With everything from yogurt to soy products and nutrition supplements fortified with probiotics, it is difficult to turn on the television without hearing someone touting the health benefits of it. But what are probiotics and what are they claiming to do?
What are Probiotics?
The World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations states that “the term probiotics means 'for Life' and is currently used to name bacteria associated with beneficial effects for humans and animals (1).” Humans have a high number of microbes that live within the body. It has been found that some of the microbes have been found to play a role in human health. It is important to maintain a balance of healthy bacteria in the body (2).
What are the Health Benefits?
There is a long list of healthy effects that are attributed to probiotics. The following have been reported in the scientific literature: regulation of immune function (including both enhancing immune response to pathogens and inflammatory response), shortening the duration of infectious diarrhea in infants, enhanced gastrointestinal tolerance to antibiotic therapy, controls symptoms associated with lactose intolerance, and improved symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (3). When looking to gain the benefits of probiotics it is important to remember that there are many different strains of probiotics and they all don’t provide the same benefits. It is important to read the label and verify the type of strain to determine the health benefits. The Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are said to help inflammatory bowel conditions. B lactis HN019, B lactis Bb-12, and L casei DN114001 provide immune support. L bulgaricus and S theromphilus help with lactose intolerance and B infantis help irritable bowel syndrome symptoms (3).
What Does the Research State?
Research looking at the value of probiotics and determining their effective is still emerging, most current research states that more evidenced is needed to make a conclusive statement on the effectiveness of probiotics. Currently there is no general recommendation for dose. Recommend levels have a wide range. Some products are said to be effective at 100 million colony-forming units (cfu) per day, while other are recommended at over 1 trillion cfu per day (3). While research continuing to looking at the benefits of probiotics, they are generally seen as safe and associated with few side effects.
What are Prebiotics?
Prebiotics are defined as “food ingredients that promote the growth or activity of a limited number of bacterial species for the benefit of host health. Prebiotics are food for bacterial species that are considered beneficial for health and well-being (3).”
References:
- World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Probiotics in food. Health and nutrition properties and guidelines for evaluation. Rome 2006.
- US Probiotics.
- Douglas and Sanders. Probiotics and Prebiotics in Dietetics Practice. J of Am dietetic Association.Volume 108, Issue 3:510-521
