Application of probiotic bacteria for prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases Aplica o de bactérias probióticas para profilaxia e tratamento de doen as gastrointestinais

Probiotics bacteria such as Bifidobacterium ssp and Lactobacillus ssp are important for the health of human beings; therefore , whenever consumed , they increase the number and the activity of intestinal microorganisms with useful properties to the host , being essential for the production of symbiotic products. Probiotics has a positive effect on many diseases, facilitating to the formation of the probiotic barrier in the intestine, thus hindering the settling of microbiota for pathogenic bacteria. Some of the described mechanisms for this impediment are: competition in the intestine favoring the bacteria probiotics, stimulation of the Immunologic System thus facilitating the defense of the organism, reduction of cholesterol levels with reduction of the LDL cholesterol, improvement of the protein digestion and increase of vitamin absorption. Foods with probiotics are known as Probiotics Food, as for example, fermented milk which nowadays helps people with intestine cancer, Crohn’s disease , diarrheas caused for virus and bacteria and traveler’s diarrhea. However, for these probiotics bacteria to be really efficient, they must be resistant to the gastric juice and bile, so that they can reach the microbiota and perform their functions. This work had the purpose to point out the importance of probiotics bacteria such as Bifidobacterium and/or Lactobacillus for the health of human beings. Bactérias probióticas como Bifidobactéria e Lactobacilos s o importantes para a saúde humana, pois quando consumidas, podem aumentar o número e a atividade dos microrganismos intestinais com propriedades úteis ao hospedeiro. S o muitas as doen as em que os probióticos tem efeitos benéficos, facilitando a forma o da chamada barreira probiótica no intestino, impedindo, assim, a coloniza o da microbiota por bactérias patogênicas. Alguns dos mecanismos descritos para esse impedimento é a competi o que ocorre no intestino favorecendo as bactérias probióticas, o estimulo do sistema imunológico facilitando a defesa do organismo, significativa redu o dos níveis de colesterol total com diminui o do LDL colesterol, melhora da digest o de proteínas e aumento da absor o de vitaminas e minerais. Os alimentos que contém probióticos s o chamados de Alimentos Funcionais, como, por exemplo, os leites fermentados que ajudam hoje pessoas com cancer de colo de intestino, doen a de Cronh, diarréias causadas por vírus e bactérias, e diarréia do viajante. Porém, para que essas bactérias probióticas sejam realmente eficazes, é necessário que sejam resistentes ao suco gástrico e à bile, pa