Lactobacilli are health-promoting bacteria that are part of your gut microbiota. They can also be found in probiotic fermented foods. Lactobacilli’s health benefits include:
- Supporting gut health
- Supporting a well-functioning immune system
- Creating a barrier preventing the establishment of bad bacteria in the gut
- Contributing to digestive mechanisms, by transforming fiber into beneficial metabolites
The Lactobacillus genus was first described in 1901. Today, in 2020, scientists are able to identify 25 genera, including 23 novel genera established by the new classification.
Many factors can have an impact on gut microbiota’s diversity and richness, including age and medication, which can impact the levels of Lactobacilli. You can maintain the Lactobacilli population in your gut microbiota by including foods that contain this live bacteria, such as yogurt, or by consuming prebiotic dietary fibers found naturally in foods such as onions, garlic and bananas, which encourage the growth of good bacteria.
If the Lactobacillus genus brings common core benefits, certain benefits, however, can be dependent on the specie and even the strain.
Learn more about the bacteria’s benefits, how you can increase their diversity in the gut microbiota and how the bacteria’s names are translated in this new classification, in our updated infographic on Lactobacilli.
What does this mean for you? Not much. Those same probiotic bacteria will remain in your food. This change is nomenclature and will not, however, impact the labelling of your products right now, as any changes to product labels may take a year or more to occur.
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References:
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