A new study by the Faculty of Health and Society in Malmo University, Sweden says that lactic acid bacteria are indeed good for our body. Lactobacillus recteri commonly known as lactic acid bacteria is popular among households for conserving and increasing the nutritional value of food.

Research shows that the bacteria help cure various types of gastrointestinal disorders and oral problems. When the bacterium was discovered in the 1960s, it was found to be present naturally in the bodies of 30-40 percent people, now; it has reduced to only 10-20 per cent.

Gabriela Sinkiewicz, lead author of the study said "We relate this drop to changes in lifestyle. We don't eat fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, to the same extent as before and use preservatives, which kill bacteria in the food and in the body".

Sinkiewicz is also one of the first researchers to find the bacterium in breast milk in some women says "On average one of seven women had the bacterium in their breast milk. In Japan and Korea, however, women had higher concentrations of lactobacilli," She explained that the presence of the bacteria in breast milk is crucial as it protects an infant's intestinal system, help it mature and lets the immune mechanism develop. She also says that it prevents the growth of allergies.

She has further established that the bacteria prevent plaque and bleeding from the gums. She experimented with chewing gum that contained strains of the bacteria. The problem declined after only two weeks of using.