Key Difference – Acidophilus vs Probiotics
 

Our digestive system is composed of several important organs. It functions in digestion and absorption of nutrients of the foods that we consume. The digestion process is aided by gut bacteria. Gut bacteria are known as probiotics. These gut bacteria are also referred as ‘good bacteria’ since they provide immense support in the health of the digestive system and the digestion process. Probiotics have attracted the concern of scientists due to its value in gut health. Probiotics can be defined as living microorganisms that reside in the gut and are important for the digestion process. There are many different types of probiotic strains. Among them, Acidophilus is one type of probiotics commonly found in the gut. The key difference between Acidophilus and Probiotics is that Acidophilus is a particular strain of probiotics, while the probiotics are a group of good living microorganisms that populate the human intestines.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Acidophilus
3. What are Probiotics
4. Similarities Between Acidophilus and Probiotics
5. Side by Side Comparison – Acidophilus vs Probiotics in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Acidophilus?

Acidophilus is a one common bacterial species of probiotics. The scientific name of the acidophilus is Lactobacillus acidophilus. It is a gram positive microaerophilic bacterium. Acidophilus is found in our digestive system mainly in mouth and intestine. And also it is found in the vagina of females since it is a strain of vaginal microbiome. Acidophilus can be taken as a supplement. It is available in many forms such as capsules, tablets, wafers, powder etc. Acidophilus is added to many commercial food products such as yoghurt, miso and tempeh etc.

Figure 01: Lactobacillus acidophilus

Acidophilus is important in many ways. It increases the health of the digestive tract. Acidophilus is able to reduce the cholesterol level of the blood, prevent the occurrence of diarrhea, treat the bacterial vaginosis, promote weight loss, prevent cold and flu symptoms, reduce and prevent allergy symptoms and eczema, etc.

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are living microorganisms that are important for the health of the digestive system. They are also known as good bacteria. Since probiotics do not show any threat of infection, they are helpful microorganisms. Some bacteria and yeast are identified as probiotics. When there are digestive problems, doctors often prescribe probiotics as a food supplement to increase the gut health and resolve the digestive problems. Probiotics are important in repopulating the good bacteria in our gut after their loss due to an antibiotic treatment. And also they are important to maintain the balance of good and bad microorganism populations in our body and keep us healthy.

There are many types of probiotic bacteria. They all can be categorized into two main groups namely Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Lactobacilli are the most common group of probiotics, and they are found in yoghurt and different fermented foods. They are important to recover from diarrhoea and solve the difficulty of lactose digestion in milk. Bifidobacteria can be found in dairy products, and they are important for treating the diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease etc.

Figure 02: Probiotics

Probiotics are helpful in different ways other than the digestion. They are effective in preventing and curing skin problems such as eczema. And also they are useful in maintaining overall health and fighting against infections.

What are the Similarities Between Acidophilus and Probiotics?

• Acidophilus and probiotics are good bacteria of our digestive system.
• Both acidophilus and probiotics are important for the gut health and overall health.
• Both acidophilus and probiotics are important for the re population of good bacteria in our digestive system.
• Both acidophilus and probiotics are capable of resolving digestive system problems.
• Both acidophilus and probiotics do not cause infections.
• Acidophilus and probiotics are found in yoghurts and other fermented products.

What is the Difference Between Acidophilus and Probiotics?

Summary – Acidophilus vs Probiotics

Our digestive system provides living spaces for many important good microorganisms which aid in the digestive process and health of the digestive system. They are known as good bacteria or probiotics. Yeast is one fungus which is considered as probiotic microorganisms. There are two main groups of probiotic bacteria namely Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Lactobacillus acidophilus commonly known as acidophilus is one common strain of probiotics. Acidophilus provides many important benefits, and it is taken as a food supplement commonly. It is found in yoghurts and fermented foods. This is the difference between Acidophilus and probiotics.

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Reference:

1.“What Are Probiotics?” WebMD, WebMD. Available here 
2.  “Lactobacillus acidophilus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Feb. 2018,  Available here

Image Courtesy:

1.’Lactobacillus acidophilus (259 09) Lactobacillus acidophilus (Döderlein bacillus)’By Doc. RNDr. Josef Reischig, CSc. (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2.’Probiotic’By Rachelshoemaker – Own work, (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia

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