Probiotics have become a mainstream health remedy due to the "yogurt wars," in which yogurt manufacturers pit their proprietary bacterial strains against one another in the battle over market share and intestinal health. Lactobacillus acidophilus is a strain of probiotic bacteria that was around long before the commercial strains and has shown more promise in the prevention and treatment of diarrhea in adults. Evidence is mostly anecdotal, although some promising research exists, but more research is needed before definitive guidelines can be established. Current recommendations for using acidophilus in the treatment of diarrhea are tentative, but they show promise.
Preventing Diarrhea
Your intestines are populated by bacteria, both good and bad. When you take an antibiotic, the medication kills bacteria of many strains, without differentiating between the beneficial and the harmful bacteria. This often results in an unbalanced bacterial population. If you are left with too few beneficial bacteria, the harmful bacteria can run rampant and cause diarrhea. Taking acidophilus may help mitigate the die-off of good bacteria during your course of antibiotics by creating an environment that is very conducive to the reproduction of good bacteria. If proper levels of good bacteria are maintained, the bad bacteria don't get the chance to take over.
Easing Diarrhea
Acidophilus has been found to be moderately helpful in easing traveler's diarrhea, which occurs from exposure to unfamiliar bacterial strains through contaminated food and fluids. When these unfamiliar bacteria make their way to your gut, the good bacteria try to fend them off. Because your good bacteria are usually busy keeping your bad bacteria in check, there may not be enough good bacteria to deal with both your usual bad bacteria and this foreign invader. Between the two harmful bacteria strains, your good bacteria may become overpowered, and cause you to get diarrhea. Acidophilus can help create the bacteria-friendly environment that can help swell the population of the good bacteria until there are enough of them to perform their normal function as well as fight off the invading bacteria.
Dose
Making yogurt or milk fortified with L. acidophilus a part of your diet can help keep your bowel optimally stocked with good bacteria and may help prevent minor upsets. You can also take a supplement containing 1 to 15 billion colony forming units, or CFUs, daily. If you hope to prevent or treat diarrhea, your effective dose may vary. Consult your doctor first, but the typical store-bought acidophilus supplement is generally used. The dosage frequency may change, however, and timing is important -- you should wait about two or three hours after taking your antibiotic before you take the acidophilus.
Safety
Acidophilus is safe for most people, although it may cause some gas and stomach trouble in some. You should not take acidophilus if you have an artificial heart valve or a weakened immune system, because there is a very slight risk of a bacterial infection. Consult your doctor before use if you have any chronic condition or are taking any medications. For example, acidophilus can make your body process the popular ulcerative colitis drug sulfasalazine faster, which may change your dosing needs for this anti-inflammatory drug. If your diarrhea is caused by ulcerative colitis, acidophilus may not be the best solution for you, especially if you are taking sulfa drugs.
