Probiotics "may help with digestion and offer protection from harmful bacteria," says Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky. Probiotics may also provide relief from some chronic health issues. As you do when considering any supplement, be informed about the benefits and risks of adding them to your regimen and talk with your health care provider to make the best decision.
Description of Probiotics
Probiotics contain live and active cultures that help change the bacteria in your intestine or reintroduce bacteria to your body. Probiotics increase the "good" bacteria in the intestines or suppress the growth of "bad" bacteria. People often take probiotics to aid in digestion or to help protect themselves from bad bacteria.
Commercial Supplements
You will find probiotic supplements in pill form and in capsules that contain powder. Choose a supplement with a variety of strains of good bacteria, at least eight. Try to find a supplement that also includes a prebiotic, such as fructooligosaccarides, or FOS, to help protect the good bacteria against the acidic environment of the stomach. Find a supplement certified by the National Science Foundation to ensure quality.
Food Sources
You can easily add probiotics to your diet. Yogurt, miso and some fortified beverages--juices, soy drinks and acidophilus milk--contain probiotics. Check the food label for a statement indicating the presence of "live, active cultures." Commercial forms of probioticsinclude L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, S. thermophilus and Saccharomyces.
Benefits
Probiotics may help in the treatment of diarrhea--especially following treatment with antibiotics--irritable bowel syndrome and lactose intolerance, according to the American Dietetic Association and MayoClinic.com, and in the prevention and treatment of vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections. Other benefits may include prevention and treatment of eczema in children, hastening recovery from some intestinal infections and reducing the severity or frequency of colds.
Considerations
Most people can safely add probiotics into their diet or use them as a supplement. If you don't begin to feel relief within one to two weeks of using probiotics, consider trying a different supplement, says Dr. Marcelle Pick at WomenToWomen.com. Discuss the use of probiotics with your health care provider before giving them to a person with an underlying medical condition or compromised immune system, the very young or the very old.
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