What’s the straight dope on probiotics?
I often come across probiotic supplements touting beneficial bacteria such as acidophilus and bifidus and fermented drinks containing certain strains of Lactobacillus…
Are they necessary for good health, as they are promoted? Are they not at all helpful, and simply another marketing gimmick? Or are they only helpful under certain situations (like after taking a course of antibiotics, for example?)
Thanks in advance.
I can’t speak specifically to “probiotics,” but a combination of over-the-counter enzyme supplements and aloe mucilaginous polysaccharide supplements has all but cured my ulcerative colitis, which was getting pretty severe. I also notice that I have more energy, but this is probably due to more efficient digestion and retention of the food I eat.
Probiotics are overkill. If you just finished a round of drugs which may have killed some of your “healthy” bacteria, all you need to do is eat some yogurt or drink kefir. Eating a cup of yogurt every day or two is a good idea. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on probiotics.
DirkGntly’s problem was something else. His intestinal tract lacked the enzymes to completely digest his food due to ulcerative colitis. Enzymes are not probiotics.
I’ve read that it’s good to take such things after you’ve been on a series of strong antibiotics, since they can wipe out your intestinal flora. As for the other promises they make, I don’t know if there’s any truth to them or not.
Sorry - I probably didn’t make my point, which was: not sure about probiotics, but my experience with some over-the-counter “natural” remedies leads me to believe that there may be some merit to some natural supplements.
Well, they can’t harm you, except in the wallet.
I definitely remember reading that there was good evidence that probiotics cure colitis a large percentage of the time with no side effects. Couldn’t find the reference tonite however.
I take acidophilus. It kills my yeast infections dead. If I take it, I don’t get them; if I stop taking it, I do. Simple as that.
Do you mean that natural supplements can’t hurt you, or that probiotics can’t? I’ve never heard of any particular dangers in probiotics, but I don’t see why they wouldn’t be capable of causing harm. Remember the L-tryptophan supplements that caused Parkinsonism? Natural supplements are not necessarily safe. I’m not saying you shouldn’t use them, but they’re less regulated than drugs, so it behooves you to have adequate caution and be sure that the manufacturer is reputable.
IIRC, the problem with the tryptophan was contamination at one of the manufacturing plants and not the tryptophan itself (which, after all, is found in turkey). That’s not to say that all natural suppliments are “safe.” People have been killed by consuming too much of natural suppliments, consuming combinations which are deadly in their interaction with one another, and mistakenly comsuming the wrong substances.
Acidophilus and kin is useful for canker sores, yeast infections, mild diarrhea and/or constipation. Also after taking antibiotics. I have heard they help with colitus, and other similar problems. They can also help dogs and cats with similar mild problems, such as mild diarrhea.
In some cases, you can get enough by eating live-culture yogurt, which is not a bad way to start the day. For “daily use” that’s the way I suggest you get your Probiotics. For canker sores and those other problems listed above, a supplement can’t hurt, and isn’t too expensive.
In general, “used as directed” Probiotics are completely safe.
IANArealDoctor. YMMV.
Yeah, that’s the point. Even if the stuff itself is safe - which there’s not necessarily adequate evidence to prove - there is little oversight of the supplement industry. You don’t know what’s in the pills. Thus, taking supplements is not completely safe. I’ve never heard anything bad about probiotics, but it’s false to claim that they’re no threat to your safety. Oh, and just to help combat that silly urban legend about the tryptophan in turkey making you sleepy - it’s found in far higher quantities in chicken. Just in case you were curious. 
I was referring specifically to probiotics, not supplements in general. Of course some supplements are dangerous since they are not regulated by the FDA. Sen Hatch has seen to that. (He represents a state which has several supplement manufacturers.)
Because something is natural does not mean it can be deleterious to your health. Some plants manufacture alkaloids in their fruits to protect them from predators. Our body regulates many hormones and keeps them in proper balance. To ingest those hormones, or derivatives thereof, such as androstenedione upsets that balance and courts harmful side effects. Herbs are natural, but not necessarily safer than medications. Many herbal preparations can cause significant illnesses. Many herbs, such as St. John’s wort, echinacea purpura, and ginkgo biloba have ill effects on eggs or sperm or both. One problem with them is that they are not held to the same standards for safety and effectiveness as drugs. Another problem is that since they are not regulated, a tablet may not have what it is described as having.
Since Congress in 1994 has prevented the FDA from regulating dietary supplements, there has been a proliferation of stuff in the market. (The Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act of 1994 [DSHEA] requires that the FDA prove that a substance is dangerous before it can be ordered off the shelves. The DSHEA allows a supplement to claim that it may affect a body structure or function, although not that it can treat, cure or prevent a disease. However, many supplements do just that.) New substances and new studies are expanding geometrically. Since Since they are not regulated, the following possibilities exist:
(1) The product may not consist of what the label advertises.
(2) Other substances may have been added.
(3) It may not be safe, although not so proven.
(4) It may not work as advertised.
(5) And there may not be any studies to support its safe use.My doctor has recommended more than once that I either eat plenty of live, active culture yogurt, or take acidophilus, (which is what you’d be eating the yogurt for IIRC) because she had just prescribed a course of antibiotics, and I’m prone to getting yeast infections after finishing a course of antibiotics. Some probiotics at least, do have beneficial uses.
Yogurt and its cousin, kefir, contain several different kinds of beneficial bacteria (now called “probiotics”), including lacto acidophilus. Probiotic pills contain many more bacteria.