome in balance to support balanced immune responses and help your body to absorb and use the minerals needed to maintain strong bones.
4. Maintain Hormone Levels
One of the most important functions a probiotic can play in men is that they can help to regulate the production of oxytocin.
Oxytocin is sometimes known as the “love” hormone. It also maintains the production of testosterone in men and has several functions for supporting health, including maintaining a healthy libido and supporting the development of male characteristics.
Probiotics can also have a more direct effect in supporting optimal testosterone levels — one study demonstrated that supplementing with L. reuteri may help encourage reproductive health and fertility.
5. Mental Health
There seems to be a correlation between gut health and mental health. In fact, the gut and brain seem to be in constant communication. Certainly, the gut biome maintains hormones such as oxytocin, serotonin and cortisol. When you support your microbiome with probiotics, it can help to keep everything balanced
The best probiotics for men will focus on a man’s specific needs. What are you waiting for? Pick up a probiotic for men now and start on your path to better health.
