Hill Health Magazine Fall 2010

“Probiotics” is the latest buzz word used by food manufacturers to promote their products. Knowing if it is worth buying products such as baby formula or dog food with added “beneficial bacteria” is confusing and complicated.

Unfortunately, the health claims made on product labels often are untested or the research related to them is conflicting. Consider yogurt: Despite common belief, research has not shown that eating yogurt will prevent diarrhea caused by antibiotics, decrease vaginal yeast infections, improve immune system function or help with constipation or digestive discomfort. Dannon and Yoplait actually have been required to remove these claims from advertisements for their DanActive® and YoPlusTM products. A study found that Dannon’s Activia® did reduce stomach rumbling and gas but produced no change in discomfort or relief of constipation. And Bigelow’s probiotic teas did little to aid digestion in two small studies. An added complication is that, to be useful, probiotics must be living when consumed. Yet products tested have been found to have as little as seven percent of live amounts of probiotics claimed on the label.

Even if probiotics’ preventive or curative effects are limited, there still are reasons to eat products containing them. Reasons include taste, ease of digestion for those with lactose intolerance and the convenience of substituting them for less healthy choices in lunches and snacks. Spending extra to feed them to pets, however, is another matter.