Login or Register

Is Acidophilus Good for Diarrhea?

Mar 4, 2011 | By Suzanne Robin

Diarrhea, the passage of frequent, loose stools, is a common occurrence related to infections from bacteria and viruses as well as from dietary indiscretions and gastrointestinal disorders. While diarrhea normally runs its course within a few days, severe diarrhea can cause potentially serious dehydration and weakness, especially in the very young and the very old. Taking acidophilus, a type of "good" bacteria found in the gut, may decrease symptoms and duration of diarrhea in some cases, but more study is needed to determine the true benefit.

Definition

Acidophilus, scientifically known as lactobacillus acidophilus, is one of the many beneficial species of bacteria that inhabit the human intestine by the trillions. Also known as probiotics, good bacteria help maintain the proper balance between good and bad bacteria in the intestine. Antibiotics, which indiscriminately kill all bacteria, good and bad, and viral or bacterial infection both disrupt the ratio of good to bad bacteria.

Studies on Traveler's Diarrhea

Because of the number of different types of probiotics, studies that show benefit for treating certain conditions specifically with acidophilus are lacking. A meta-analysis of 12 studies conducted between 1977 and 2005 by researchers from the VA Puget Sound Health Care System found that a mixture of acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidum was effective in preventing traveler's diarrhea in some of the studies reviewed. Results were published in the March 2007 issue of "Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease." Not all the studies used the same probiotics for prevention.

Acute Diarrhea in Children

Researchers at Aligarh Muslim University in India published a study on the use of lactobacillus acidophilus in hospitalized children who were 6 months to 12 years old. The double-blind placebo-controlled study found no difference between the placebo and the tyndalized, or heat-treated, acidophilus group in terms of duration, severity, hospital stay time or intravenous fluid requirement, according to the article published in the November 2007 issue of the "Indian Journal of Pediatrics." A study reported by researchers from Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital in Thailand using the same treatment on hospitalized children, 50 percent of whom had rotavirus in each group, found that acidophilus decreased the duration of diarrhea from 57 hours for the placebo to 42.7 hours in the treated group. The study was published in the January 2000 issue of the "Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition."

Dosage and Side Effects

To prevent or treat diarrhea in adults, take one to two billion colony-forming cells per day, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends. Some medical practitioners suggest taking up to 10 to 15 billion cells per day, the center also reports. Ask your medical provider to recommend a safe dose for your particular medical condition. Side effects of acidophilus include gas, bloating and diarrhea when people take more than one to two billion cells per day. When taking acidophilus to prevent diarrhea caused by certain antibiotics, take acidophilus two to three hours after taking the antibiotic dose, the Medical Center recommends. Heart-valve infections have occurred in people taking acidophilus and may be more common in people with artificial heart valves, MayoClinic.com reports. People with weakened immune systems should also not take acidophilus, according to MayoClinic.com.

References

Article reviewed by TimDog Last updated on: Mar 4, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries