Do Probiotics Really Work?

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NancyNGA

Well-known Member
Location
Georgia
"Although certain bacteria help treat some gut disorders, they have no known benefits for healthy people. ....

The bacteria seem to help only those people suffering from a few specific intestinal disorders. 'There is no evidence to suggest that people with normal gastrointestinal tracts can benefit from taking probiotics,' says Matthew Ciorba, a gastroenterologist at Washington University in St. Louis. 'If you're not in any distress, I would not recommend them.' Emma Allen-Vercoe, a microbiologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, agrees. For the most part, she says, 'the claims that are made are enormously inflated.'"

Scientific American
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Friendly Microbes: Bacteria such as these lactobacilli, which are often added to yogurt and probiotic supplements, help to maintain a healthy environment in the intestine. Credit: Kari Lounatmaa Science Source

 

Probiotics in Veterenary medicine

For sick ruminant animals (cattle, goats, sheep...), probiotics can literally be a life saver. Some of the most helpful bacteria cannot survive for long in the air (oxygen). I remember the first one of these donor cows I ever saw... in Raleigh, NC, 1972.

Meet Fertis, Kansas State University (2012)
Warning: Some easily offended people may not like this. :rolleyes:

 

Nancy, I have to say that was fascinating. So I guess if you're sick, probiotics can make you better . That's the only time I would use them.

Off topic, I wish those little flashlights had strings attached to the person, I kept thinking how easily it could fall inside!
 
Large Animal Vets do know what they are doing. I've worked as an Assistant for one before. Very interesting work, but the person has to be able to be around any kind of farm or ranch livestock. I had no problem with that.
 
We have a bottle of Digest Gold Plus Probiotics that we take sometimes after a large meal, such as supper. Sure beats the heck out of taking a tablespoon of Peto Bismol all the time.
 
I think that sometimes we do need probiotics, and one of those times is when you have to take an antibiotic.
The antibiotic is supposed to kill the bad bacteria; but it indiscriminately kills any that it can, good or bad; so then we need to replenish the good ones in our gut.
Eating yogurt or kefir with live cultures can help to do this, but not everyone wants to eat yogurt or drink kefir, so then it would help to take probiotics instead.

I have read that when you are going to take a probiotic capsule that you should put it in some milk or juice so that the culture can develop and grow, and that way you get a lot more benefit from the probiotics. It is similar to adding the yeast when you are making bread, when you put it in warm sugar water first, the yeast grains can start growing before you add them to the bread dough.
Another important thing is that even when we have healthy gut bacteria, we need to feed it to keep it alive, and apparently, plant-based foods are what the bacteria eat and thrive on.

Here is a really interesting little video that talks about how keeping our gut healthy can also help to keep our brain working better, and fight depression. So, it would seem that whether we take probiotics or not, keeping out gut healthy is a very important thing, both physically and mentally.

 
Happyflowerlady said:
I think that sometimes we do need probiotics, and one of those times is when you have to take an antibiotic. The antibiotic is supposed to kill the bad bacteria; but it indiscriminately kills any that it can, good or bad; so then we need to replenish the good ones in our gut.
Click to expand...
Agree. I think they specifically mention that situation in the original article. That's also true of ruminant animals given antibiotics orally.
 
Interesting video!

I'm not sure what I think about fistulated animals.

It seems like animal abuse to me yet it does some good.

Maybe I have a problem with turning them into sideshow animals for the public to come gawk at and laugh.

I guess I need to ruminate on this one!
 
Timely posts! I've been on Probiotics for several years but this week decided I'm going to go off of them and see what happens. If I start feeling crappy after being off of them for awhile, will go back on.
 
Probiotics are definitely helpful.
The micro bacterial content of our digestive tract constitutes about 95% of our overall health. Eating right is only part of the equation. Digesting food is the other part of the equation. If a person isn’t digesting food properly then they aren’t getting the proper nutrients. This in itself creates poor health. Add a prescription or two of antibiotics and all the bacteria in your system is wiped out completely and doctors are famous for overprescribing antibiotics since it’s the easiest thing for them to do.
ALL antibiotics not only kill bad bacteria but good bacteria also which is vital for health.

Anybody who has a suppressed immunity should take probiotics. Probiotics help build a healthy autoimmune system and lastly, with our s.a.d., Standard American Diet, that many adhere to, it lacks proper nutrition and actually helps strip nutrients and healthy bacteria. With all the sugar, preservatives, food colouring, msg etc., there isn’t enough good stuff to maintain good health therefore a good probiotic is usually very helpful. People who take these know they work, especially when they stop taking them.
 
I take them and I believe they do help, but I don't take them everyday. This is the brand I use, and on the days I take it, I've been also drinking a small glass of Knudsen's Just Blueberry juice for antioxidant benefits. I've also given probiotics to my pets in the past, either recommended by my vet, or just on my own. It's been ages since I took any antibiotics, but I definitely used probiotics after a treatment like that.

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Yes I believe they work, I have taken home made Kefir a natural probiotic, and it changed my digestive system completely, and my moods I just felt completely different..... both my daughters and several of their girl friends have had some amazing results, including relief from eczema and asthma plus a much improved skin complexion.
I think it depends on the natural state of the flora in your gut, if it's pretty well balanced anyway you won't really benefit from any form of probiotic.

It even makes your hair grow...
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I'm lactose-intolerant and have been for decades. Probiotics have worked very well for me. I take one daily. Yogurt and kefir never seemed to help enough, although I love them both. But I don't want to eat either one every day, so taking the daily probiotic pill has been easier for me.

Interestingly, my DH did not become lactose-intolerant until just a year ago, at age 64. Now he's also on the daily probiotic.
 
I used to drink sweet acidophilus milk. I bought it once 20+ yrs ago, because it was the only one left in the cooler. I liked it so I continued to buy/drink it. Till it suddenly was no longer [in] the cooler? Didn't know it then, but do now.... that it is probiotic .

Think I'll look for it at the store.
 

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