Did you know?
- 70% of the body's immune cells are located in the gut
- Inside our bodies there are 10 times as many bacteria as our own living cells
- There are at least 1,000 species of bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract, of which about 40 species predominate
- There are approximately 100,000 billion bacteria in an adult's gastrointestinal tract
- It is estimated that the average adult has between one and two kilograms of bacteria in the intestine at any one time
- The bacteria in your intestinal tract could cover a full tennis court, if unravelled
- When infants are born, they enter the world with a sterile gut which is quickly inhabited by bacteria. This process begins during birth when the baby comes into contact with his or her mother's bacteria
- The combination of good and bad bacteria present in the gut is unique for every individual - almost like fingerprints
- The opposite of antibiotic is probiotic - a term coined in 1965 to describe substances that favour the growth of beneficial bacteria in the body
- Probiotics means 'for life'
- Probiotics should be taken every day as they do not colonise the gut but exert their effects as they pass through the digestive tract
- Probiotics should be taken with food as this buffers the pH of the stomach and aids the passage/survival of probiotics through the gastrointestinal tract
- Fatigue, lethargy, repeated infections, slow wound healing, allergies, thrush and frequent colds and flu are all signs of a weakened immune system
- Enemies of our intestines include antibiotics, antacids, laxatives, stress, excess carbohydrates and oral contraceptives
