Probiotics, often called friendly bacteria, are live organisms similar to those found naturally in the human colon. Widely used within the naturopathic community, probiotics may offer benefits for digestive, immune and reproductive health. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), probiotics are used within alternative medicine to treat conditions ranging from yeast infections to skin disease. Several species of probiotics are used to make cultured foods like tempeh and yogurt; even more are found in commercial probiotic supplements.
Lactobacillus Reuteri
A ubiquitous probiotic found in the colon of almost every animal species, L. reuteri is believed to prevent pathogenic bacteria from infecting the digestive system. L. reuteri is found in human breast milk and may explain breast milk's immunosupportive effects.
Lactobacillus Acidophilus
One of the most commonly sold forms of supplemental probiotic, L. acidophilus is renowned for its ability to promote digestive health. NCCAM notes that strong evidence supports the use of acidophilus and other Lactobacillus probiotics to treat diarrhea from rotavirus.
Lactobacillus Rhamnosus
The "Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology" notes that L. rhamnosus increases the production of infection-fighting cells within the colon; this promotes digestive immunity to viruses, bacteria and yeast.
Bifidobacterium Animalis
Commonly recommended for people with irritable bowel syndrome, B. animalis may help reduce constipation, diarrhea and other irregularities of the digestive tract. The yogurt manufacturer Dannon sells a strain of B. animalis under the trademarked name Bifidus regularis.
Escherichia coli
Because of E. coli's long-standing reputation as a pathogen, probiotic forms of E. coli enjoy little of the commercial success associated with other probiotics. However, the peer-reviewed journal "Inflammatory Bowel Disease" reports that one strain of E. coli, dubbed Nissle1917, helps to fight symptoms of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's colitis and ulcerative colitis. Nissle1917 is non-pathogenic; it does not cause infections like other forms of E. coli.
Lactococcus Lactis
L. lactis is economically important because of its popular use as a culinary probiotic. Chefs and food manufacturers use L. lactis to culture foods such as sourdough bread, cheese, buttermilk and sour cream.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Probiotics
- "Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology"; Probiotics; V. Gupta, R. Garg; July-September 2009
- "Inflammatory Bowel Diseases"; Nonpathogenic Escherichia coli strain Nissle1917 prevents murine acute and chronic colitis; N. Kamada, et al; May 2005
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