Understanding the Bacteria in Your Body

 

In your body you have a large amount of bacteria. Ever since you were born, bacteria have had a place to call home inside of your body. They have colonized your body and they live there happily with everything they could ever need. There are both good and bad bacteria in your body. They all have their own jobs and they all do their own thing. Here is a list of the most harmful and the most beneficial bacteria that inhabit our bodies:

 

The Most Harmful Bacteria

 

* Streptococcus pyogenes - This type of bacteria causes a sore throat and skin infections that may worsen. When an infection worsens, it could lead to life-threatening issues like toxic shock syndrome.

 

* Escherichia coli - This type of bacteria causes diarrhea. However, some pathogenic strains may lead to more of a bloody diarrhea and circulatory shock.

 

* Staphylococcus - This type of bacteria lives on the skin. It is harmless unless it enters the body. It can enter during surgery and then inhabit heart valves or artificial joints. That’s when it can cause very dangerous and serious infections.

 

The Most Beneficial Bacteria

 

* Lactobacillus acidophilus - This type of bacteria lives in many parts of your body. The most common place is your intestine, vagina, and oral cavity. It helps to ensure your vagina does not get an overgrowth of microorganisms and it’s responsible for the pH scale of the vagina to be slightly acidic. This bacteria has also been known to boost immunity. Because of all the benefits it has, it is used in food supplements. It is also found naturally in foods like yogurt, tempeh and miso.

 

* Bacillus subtilis - This helps to normalize gut motility and metabolic functioning. It is found in foods like yogurt, cheese, milk, ice cream, and fermented soybeans.

 

* Bifidobacterium animalis - This type is found in the intestine of both humans and animals. It aids in the digestion process. If you are constipated or have irritable bowel syndrome, you can take this in supplemental doses to ease and improve the symptoms.

 

* Streptococcus thermophilus - This type of bacteria can strengthen immunity and can strengthen the function ability of the gut. It can be obtained from dairy products like cheese.

 

* Lactobacillus reuteri - This type is found in maternal breast milk and will become a permanent part of the gut flora. It can also be found in foods like cheese and yogurt.

 

We have been trained to think that all bacteria is bad. But without the bacteria in our bodies, we wouldn’t be able to break down food or create nutrients needed for us to survive. The bacteria inhabited in our bodies also determines whether or not we experience diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, and abdominal pain.