• Nutrition & health

Everything you need to know about the benefits of probiotics

By Courtney Gerlach

Courtney is a Registered Dietitian at Fonterra. She holds a BSc. Food Science & Nutrition, and a MHSc in Nutrition & Dietetics

  • Nutrition & health

What are Probiotics?

Our gut is made up of trillions of different microbes including “good” and “bad” bacteria, which varies from person to person. The balance between “good” and “bad” bacteria is delicate and can be affected by many things in our day-to-day life including:

  • Diet
  • Ageing
  • Exercise
  • Medications
  • Stress

Probiotics are “good” bacteria that have a range of proven health benefits. Including certain probiotics as part of a healthy diet can help to keep your digestive balance in check.

Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics are microorganisms that aid digestive health by boosting the number of friendly or ‘good’ bacteria that live naturally in the gut. They are known to be important modulators for health, operating through a complex system to support many facets of our inner wellbeing.

Probiotics or ‘good’ bacteria help to:

  • Top up or replenish the number of ‘good’ bacteria
  • Support gut health
  • Reduce the growth of harmful bacteria
  • Restore natural digestive balance