Can eating products filled with billions of bacteria improve your health? With all the warnings about illness from contaminated food, it may sound strange -- not to mention unappetizing. But unlike germs that cause harm, these bacteria, sold as dietary supplements called probiotics, are beneficial.
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There's now a wide array of probiotic pills and drinks, as well as foods like yogurt, which advocates say can do everything from lower cholesterol to prevent cancer. But not all the claims are equally credible, nor the products equally effective.
Human intestines contain trillions of bacteria that help digest food and guard against harmful bacteria like salmonella. A number of factors can upset the proper balance of bacteria. Among them: certain antibiotics, which kill all bacteria -- good as well as bad -- allowing harmful ones that survive to flourish.
The result can be diarrhea. There's solid evidence that taking probiotics can prevent or ease that problem. The same goes for infant diarrhea and traveler's diarrhea, the type you get from ingesting contaminated food or water in a foreign country. Studies also show that probiotics may help alleviate milk allergies in children.
For other conditions, the evidence of a benefit is more preliminary. These include vaginal and urinary tract infections, rheumatoid arthritis, constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. As for claims that probiotics boost the immune system or reduce the risk of cancer, there's been virtually no research in human beings, so it's far too early to tell.
Probiotic products, often sold in drug stores and supermarkets, don't require a prescription. They may or may not have "probiotic" on the label but will say that they contain bacteria, promote healthy digestion, and/or help the body's natural defenses.
Probiotics are considered safe for most people (except those with severely compromised immune systems), so it probably can't hurt to try them for a specific condition. But you have to read labels carefully. Different products contain different strains of good bacteria, and not all of them are equally effective. Among the most studied: LGG, L. casei, L. reuteri and B. bifidum. Make sure that the number of bacteria is at least 10(9) per dose.
Choose refrigerated or vacuum-packed products that have an expiration date. Remember that supplements are only loosely regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so you can't be 100% certain of getting what's promised on the label.
When it comes to food, your best bet is yogurt -- but not just any yogurt. Make sure the label says it contains live active cultures. One eight-ounce container a day should suffice. You can also try acidophilus milk or fermented milk called kefir. If you don't mind the taste, such foods should be your first line of defense before resorting to supplements.
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