How probiotics help reduce pollution-driven inflammation
Dr. Neerja Hajela
We live in an era where clean air has become a rare luxury. From traffic fumes to industrial emissions, pollutants pervade nearly every aspect of our daily lives. While their effects are commonly associated with lung and skin health, there’s a less obvious — yet equally significant — place where they leave their mark: the gut.
Recent studies have revealed that air pollution affects more than just the air we breathe — it can also disrupt the complex community of microorganisms living in our gut. This internal ecosystem, known as the gut microbiome, plays a vital role in maintaining overall health, influencing everything from digestion and immunity to even mood regulation. When this delicate balance is disturbed, it can lead to fatigue, discomfort, and inflammation.
The good news is that supporting gut balance can be both simple and enjoyable , simply by including probiotics as a part of a well-balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
Pollution and Body’s Internal Balance
Airborne contaminants such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, and ozone can enter the body through the respiratory tract and eventually reach the bloodstream. With repeated exposure, these pollutants may alter the diversity of beneficial bacteria in the gut. When this natural balance — the very equilibrium that keeps us healthy and going — is disrupted, it can lead to discomfort and a decline in overall well-being.
This is why caring for your gut microbiome is essential—not only for digestive health, but also for maintaining your body’s overall balance and resilience, especially in today’s world, where external stressors are increasingly prevalent.
Probiotics & Gut Harmony
Probiotics are live, beneficial bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of microbes in the gut when taken in adequate amounts. Think of them as tiny soldiers, working to keep your internal ecosystem calm, balanced, and healthy.
Maintaining a healthy balance involves incorporating evidence-based probiotic foods and beverages to nurture beneficial gut bacteria and reinforce the gut barrier. Furthermore, consuming a fibre-rich diet, ensuring adequate hydration, managing stress effectively, and minimising outdoor exposure during peak pollution can collectively enhance gut health and immune resilience in an urban setting like ours.
Probiotics help restore beneficial bacteria that support a balanced gut environment and promote digestive comfort. When combined with a fibre-rich diet that includes fruits and vegetables, they can be even more effective, as dietary fibre provides prebiotics—essential “food” that allows probiotics to thrive.
Small daily habits that make a difference
You don’t have to overhaul your entire lifestyle to be kind to your gut — it’s the small, consistent changes that make the biggest difference. Incorporating a healthy balanced diet, staying well-hydrated, reducing your intake of highly processed foods and excess sugar and including a scientifically tested probiotic as a part of the diet, can all help support a healthy gut balance.
It’s also important to minimize exposure to pollutants whenever possible—for example, by exercising in a clean-air environment, adding indoor plants to help purify the air, and keeping windows closed on high-pollution days. Supporting your body both inside and out, fosters a more holistic approach to overall well-being.
Nurturing Balance from Within
Though we cannot always control the quality of the air around us, we can choose to care for the environment within. One simple yet impactful way is by incorporating probiotics through scientifically proven foods, that help the body find balance, in an increasingly unbalanced world.
Probiotics may not be a cure-all, but they remind us, that wellness often begins in the smallest of places—within the vast, unseen universe of microbes that live in our gut. When we care for them, they care for us helping to maintain our overall health and defend against harmful pollutants and other disease-causing factors.
Dr. Neerja Hajela is Head of Science and Regulatory Affairs, Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd.
