THE HYPE ABOUT PROBIOTICS : HOW CORPORATIONS ARE FORCING US TO GUZZLE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE READILY FOUND IN YOUR FOOD

For a few years now, adverts are bombarding us with invitations to eat as many and as often probiotics that should, in truth, be used only when there is a reason to bring the intestine back to balance, or to combat an infection.

In some cases, the discovery and development of new strains have been so beneficial that they are employed in lieu of some antibiotics by doctors.  Among them are Culturelle, which is resistant to antibiotics and can be taken together, and Florastor which is effective with some of the most resistant strains of Clostridium Difficilis.

But the problem is that now, the producers of probiotics would have us believe that we must take them, in pill form, every day for everything.

While the intestinal flora is under attack on many fronts due to our eating habits, our lack of exercise, and some say the gmo products that are available on the shelves, it is believed to be unnecessary to take probiotics on a constant basis.  

In fact the human gut has a population of about 500 different bacteria that are 'friendly'.  They strengthen immunity, guard against pathogens, and help with digestion. And they number in the trillions.

But at the same time, overloading the gut with probiotics is not as beneficial as those adverst would like you to believe.  The other thing people are not aware of, is that the amount needed to really have an effect in the gut are much higher than what is contained on the most marketed brands.  Researchers found that they contain less than 10% of the 3-5 billion CFUs (colony forming units)  that are required daily as therapeutic.  

Another problem is that most probiotic are not refrigerated, which they must be for the cultures to stay alive, so that their potency is further impaired.  Not only but each probiotic bacillus has a function, and they do not all work in the same way. To know exactly which is more effective, one should seek the advice of an expert.

Another very important detail most consumer do not know, is that the probiotic that are being mass marketed are not the kind that colonize the gut, so that their effect is quite temporary.

What would really be effective, say the same researchers, would be to learn which microbes are native to the gut and to replenish those.  And that's something that has not yet been done.  When they do figure it out, they can be implanted back into the gut, via several ways of delivery, and that would truly show immediate and long lasting results.

Also important, the study finds that many probiotic are found naturally in food, like of course, yogurt, fermented foods, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefirs and those 'fragrant' cheeses many people shun for their smell.

Source: Mother Jones 4.29.13