Although probiotics have been around for generations - think of the "live active cultures" in several brands of yogurt - the sheer number of products with probiotics now available may overwhelm even the most conscientious of shoppers. In some respects, the industry has grown faster than the research and scientists and doctors are calling for more studies to help determine which probiotics are beneficial and which might be a waste of money.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are living microscopic organisms, or microorganisms, that scientific research has shown to benefit your health. Most often they are bacteria, but they may also be other organisms such as yeasts. In some cases they are similar, or the same, as the “good” bacteria already in your body, particularly those in your gut. These good bacteria are part of the trillions of microorganisms that inhabit our bodies. This community of microorganisms is called the microbiota. Some microbiota organisms can cause disease. However, others are necessary for good health and digestion. This is where probiotics come in.
The most common probiotic bacteria come from two groups, Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, although it is important to remember that many other types of bacteria are also classified as probiotics. Each group of bacteria has different species and each species has different strains. This is important to remember because different strains have different benefits for different parts of your body. For example,
Lactobacillus casei Shirota has been shown to support the immune system and to help food move through the gut, but
Lactobacillus bulgaricus may help relieve symptoms of lactose intolerance, a condition in which people cannot digest the lactose found in most milk and dairy products. In general, not all probiotics are the same, and they don’t all work the same way.
Scientists are still sorting out exactly how probiotics work. They may:
✔️Boost your immune system by enhancing the production of antibodies to certain vaccines.
✔️Produce substances that prevent infection.
✔️Prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to the gut lining and growing there.
✔️Send signals to your cells to strengthen the mucus in your intestine and help it act as a barrier against infection.
✔️Inhibit or destroy toxins released by certain “bad” bacteria that can make you sick.
✔️Produce B vitamins necessary for metabolizing the food you eat, warding off anemia caused by deficiencies in B6 and B12, and maintaining healthy skin and a healthy nervous system.
Scientists are still sorting out exactly how probiotics work. They may:
✔️Boost your immune system by enhancing the production of antibodies to certain vaccines.
✔️Produce substances that prevent infection.
✔️Prevent harmful bacteria from attaching to the gut lining and growing there.
✔️Send signals to your cells to strengthen the mucus in your intestine and help it act as a barrier against infection.
✔️Inhibit or destroy toxins released by certain “bad” bacteria that can make you sick.
✔️Produce B vitamins necessary for metabolizing the food you eat, warding off anemia caused by deficiencies in B6 and B12, and maintaining healthy skin and a healthy nervous system.
Common Uses
Probiotics are most often used to promote digestive health. Because there are different kinds of probiotics, it is important to find the right one for the specific health benefit you seek. Researchers are still studying which probiotic should be used for which health or disease state. Nevertheless, probiotics have been shown to help regulate the movement of food through the intestine. They also may help treat digestive disease, something of much interest to gastroenterologists. Note that probiotics mostly supplement rather than replace digestive disease treatments. Some of the most common uses for probiotics include the treatment of the following:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of movement in the gut. People who have IBS may have diarrhea, constipation or alternating bouts of both. IBS is not caused by injury or illness. Often the only way doctors can diagnose it is to rule out other conditions through testing.
Probiotics, particularly Bifidobacterium infantis, Sacchromyces boulardii, Lactobacillus plantarum and combination probiotics may help regulate how often people with IBS have bowel movements. Probiotics may also help relieve bloating from gas. Research is continuing to determine which probiotics are best to help treat IBS.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Though some of the symptoms are the same, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is different from IBS because in IBD, the intestines become inflamed. Unlike IBS, IBD is a disorder of the immune system. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, pain, diarrhea, weight loss and blood in your stools. There are two main types of IBD: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In Crohn’s disease, ulcers may develop anywhere in your intestine including both the large and small bowels. In ulcerative colitis, inflammation only involves the large intestine. Bouts of inflammation may come and go, but mostly, prescription medication is usually needed to keep inflammation in check.
Antibiotic-Related Diarrhea
Traveler’s Diarrhea
Probiotics are most often used to promote digestive health. Because there are different kinds of probiotics, it is important to find the right one for the specific health benefit you seek. Researchers are still studying which probiotic should be used for which health or disease state. Nevertheless, probiotics have been shown to help regulate the movement of food through the intestine. They also may help treat digestive disease, something of much interest to gastroenterologists. Note that probiotics mostly supplement rather than replace digestive disease treatments. Some of the most common uses for probiotics include the treatment of the following:
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a disorder of movement in the gut. People who have IBS may have diarrhea, constipation or alternating bouts of both. IBS is not caused by injury or illness. Often the only way doctors can diagnose it is to rule out other conditions through testing.
Probiotics, particularly Bifidobacterium infantis, Sacchromyces boulardii, Lactobacillus plantarum and combination probiotics may help regulate how often people with IBS have bowel movements. Probiotics may also help relieve bloating from gas. Research is continuing to determine which probiotics are best to help treat IBS.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Though some of the symptoms are the same, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is different from IBS because in IBD, the intestines become inflamed. Unlike IBS, IBD is a disorder of the immune system. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, pain, diarrhea, weight loss and blood in your stools. There are two main types of IBD: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. In Crohn’s disease, ulcers may develop anywhere in your intestine including both the large and small bowels. In ulcerative colitis, inflammation only involves the large intestine. Bouts of inflammation may come and go, but mostly, prescription medication is usually needed to keep inflammation in check.
Recent research indicates that your gut microbiota plays a role in developing IBD, especially ulcerative colitis. Some studies suggest that probiotics may help reduce inflammation and delay the next bout of disease. Ulcerative colitis seems to respond better to probiotics than Crohn’s disease. It appears that E. coli Nissle, and a mixture of several strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus may be most beneficial. Research is continuing to determine which probiotics are best to treat IBD.
Infectious Diarrhea
Infectious diarrhea is caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites. There is evidence that probiotics such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus casei may be particularly helpful in treating diarrhea caused by rotavirus, which often affects babies and small children. Several strains of Lactobacillus and a strain of the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii may help treat and shorten the course of infectious diarrhea.
Antibiotic-Related Diarrhea
Sometimes taking an antibiotic can cause infectious diarrhea by reducing the number of good microorganisms in your gut. Then bacteria that normally do not give you any trouble can grow out of control. One such bacterium is Clostridium difficile, which is a major cause of diarrhea in hospitalized patients and people in long-term care facilities like nursing homes. The trouble with Clostridium difficile is that it tends to come back, but there is evidence that taking probiotics such as Saccharomyces boulardii may help prevent this. There is also evidence that taking probiotics when you first start taking an antibiotic may help prevent antibiotic-related diarrhea in the first place. It is important to note that most antibiotic-associated diarrhea is NOT infectious but rather is a result of reducing the number of normal microbiota in your gut.
Traveler’s Diarrhea
It’s possible to get infectious diarrhea when you travel by ingesting pathogenic, disease-causing, bacteria that are often present in the food or water (“traveler’s diarrhea”). Most studies show that probiotics are not very effective in preventing or treating traveler’s diarrhea in adults. Scientists face a challenge in determining which probiotics might be useful because of the number of destinations to which people travel and the number of different bacteria travelers may encounter.
Other Uses
Other potential uses for probiotics include maintaining a healthy mouth, preventing and treating certain skin conditions like eczema, promoting health in the urinary tract and vagina, and preventing allergies. There is not as much research about these uses as there is about the benefits of probiotics for your digestive system, and studies have had mixed results.
How Long Should You Take a Probiotic?
The benefits of probiotics are temporary and will disappear within a few weeks if you stop taking them as they do not continue to grow in your intestine. So you will need to take them as long as you feel you need their benefits.
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