I've recently finished reading an article put out by the America Council on Exercise about the "claimed" beneficial effects of probiotics. Probiotics are live, active bacteria that are supposed to help ease gastrointestinal (GI) problems and other ailments. There are more and more products hitting the grocery store shelves that contain probiotics. Some of the more well known ones are Dannon Activia yougurt, Kashii Vive cereal, and Attune Wellness Bars. As with all supplements, these products claim to be able to make you healthier just by eating them.
So, are these foods able to do what they say?
Recent studies do support the ability of probiotics as treatment for rotavirus diarrhea and lactose intolerance. This is because probiotics from the lactic acid bacteria family can convert sugars like lactose and other carbs into lactic acid (ACE Fitness Matters, Nov/Dec 2008).
And while they may possibly aid with Crohns disease, irritable bowel syndrome, cholesterol metabolism, cancer prevention, etc.; research is inconclusive at best (ACE Fitness Matters, Nov/Dec 2008).
To be able to get any kind of benefits from probiotics, you must meet the following criteria:
1) Probiotics must be alive
2) They must be ingested in ample amounts
3) They must be capable of colonizing in the intestinal tract
If you have GI problems, then probiotics may be able to help. You can try eating probiotics regularly and see if your symptoms get better. If not, then you'll just have to decide for yourself whether or not to continue.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
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I definitely agree that there is not enough research out there to back up claims of probiotics truly impacting diseases like Crohns, IBS, and cancer. Also, this article made a great point that for any real effect, probiotics have to be consumed in doses of at least 10 billion live cells to begin to replenish friendly gut bacteria. I spoke with a health care professional recently on this point, and he compared low doses of probiotics to sprinkling a handful of grass seed on a football field and expecting thick turf in a few months. Micro organisms outnumber human cells in our body by almost ten to one—the numbers are truly staggering.
On that note, I take a daily probiotic (high cell count of 20 billion live cells per dose) daily, but I take it as an addition to my healthy lifestyle. Pardon the pun, but it can be hard to stomach fad marketing that surrounds many supplements and that can mislead consumers.
-Anna M.
www.sedonalabs.com
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