What exactly are Lactobacilli?
Lactobacilli are one of the most important types of friendly bacteria found in the digestive tract. These bacteria get their name (lacto) because they are able to turn milk sugar into lactic acid. They play a key role in producing fermented milk, yogurt, and cheeses. In early 1900 the Russian born professor Ilja Iljitsh Mechnikov (1845-1916) noted that people in Bulgaria lived longer than those in other countries, despite the fact that Bulgaria was considered “underdeveloped.” His investigation of this led him to diet, yogurt, and lactobacilli. His work was the first to prove that lactobacilli could transform milk sugar into lactic acid. Metchnikov also hypothesized that this acidity would provide a hostile environment to unfriendly bacteria. This was later proved correct. He received the Nobel Prize in 1908. Lactobacilli are able to “balance” unfriendly bacteria because when they produce lactic acid, they alter the intestinal environment, making it unsuitable for unfriendly bacteria.
