Benefits of Friendly Bacteria in Barrett Esophagus, Digestive Upset or Heart Burn

Our intestine is a natural habitat of many species of bacteria. But these naturally occurring bacteria do not have any harmful effect on the human body. In fact, they are beneficial in many ways.
· They provide us with some good vitamins such as vitamin K
· They protect us from obesity and diabetes mellitus
· They protect us from gastrointestinal infections
· They protect us from indigestion and heartburn
· They help in the breakdown of toxic waste products into a less toxic form.
Obesity, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal infections, indigestion and heartburn, all are the risk factors of Gastroesophageal reflux disease (reflux of stomach acids into the oesophagus) and chronic reflux may cause metaplastic changes in lower oesophagal portion and thus, convert normal oesophagus to Barrett's oesophagus.
The normal bacteria present in the gut prevent the growth of disease-causing bacteria through competing for food and space. Thus they protect us from getting infection and diseases. When friendly bacteria decrease in number, pathological or disease-causing bacteria get a chance to grow and cause disease. In this case, we should try to increase the number of good bacteria. There are two ways to do this. One way to get friendly bacteria is to use probiotics supplements and the second way is to use some natural foods that contain a large amount of natural friendly bacteria.
Yoghurt is one of the foods that contain a large number of good bacteria. It is also an excellent source of proteins. It contains Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophillus and Bifidus regularis in large amounts. All these bacteria help in preventing intestinal disorders.
Sauerkraut is prepared by fermenting small pieces of cabbage with lactic acid bacteria. It has a sour taste due to the presence of lactic acid. It has many health benefits, It is rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant, Vitamin B and K. It contains iron and other minor elements such as copper and manganese. It had been used historically to treat stomach ulcers and it helps in reducing the symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux thus reduce the risk of getting barret’s oesophagus and oesophagal cancer. But it contains high sodium, so its prolonged or excessive use may cause blood pressure and heart problems.
Kefir is fermented milk made by mixing milk with kefir grains. It is also a source of lactobacilli and helps in reducing the symptoms of indigestion and heartburn. It is also used in baking and to make sourdough bread, cold borscht.