Probiotics occur naturally in many foods. These tiny organisms continue to live in your digestive system after you eat them, and their natural functions can result in healthy outcomes for you. Probiotic yogurt contains live cultures of one or more microorganisms scientifically proven to be safe and healthy when included in your diet. In addition to the nutritional value of the calcium and protein in yogurt, the probiotics in yogurt can provide health benefits for pregnant women; however, if you're pregnant, get your doctor's approval before adding probiotics to your diet.
Proven Benefits
Once consumed, probiotics act like organisms that occur naturally in a healthy digestive system. Many strains act to synthesize vitamins, reduce constipation and increase immunity to disease. Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, writing for USProbiotics.org, reports that “controlled human studies provide support that certain probiotic strains consumed as part of a daily diet will increase the number of illness-free days.” (When pregnancy weakens your immune system, the probiotics you consume in yogurt help your body fight off infections. Some strains, such as those in the genus Lactobacillus, convert lactose to lactic acid in yogurt, and can help reduce constipation caused by pregnancy.
Label Requirements
Probiotic yogurt labels contain key information to help you understand what you are eating. Yogurt manufactures are only allowed to use the phrase “live and active cultures” on their yogurt containers if they “contain at least 100 million organisms per gram of product at the time of manufacture,” Michigan State University notes. You can usually find the specific probiotic organism strains listed in the small print of the product label. Knowing these strains can help you and your doctor determine which probiotic products may be most beneficial to you and your child during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Allergy Prevention
Studies have suggested that pregnant women who consume probiotics regularly give birth to children who are less likely to develop allergy related skin rashes and asthma during the first two years of their lives. For instance, research published in 2001 in the journal “Lancet” compared the incidence of allergy-related eczema in infants whose mothers took daily probiotic supplements to those who took daily placebos, and found that “atopic eczema in the probiotic group was half that of the placebo group.” Some similar studies back up these results, while others show little difference between the groups who receive the probiotic supplements and those who do not.
Folk Medicine
Some traditional remedies for yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis call for regular doses of probiotic yogurt as oral medicine or vaginal insertions. Though probiotics may be somewhat effective in controlling recurring vaginal infections, it is not recommended that pregnant women self-treat these infections with probiotics. Some vaginal infections can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, so it is extremely important that a medical doctor diagnose and treat any vaginal infections that occur during pregnancy.
References
- “Lancet”; Probiotics in Primary Prevention of Atopic Disease: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial; M. Kalliomäki, et al.; April 7, 2001
- Michigan State University; Michigan Dairy Review; Get Some Culture: Eat Yogurt; Zeynep Ustunol; July 2008
- USProbiotics.org; Probiotic Basics; Mary Ellen Sanders, Ph.D.
- “European Journal of Nutrition”; Randomized, Double-Blind and Placebo-Controlled Study Using New Probiotic Lactobacilli for Strengthening the Body Immune Defense Against Viral Infections; A. Berggren, et al.; April 2011
- Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide; Health Benefits of Taking Probiotics; September 2005
- New York University; Langone Medical Center: Acidophilus and Other Probiotics; August 2011
