Had some bacteria today?

Probiotic processed food is the newest Health Food trend in the country and is being seen as a panacea for many ailments like diabetes.

For once we Indians have scored over the Western world when it comes to making health foods. While Europe is binging on probiotic products, and the US is investing hours of research on its benefits and side-effects, in India the probiotic bacteria has been active for years immemorial "" in the form of the homemade dahi.

With the bacteria now catching the fancy of processed food manufacturers, after sugar-free, probiotic might just become the healthiest word to join the country's health lexicon. Take, for example, Amul that has ventured into the market with probiotic desserts, and Danone-Yakult, that is promising all kinds of probiotic dairy products.

Also known as the friendly microflora, probiotic is a Greek word meaning "for life" and refers to live micro-organisms that convert sugars and other carbohydrates into lactic acid and provides the sour taste to fermented dairy foods like yoghurt. Probiotics also support digestion, reproduction and overall health by improving the balance of the intestinal microflora.

In fact, according to research carried out by the Nutrition Foundation of India, the inclusion of probiotics in the diet can help decrease the duration of morbidity in rotaviral diarrhoea and in disorders related to the gastrointestinal tract such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Studies are also underway to prove that they strengthen the immune system.

An interesting finding that makes probiotic foods even more desirable is that they support the growth of gut flora "" micro-organisms which normally live in the digestive tract. These micro-organisms train the immune system and prevent the growth of harmful species that threaten the body by throwing the good bacteria in the body out of balance "" which usually happens through the use of medicines, drugs and alcohol, and even stress and diseases.

Probiotic bacteria, upon entering the body, form temporary colonies in the body and assist it in similar functions as the natural flora while allowing it to recover from depletion. These probiotic strains are progressively replaced by naturally-developed gut flora.

Even as the country is bursting at the seams with a consistently growing diabetic population, a study by the National Dairy Research Institute claims that dahi might be the answer to reducing the risk of diabetes by delaying the onset of glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia and oxidative stress.

According to nutritionist Ishi Khosla, probiotics also help in maintaining a healthy heart by lowering the total cholesterol. Besides, they are anti-carcinogenic, especially in the case of bladder and colon cancers, prevent acne and hair loss and curing vitamin B deficiencies.

As opposed to the Western countries, where probiotic foods are a health food concept being cashed in on by companies like Muller and Danone, in India this food has been a part of the daily diet "" many Indians consume dahi, though often restricting its intake to the summer season.

The entry of the friendly microflora into the branded food segment in the country might just give it a new lease of life, throwing new light on the benefits of good old dahi.

If one were to define the ideal candidate for the use of probiotic foods as dietary supplements, you could well count in the entire Indian population. Increased stress, irregular eating habits, excessive travel, constipation, diarrhoea, high alcohol consumption as well as high intake of packaged and processed foods, and even the excessive use of medication, pollution and chemotherapy are all factors that leverage the need for probiotic foods.

So the lassi and chaach, served in the huge steel glass at the highway dhaba, might not be all that unhygienic after all. In fact, the flavoured yoghurt available in the market isn't a good searching ground if you're looking for probiotic bacteria since the cultures in it are not live. You might even want to start setting curd at home once again, a practice beginning to get lost as packaged yoghurt cups take on increasing shelf-space at both mom-and-pop stores and supermarkets.

"To ensure good gut flora it is important to take plenty of probiotic food, which supports the growth of probiotic flora. These foods also include whole grains, oats, wheat bran, barley, soy-based products, citrus fruits, carrots, onions and sunflower and fenugreek seeds," says Khosla.

Often probiotic foods give the day a healthy start if taken early in the morning, much before the body is induced with processed foods and other substances that kill healthy bacteria.

However, tablets and capsules that contain the probiotic bacteria in freeze-dried form are also available, but with the onset of the summer season demanding a cold bowl of dahi and that reviving glass of lassi or yoghurt shake in the morning, who needs supplements, you might as well enjoy the bacteria in its purest, most delicious form with every meal.