It may seem counterintuitive, but consuming live bacteria can be good for you. A large colony of bacteria already lives in your alimentary, or digestive, tract, where they help maintain your gastrointestinal health. When populations of these "friendly" bacteria decline, as can occur when you take antibiotics, health problems can ensue. Probiotics are live bacteria that survive within your alimentary tract and confer positive benefits.
Diarrhea
Several types of diarrhea have been found to respond favorably to probiotics. According to American Family Physician, the probiotic strain Lactobacillus GG may prevent traveler's diarrhea in 47 percent of cases. Diarrhea that is prompted by antibiotic therapy may also respond well to probiotics. Several strains of probiotic, including Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum and the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii can help prevent diarrhea due to antibiotic use.
Lactose Intolerance
If you have trouble digesting dairy products, you're not alone. With the exception of those of Northern European descent, most of the world's population lacks an enzyme that aids in the digestion of milk sugar, or lactose, according to "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." This leads to problems such as bloating and nausea when foods containing lactose are consumed. With probiotics, you can enlist friendly bacteria to help do your digesting for you. Probiotics found in yogurt cultures can improve your lactose digestion and relieve those uncomfortable symptoms.
Ulcerative Colitis
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of unknown origin. Chronic inflammation of the inner lining of the large intestine causes patients with ulcerative colitis to experience diarrhea, rectal bleeding, difficult defecation and cramps. According to a report in "The American Journal of Gastroenterology" in 2005, a probiotic mixture that was administered to ulcerative colitis patients over a six-week period induced remission of symptoms in 77 percent of the test subjects, with no adverse effects.
Peptic Ulcers
Most stomach ulcers aren't caused by stress or spicy foods but by infection. A bacterium called Helicobacter pylori is responsible. According to a March 2007 report in the "Journal of Nutrition," probiotics may provide a low-cost adjunct to antibiotics in the treatment of Helicobacter infections. A study conducted by in Switzerland found that long-term consumption of probiotics from the lactobacilli species helped reduce antibiotic side effects in patients undergoing treatment for Helicobacter infection.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Introduction to Probiotics
- American Family Physician: Traveler's Diarrhea
- University of Michigan Health System: Azithromycin
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Probiotics - Compensation for Lactase Insufficiency
- The American Journal of Gastroenterology: VSL#3 Probiotic-Mixture Induces Remission in Patients with Active Ulcerative Colitis
- The Journal of Nutrition: Helicobacter Pylori and Probiotics
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