# Acidophilus Supplements? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645 "2003-12-03T04:05:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645/1 "2003-12-03T04:05:35Z")
What would someone need to take Acidophilus supplements for? I know Acidophilus is yogurt culture, but what benefit does it have? I was absent the day that they spoke about the benefits of yogurt culture. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Babbington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Mr.Babbington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Babbington)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645/2 "2003-12-03T04:06:59Z")
in high school biology. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645/3 "2003-12-03T05:30:53Z")
It helps prevent yeast infections. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645/4 "2003-12-03T05:48:14Z")
There’s a bunch of bacteria that live in your gut and help you digest your food easily. Acidophilus is either good for them, or is them–I can’t remember. Personally, I’d rather just eat yogurt, but hey, to each his own. ---
**Author:** ![JungleLove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/839c29/32.png) [@JungleLove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JungleLove)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645/5 "2003-12-03T15:51:17Z")
IANAD but Lactobacillus acidophilus is one of several probiotics, “friendly bacteria” or microflora that are natural colonizers of the intestinal tract and inhibit the growth of pathogenic or illness-causing bacteria that may be ingested, such as Helicobacter pylori, which can cause peptic ulcers, and Escherichia coli. > **[Probiotics: 'Living Drugs'](https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/406975_1)** > > The concept of orally taking mixtures of microorganisms for improved health is not new. [http://www.findarticles.com/cf\_dls/m3235/4\_63/61795698/p1/article.jhtml?term=](http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m3235/4_63/61795698/p1/article.jhtml?term=) [http://www.healthandage.com/html/res/com/ConsSupplements/Lactobacillusacidophiluscs.html](http://www.healthandage.com/html/res/com/ConsSupplements/Lactobacillusacidophiluscs.html) After finishing a round of antibiotics, some people eat yogurt with live or active cultures or take Lactobacillus acidophilus supplements to prevent an opportunistic yeast infection or antibiotic-induced diarrhea. Others take supplements when they travel to stave off traveler’s diarrhea or Montezuma’s Revenge. Women who have chronic yeast infections also may eat yogurt or take L. acidophilus supplements. As for the benefits of supplements vs. just eating yogurt, the supplements just have more concentrated amounts. Some people use supplements after taking antibiotics. There are lots of other probiotic strains besides L. acidophilus, such as Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Streptococcus thermophilus. But L. acidophilus is probably the most commonly available. Some probiotic bacterial strains are not available in the U.S., e.g. the Enterococcus faecium strain SF68. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645/6 "2003-12-03T16:50:50Z")
FWIW, from my own personal experience, after having taken antibiotics daily as a teen for almost a year to combat acne, my system was quite screwed up for a while- constant ringworm, and, er, certain other gastrointestinal problems I’d rather not get into detail here. Probiotics fixed me up right quick. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ultrafilter \* > \*\*Personally, I’d rather just eat yogurt, but hey, to each his own. \*\* Just make sure it’s plain yoghurt. The added sugars in the flavored kind can actually promote the ‘bad’ flora. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645/7 "2003-12-03T17:06:14Z")
I have a bottle of over-the-counter probiotic tablets, sold here as a cure for indigestion and diarrhea. I’ve taken it a few times and it seems to work well. It contains Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococus feacalis. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Marko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@El\_Marko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Marko)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acidophilus-supplements/216645/8 "2003-12-03T18:49:09Z")
In addition to everything else that has been said, Acidophilis supplements are marketed as a way to aid digestion of dairy products for those with a lactose intolerance. Personally, I don’t know how it developed, but I have found myself to be lactose-intolerant and acidophilis works pretty well. Although from the sound of things, others only take the stuff for fairly short periods of time to re-establish a proper balance of the little guys. I know if I stop taking my supplements, I get into trouble again pretty quickly. There’s my $0.02.