Probiotics can help restore bacterial balance
DEAR DOCTOR K: Lately I’ve noticed a lot of TV ads for probiotic products, especially yogurt. What do they do? Should I start eating them?
DEAR READER: Our bodies are home to a mix of “good” and “bad” bacteria. Most of them live in our intestines, but there are bacteria flourishing in many parts of our bodies. You can’t see them -- they’re just along for the ride.
Sometimes bad bacteria that do not normally live in our gut gain entrance, usually in the foods we eat or liquids we drink. These invaders can rapidly cause diseases such as “turista,” cholera, typhoid fever and C. difficile infection.
Unlike the invaders, the bad bacteria that probiotics are designed to fight normally live in the gut. Hundreds of different species of good bacteria help digest your food. Under balanced conditions, these friendly bacteria outnumber the bad bacteria. We’re beginning to learn that the bad bacteria living in our gut may help cause a number of different diseases if they are able to throw the bacterial balance out of whack.
Infection, for example, can make your gut more vulnerable to unfriendly bacteria. Probiotics are “good” living bacteria that you ingest to improve the balance of bacteria in your gut.
One thing that commonly throws off the balance of bacteria in the gut is taking antibiotics for some kind of infection elsewhere in the body. Along with killing that infection, the antibiotics often kill good bacteria. This can lead to gas, cramping or diarrhea. Probiotics can help offset the bacterial imbalance caused by taking antibiotics.
Probiotics may also help break down protein and fat in the digestive tract. This can be good for patients who need to build strength during and after an illness.
So far, the research on probiotics has been promising. Potential benefits have been seen in the treatment or prevention of: • diarrhea • irritable bowel syndrome • ulcerative colitis • Crohn’s disease • H. pylori ( the cause of ulcers) • vaginal infections • urinary tract infections • recurrence of bladder cancer
• infection of the gut caused by C. difficile • eczema in children We have more detailed information on probiotics in our Special Health Report, “The Truth About Your Immune System.” ( Learn more about this report at AskDoctorK. com, or call 877- 649- 9457 toll- free to order it.)
If you decide to try probiotics, fermented or cultured dairy products are a good source. These include yogurt and buttermilk. Other sources include miso, tempeh and soy beverages. The bacteria occur naturally in some of these foods, or have been added during preparation. Probiotics are also available as dietary supplements.
If you have a problem that might benefit from probiotics, you should consider them. Based on what we know so far, they won’t hurt, and they may help.