# Question about a commercial. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 12, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272 "2008-07-12T21:55:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/1 "2008-07-12T21:55:15Z")
I don’t undertand this commercial. There are two women taking on the edge of the pool, the one asks the other to go swimming, and she says no and whispers digestive issues. Then they break to Jamie lee Curtis talking about yogurt. What kind of digestive issues have to do with swimming? Is she afraid she is gonna fart in the pool? take a shit? The runs are gonna leak out? What female digestive issues prevent swimming, but allow sitting on a pool chair? ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/2 "2008-07-12T21:59:43Z")
I’d explain it to you, but I don’t understand it, either. The only thing I can figure out is that her tummy just doesn’t feel good, so she doesn’t feel like doing much? I don’t know. Maybe somebody else can help. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/3 "2008-07-12T23:58:55Z")
She has diarrhea. If she’s sitting still, less of a problem, but engaging in vigorous activity might cause a loss of control. Supposedly the active yogurt cultures help normalize the gut to help the condition. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/4 "2008-07-13T02:54:18Z")
It’s probably one of those things where if you’re in the target market, you’d understand. I for one applaud their lack of explicitness on this issue! ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/5 "2008-07-13T03:32:26Z")
She wants to avoid [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiNNUggNnHQ). (link has sound) Joe ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/6 "2008-07-13T03:41:18Z")
Maybe it’s gas. It’s a lot harder to blame it on the dog if you’re in a pool and everyone can see the bubbles rising. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/7 "2008-07-13T03:52:53Z")
[QUOTE=MLS] She has diarrhea. [/QUOTE] That would make sense, but the product specifically targets constipation. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/8 "2008-07-13T17:25:22Z")
[QUOTE=Exapno Mapcase] That would make sense, but the product specifically targets constipation. [/QUOTE] Does it really? If so, IMHO it’s foolish. Unless it’s one of those that supposedly has fiber in it. I’ve often heard of yogurt being suggested for people with diarhhea, especially if brought on by a course of antibiotics, which can kill off the beneficial bacteria as well as the disease-causing ones. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/9 "2008-07-13T20:03:22Z")
Either diarrhea or constipation can cause intestinal cramps; I guess that would make one reluctant to go swimming. Look, let’s not analyze this thing to death; it’ll kill the magic. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/10 "2008-07-14T01:25:00Z")
It’s for Activia, which I understand to contain [Bifidobacterium animalis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bifidobacterium_animalis), marketed as Bifida regularis, an intestinal flora regulator type thing, rather than a fiber type thing. Looking online, I see nothing to tell whether it’s meant to regulate, period, or if it’s meant to address just constipation. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/11 "2008-07-14T01:40:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **jayjay** > Looking online, I see nothing to tell whether it’s meant to regulate, period, or if it’s meant to address just constipation. There was a [recent article](http://www.slate.com/id/2194620/) in _Slate_ basically claiming that’s a deliberate choice on Dannon’s part. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/12 "2008-07-14T01:44:48Z")
[QUOTE=Quixotic] There was a [recent article](http://www.slate.com/id/2194620/) in _Slate_ basically claiming that’s a deliberate choice on Dannon’s part. [/QUOTE] Yes, but what’s mystifying me is that unless Dannon has net-police on alert editing the generic bacterial Wikipedia entry, even online sources don’t say exactly what it’s supposed to do. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/13 "2008-07-14T03:19:01Z")
[SNL Jamie Lee Curtis yogurt sketch](http://www.hulu.com/watch/17002/saturday-night-live-activia-yogurt). ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-commercial/456272/14 "2008-07-14T14:56:28Z")
She specifically said she’s “irregular” which usually means constipated. I would imagine that she doesn’t want to go swimming because she’s bloaty and uncomfortable.