For quite some time circulates a false report on the Internet, talking about the product Danone Actimel ®. The Internet is like an open door that leads to an infinite world of information and must use common sense and check the information we read is true or not, knowing its source, comes from considering whether a body or an official body and serious testing whether it has been scientifically and has been verified by the health authority.

In this case, the beneficial properties of the product Actimel ®, have been positively evaluated by numerous agencies, including the review panel and positioning of the the World Health Organization (WHO), which confirms that there are ferments which have a beneficial effect on the body.

Our body is unable to generate this ferment by itself, it is therefore necessary to incorporate externally. Thus was born Actimel, which is only a food source Casei milk containing Lactobacillus Inmunitas, a ferment whose primary function is to participate in strengthening the body’s natural defenses. Assistant can verify several statements transmitted by these organisms and certain value to false claims circulating on the network on the product Actimel.

The gut acts as a point of entry of nutrients into the circulation and as a barrier against toxins, microorganisms that cause certain diseases and other negative elements. When altered gut integrity may be lost this capacity barrier, so these negatives can easily enter our body. The intestinal integrity is altered by changes in gut microflora (beneficial intestinal bacteria set down the first years of life and remains stable, safe and reversible transition periods) and in food.

It is very important to nutritionally support our intestinal microflora, which can be achieved by eating two types of food: Prebiotics and probiotics.Prebiotics are nondigestible foods that stimulate the growth of bacterial species already present in the colon. Examples of these foods dietary fiber: the fructooligosaccharides (FOS), inulin and hemicellulose.

A probiotic food is one that contains live microorganisms and promote the development of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidubacterias). Currently, the only probiotic foods on the market are:

• Yogurt: lactic acid bacteria fermented milk with Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus or acidophilus. This group does not enter the pasteurized yogurt after fermentation.
• Fermented milks: products that look similar to yogurt, but fermented with other bacteria such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus casei imunitass.
• Beverages: they contain juice, fermented milk and bacterial cultures.

Here are named the beneficial effects that probiotics exert on the body.

- Taken in sufficient quantities contribute to the intestinal microflora balance.
- These organisms are highly competitive, thus limiting the presence of any other organism in the intestine, as pathogens, with advantage to our health.
- In general, yogurt and fermented milk with probiotics are better tolerated than milk by lactose intolerant people.
- Stabilize and improve diseases affecting the bowel, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Improve digestion.
- Regulate the intestinal transit, both in people prone to constipation, as in those with a tendency to help regulate diarrhea and excess gas.
- Boost the immune system.
- Recent epidemiological studies have found an inverse relationship between the risk of various cancers and consumption of diets that include probiotics.
- Decreased risk of heart disease and diabetes, because in addition to regular traffic, help reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels as well as better control of blood glucose.
- Prevent and improve allergic disease.
- Increase the uptake of nutrients and promote synthesis of vitamin, mineral absorption and improve bone mineralization.
- Prevent urogenital diseases.
- There is growing scientific evidence of the effectiveness of these products.

In this sense, the product falls within Actimel probiotic and functional foods. A functional food is one that contains a component, with selective effect on one or more functions of the organism, with an added effect beyond its nutritional value and justify the positive effects that can be claimed by its healthy nature to promote health, improve the welfare and reduce the risk of developing diseases.

Still, you have to enjoy these foods knowing that they are not essential and do not cure or prevent disease alone. They are simply an option to be considered in specific circumstances (elite athletes, people suffering from disorders or diseases such as diabetes, obesity, digestive disorders, etc.). And considering that its inclusion in the diet should be assessed in advance by a professional .

In any case, eating prebiotics, probiotics or functional should be done as part of a varied and balanced diet. It is well known that diet plays a crucial role in all stages of life and is a factor in the prevention and treatment of many diseases, along with a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, the abandonment of habits toxic (snuff, excess alcohol …) and stress reduction.