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Colombian singer/songwriter Shakira has always been a champion for health and fitness, but she is now embarking on a new crusade –one for healthy digestion.

In the first-ever global marketing event for the dairy company Danone, Shakira will become the spokesperson for Activia, a probiotic yogurt designed to encourage healthy digestion. The campaign, entitled “Dare to Feel Good,” will be marketed to 50 countries through multiple forms of media, focusing on creative dance and “making your tummy smile.”

Shakira agreed to the promotion because she feels the yogurt company is representing something very important to her–a healthy body inside and out.

“Part of why I collaborated with Activia to make the new TV commercial was because I wanted to show how taking care of yourself from the inside helps you to unlock and express your inner health on the outside,” said the singer in a press release. “As a performer, it’s really important for me to be able to express myself on stage and perform at my best for my fans.”

SEE ALSO: Study: Probiotics in yogurt may make you sexier, slimmer and more fertile

The benefits of probiotics

The probiotics are said to promote healthy digestion, and according to Harvard University, there is definite benefit to including such foods in a person’s diet. The university indicates estimated 100 trillion microorganisms representing more than 500 different species inhabit every normal, healthy bowel, and if those organisms become unbalanced, signs of gastrointestinal stress can manifest.

Probiotic therapy has been used extensively for illnesses featuring diarrhea, and research supports the use of such foods for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease.

For women, probiotic therapy can also regulate good and bad bacteria growth for vaginal health; antibiotics, spermicides and birth control pills can throw off the natural balance of the female reproductive system, warranting the use of a probiotic treatment.

“Many women eat yogurt or insert it into the vagina to treat recurring yeast infections, a “folk” remedy for which medical science offers limited support,” states a Harvard publication.

“Oral and vaginal administration of Lactobacilli may help in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis, although there isn’t enough evidence yet to recommend it over conventional approaches. (Vaginosis must be treated because it creates a risk for pregnancy-related complications and pelvic inflammatory disease.) Probiotic treatment of urinary tract infections is under study.”

Probiotics are generally viewed as safe and are sold as dietary supplements.

SEE ALSO: Latino artists on board with #BBMAs

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Shakira adds healthy digestion to your to-do list  was originally published on zonadesabor.com