About Probiotics
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are live microbial organisms that are naturally present in the digestive tract and vagina. Probiotics are considered beneficial and are sometimes referred to as "friendly" bacteria.
Some of the ways they are thought to promote health include suppressing the growth of potentially harmful bacteria, improving immune function, enhancing the protective barrier of the digestive tract, and helping to produce vitamin K.
There are over 400 species of microorganisms in the human digestive tract, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.
A number of medical, diet, and lifestyle factors are believed to disturb the balance in the colon. This imbalance is called dysbiosis. Factors include:
- Inadequate dietary fiber
- Oral antibiotic therapy
- Infant formula feeding
Ingestion of environmental toxinsNo longer kept in check, less healthy bacteria and yeast may flourish, which is thought to increase the likelihood of conditions such as infectious diarrhea and vaginal yeast infections.
Sources of Probiotics
Probiotics can be found in capsule, liquid, powder, or tablet form. Acidophilus drinks can be found in health food stores and some grocery stores and Asian grocers.
Probiotics can also be found in cultured dairy products such as yogurt or kefir, however, the number of live organisms varies greatly from product to product due to differences in processing methods. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut also contain probiotics.
Once ingested, probiotics colonize the intestines and other parts of the body and can sustain themselves unless they are destroyed by antibiotics or other factors.
Although they are thought to be essential for health, because they can sustain themselves in the body under normal circumstances, there is no recommended daily intake of probiotics.
Prebiotics
"Prebiotics" are also thought to improve the balance of probiotics in the intestines.
They are non-digestible carbohydrates that stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines. Sources of prebiotics include fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin, found in onions, asparagus, chicory, and banana. FOS is also available as a supplement and is sometimes combined with probiotic dietary supplements.
Why Do People Use Probiotics
- Diarrhea Due to Antibiotic Use
- Traveler's Diarrhea
- Side Effects of Radiation Therapy
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Vaginal Yeast Infections
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Crohn's Disease
- Immune Support
- Lactose Intolerance
- Prevention of Colds
- Allergic Rhinitis / Hayfever
- Constipation
- Colon Cancer Prevention
- Pouchitis
- Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth
- Canker Sores
What is the Evidence for Probiotics
Diarrhea: A literature review found 185 studies published in what they deemed to be credible journals between 1980 and 2004. The most commonly studied condition was diarrhea (41 or 22% of the 185 studies).
Seven studies looked at probiotic use in adults, focusing on the strains Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus GG, L casei, L acidophilus, and S boulardi. Although they varied in dose and probiotic strain, in six of the studies, probiotics shortened the course of diarrhea or decreased its severity.
Many studies have looked at probiotic use in children. Once again, there is a wide range of doses and probiotic strains. The most commonly used strains were Lactobacillus acidophilus, L casei, L GG, and Bifidobacteria. In 20 of the studies published between 1980 and 2004, all of the studies found an improvement.
Seven out of 12 controlled trials reported a definite prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. In addition, a meta-analysis looked at 9 randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trials with a total of 1214 patients. Six of the nine trials showed a significant benefit of probiotics.
More evidence is needed on the effectiveness of probiotics in such conditions as lactose intolerance, constipation, heart disease risk factors, and Crohn's disease.
Safety Concerns of Probiotics
Side effects of probiotics may include mild, temporary digestive complaints, such as gas and bloating.
People who are immunosuppressed should seek medical advice before using probiotics. It is possible that the probiotic itself may cause a serious infection. One death was reportedly linked to probiotic use in a person taking immunosuppressant medication.
Potential Drug Interactions
Probiotics may interact with immunosuppresant medication (see above).
Probiotics are recommended by some health practioners during and/or after antibiotic use.
Research on Probiotics in the Management of Atopic Eczema
The Department of Paediatrics, University of Turku, Finland has commenced a research to explore the potential of probiotics to control allergic inflammation at an early age. The assesment was done in a reandomised double-blind placebo-controlled study.
A total of 27 infants, mean age 4.6 months, who manifested atopic eczema during exclusive breast-feeding and who have had no exposure to any infant or substitute formula were weaned to probiotic-supplemented, Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12 or Lactobacillus strain GG (ATCC 53103), extensively hydrolysed whey formulas or to the same formula without probiotics.
The extent and severity of atopic eczema, the growth and nutrition of infants, and concentrations of circulating cytokines/chemokines and soluble cell surface adhesion molecules in serum and methyl-histamine and eosinophilic protein X in urine were determined.
RESULTS: The SCORAD score reflecting the extent and severity of atopic eczema was 16 (7-25) during breast-feeding, median (interquartile range).
After 2 months, a significant improvement in skin condition occurred in patients given probiotic-supplemented formulas, as compared to the unsupplemented group; chi(2) = 12.27, P = 0.002.
SCORAD decreased in the Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12 group to 0 (0-3.8), and in the Lactobacillus GG group to 1 (0.1-8.7), vs unsupplemented 13.4 (4.5-18.2), median (interquartile range), in parallel with a reduction in the concentration of soluble CD4 in serum and eosinophilic protein X in urine.
CONCLUSION: The results provide the first clinical demonstration of specific probiotic strains modifying the changes related to allergic inflammation.
The data further indicate that probiotics may counteract inflammatory responses beyond the intestinal milieu. The combined effects of these probiotic strains will guide infants through the weaning period, when sensitization to newly encountered antigens is initiated.
The probiotics approach may thus offer a new direction in the search for future foods for allergy treatment and prevention strategies.
Other Researches on Probiotics Effects on Eczema
There’s a new study published in the the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, supporting previous findings that the consumption of pre-and probitics does prevent the onset of atopic dermatitis (also called neurodermatitis, atopic eczema) in children.
Apparently, supplementing a pregnant women’s — and later, their newborns’– diet with probiotics/prebiotics resulted in a reduction of eczema and atopic eczema cases.
Reference:
http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/herbsvitaminsad/a/Acidophilus.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11069570
http://www.eatingfabulous.com/probiotic-supplementation-may-prevent-eczema/
Edited and compiled by Eczema Club.
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