Intestinal bacteria are bacteria which reside inside the intestines of both animals and humans. These bacteria usually have a lot of activities going on inside these intestines which are sometimes good and other times bad enough to cause harm to the host organism. The bacteria found in intestines most of the times belong to different species and groups. In humans, the bacteria enter the body during the birth process. As the baby tries to come out during birth, the bacteria residing around the mother's vagina get transmitted to it and immediately they make use of all the oxygen inside the baby. After they settle inside the intestines, the bacteria ensure that there is no oxygen present where they are staying throughout a person's life since they happen to be anaerobic,which means once they are exposed to oxygen gas, they may die. The intestinal flora are part of the intestinal bacteria that reside in humans. They are known for their good work in the body including producing hormones for their host. These hormones are mostly used to direct the host organism to store some of the fat being produced inside the body. This fat would most of the time be used when there is a low level of fat being released in the body. The intestinal flora are also used to improve the protective barrier of the digestive tract. By performing this task, ingested material such as food is allowed to flow down for digestion without major complications. This would mean that, the digestion process would smoothly take place as intended which will in turn increase the metabolism rate. With a high metabolism rate in place, body cells are able to absorb required nutrients easily and this process helps the person harboring the bacteria to grow in a healthy manner. The E. coli bacteria are other intestinal bacteria found in both animals and humans. They mainly help with the food digestion process and production of vitamins including vitamin K. Both these activities are seen to be beneficial to us as they help us grow better. In animals such as cows, goats, giraffes and the deer, these bacteria stay in the rumen where they are used to break down the grass and hay ingested by the animal into simpler nutrients that the animal can easily absorb into the blood stream. However, at times having the E. coli bacteria inside the intestines could be considered as dangerous because sometimes, these bacteria contain the harmful strain of E. coli 0157:H7 which causes a person to have a blood stained diarrhea until treatment is taken. Lactobacilla bacteria are also found in the intestines and are known for their ability to consume refined sugar and then release acid. This acid helps in the digestion process but when it is produced in huge quantities, it may cause problems to the person. These problems may include regular acid reflux conditions, heart burns and so many other problems that can be caused by having excess acid in the body. Other intestinal bacteria include the eubacteria, spifida, clostridium and the bacteroides bacteria. These bacteria have a lot of functions in the intestines one of them being our guards in the intestines. By colonizing the intestine area, they ensure that no pathogen or any other dangerous organisms have a conducive environment to allow them to survive. This way, we remain safe from probable infections that we would have had were it not for the presence of these bacteria. To boost the survival of these intestinal bacteria, food containing fiber is usually recommended so that the bacteria could feed on the fiber and get enough nutrients for them to properly continue with their work. On the other hand, abuse of antibiotics often reduce the number of intestinal bacteria by killing them. Wangeci Kinyanjui is an expert on research and reporting on Health Matters for years.To get more information on intestinal bacteria visit her site at INTESTINAL BACTERIA
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