While many dairy products are best to avoid when you're intestinal system is out of whack, yogurt may actually help improve to diarrhea. In fact, yogurt may actually help heal any intestinal damage as the result of a virus or allergic response. Check with your doctor to be sure, but consider adding yogurt to your gastrointestinal recovery diet.
Probiotics
One of the reasons that yogurt may help when you're suffering from diarrhea is that is contains probiotics. Probiotics can both mitigate the impact of diarrhea and even work to prevent it, according to an article published in the February 2007 "Journal of Nutrition." In the article, the authors state that probiotics both prevent diarrhea and can help cure it. While not all yogurt include probiotics, some brands of yogurt are designed and marketed specifically to include them.
Considerations
However, while probiotics in yogurt may help cure and prevent diarrhea, review the label of your yogurt product carefully. Probiotic strains differ -- some may help prevent colds, others help with digestive issues. Since no standard labeling exists to identify probiotics in yogurt and no standard dosage exists, the yogurt may not be effective if you're hoping to use it as a curative. Look for yogurts that contain Lactobacillus -- all of its strains help combat diarrhea.
Recovery
If you're on a low-fiber diet as you recover from gastrointestinal issues or post-surgery, yogurt is still recommended, according to the MayoClinic.com. It is both a relatively easy-to-digest food as well as the benefits of calcium. Don't include yogurt with fruits, seeds or nuts, however. These ingredients don't aid in diarrhea recovery and may hamper your recovery altogether.
Lactose Intolerance
If your diarrhea is caused by lactose intolerance, yogurt may still be appropriate for your diet. Because of the cultures present in yogurt, yogurt may not trigger a response in those who are lactose-intolerant. The cultures may increase the lactase enzyme present in the yogurt itself. Since lactose intolerance is caused by an inability to produce enough or any lactase enzyme in the small intestine to digest the natural sugar lactose that is present in most dairy products, yogurt may mitigate or obviate any bloating, gas or diarrhea symptoms that lactose intolerance causes.
References
- AskDrSears.com: Yogurt
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; Probiotics and Prebiotics: Effects on Diarrhea; Michael de Vrese and Philippe R. Marteau; March 2007
- "The New York Times"; Probiotics: Looking Underneath the Yogurt Label; Tara Parker-Pope; September 2009
- MayoClinic.com; Low-Fiber Diet; August 2009
- Ohio State University Medical Center: Lactose Intolerance;
