Probiotics is a relatively new field of study and the use of probiotics appears to be promising. However, not enough true double-blind, controlled studies have been done as yet with respect to probiotics to determine safe dosages, what combination of probiotic micro-organisms are most beneificial, etc.
The following data is provided as a reference point on the topic:
1) </font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Digestion. 2004;69(1):53-56. Epub 2004 Jan 30.
Probiotic Treatment Increases Salivary Counts of Lactobacilli: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Study. Montalto M, Vastola M, Marigo L, Covino M, Graziosetto R, Curigliano V, Santoro L, Cuoco L, Manna R, Gasbarrini G.
Institute of Internal Medicine, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Lactobacilli are used in the prevention and treatment of several diseases, but they are also known to play a role in the pathogenesis of dental caries. The
aim of our study was to evaluate whether the oral administration of lactobacilli could change the salivary counts of these bacteria compared with placebo. Moreover,
lactobacilli were administered in liquid and in capsule form to determine the role of direct contact with the oral cavity. METHODS: Thirty-five healthy volunteers were
randomized into three groups to receive lactobacilli and/or placebo for 45 days: group A (n = 14) received probiotics in capsules and placebo in liquid form; group B (n = 16)
took liquid probiotics and placebo in capsules, and group C (n = 5) used placebo in both liquid and capsule form. STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS populations served as control.
The salivary counts of lactobacilli and S. MUTANS were measured semi-quantitatively using the CRT((R)) bacteria kit. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, the oral
administration of probiotics, both in capsules and in liquid form, significantly increases salivary counts of lactobacilli (p = 0.005 and p = 0.02, respectively). S. MUTANS populations were not significantly modified.
CONCLUSIONS: The increased salivary counts of lactobacilli may indicate the need to closely monitor the dental health of patients undergoing long-term probiotics treatment, even when this treatment is administrated in a form that avoids direct contact with the oral cavity. Copyright 2004 S.
Karger AG, Basel
PMID: 14755153 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">
2) </font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Can
vet J. 2003 Dec;44(12):982-3.
Evaluation of deficiencies in labeling of commercial probiotics. Weese JS.
Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph,
Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1. []jsweese@uoguelph.ca[/]
Labels of 44 human or veterinary probiotics were scrutinized. Organisms were improperly identified in 9/21 (43%) human and 8/23 (35%) veterinary products. Contents
of 5/20 (25%) human and 3/17 (18%) veterinary products were misspelled. In only 9 human and 2 veterinary products were the contents adequately identified.
PMID: 14703084 [PubMed - in process]
<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">
3) Dr. Joseph Mercola (author of
The No-Grain Diet recommends use of probiotics in his
diet yet does admit that
One Third of Probiotics, "Good Bacteria" Products Like Acidophilus, Found to be Worthless . You can read about it
HERE4) good info. on Probiotics are be found
HERE 5) </font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />
Scand J Gastroenterol Suppl. 2003;(239):15-23.
Probiotics in gastroenterology: indications and future perspectives. Goossens D, Jonkers D, Stobberingh E, van den Bogaard A, Russel M, Stockbrugger R.
Dept. of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Maastricht. The Netherlands.
[]Dominique.Goossens@intmed.unimaas.nl[/]
Nowadays. there is a growing interest in probiotics as a safe way of changing the intestinal bacterial flora. Probiotics may have potential in several gastroenterological
conditions, especially when the intestinal flora has been disturbed. Most scientific evidence is available for diarrhoea patients treated with Lactobacillus GG, Lactobacillus reuteri or Saccharomyces boulardii. Meta-analyses have shown an overall reduction in the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea during treatment with probiotics, and benefits have also been demonstrated for patients with rota-virus-associated diarrhoea. Patients with
inflammatory bowel disease, an inflammatory disorder characterized by a change in the intestinal flora, are another important target group for which probiotics may be
beneficial. It has been claimed that in ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease patients, lactobacilli, S. boulardii and Escherichia coli reduce relapses. but most studies were not
placebo-controlled. A reduction in relapses has also been demonstrated in pouchitis patients treated with a multispecies probiotic. Irritable bowel syndrome might be another clinical indication for probiotic therapy, but results of clinical trials performed in these patients are inconsistent. Additionally, probiotics may improve lactose absorption. Helicobacter pylori eradication & constipation. Finally, in animal models of colorectal cancer, treatment with probiotics reduces the prevalence of this disease, and in humans the amount of genotoxic substances in faeces has been reduced. In conclusion, the results of studies on the effects of probiotics in gastrointestinal conditions are encouraging. but well-designed placebo-controlled studies are warranted before recommendations for therapeutic or preventive use can be given. Many issues still have to be resolved, including optimal dose and duration of treatment, selection of and differences between the several available probiotic strains, and, importantly, their mechanisms of actions have to be elucidated.
PMID: 14743878 [PubMed - in process]
<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">
As noted, recent studies of probiotics are promising with respect to probiotics being used as an alternative to conventional therapy with immune suppressive drugs in patients with inflammatory bowel disease or dietary hypersensitivity, in cancer patients, etc. However, there are only a few results available on the immune modulating effects of probiotics in human and veterinary medicine and further appropriate double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms by which probiotics work.
There are two schools of thought with respect to the use of probiotics:
a) that probiotics should be used as a regular, daily regimen to maintain health in humans and animals.
b) that probiotics should be used only in humans/animals with certain acute and/or chronic health conditions.
I tend to lean toward the latter for a couple of reasons:
A) As a health professional, I have too often seen people use vitamin/mineral supplements or other medications inappropriately. They will ignore the appropriate dose and take higher doses than recommended. Their reasoning is that if one pill is good, then two must be/will work better. They fail to understand the implications: overdose and/or an increased risk of serious side effects. With probiotics becoming the new trendy health thing, people will be tempted to take more than the recommended dose rationalizing that it's totally safe.
B) Not enough long-term appropriate studies have been done to determine potential serious side effects. All that is presently known is that taking probiotics orally long-term causes increased salivary counts of lactobacilli which impacts on dental health & this occurred in a matter of only 45 days. What other side effects of consequence might exist if probiotics are used as a daily regimen that only long-term (minimum of 1-2 years) properly controlled studies might uncover?
C) Might not a daily regimen of probiotics have a paradoxical (opposite) effect? Many medications taken long-term are known to have such paradoxical effects. Additionally, might a daily regimen of probiotics in healthy humans/animals (whose immune systems have the ability to fight off normal disease scenarios) actually compromise their immune systems by making their immune systems dependent on the probiotics so that if a variation of a bacteria were to occur, the immune system would have difficulty in fighting it off ? Look at the current situation with respect to antibiotics. For decades, antibiotics were seen as such a panacea & so over-precribed that humans and animals alike have built up resistances to the more common antibiotics today because the bacterias in their systems have been able to compensate/mutate in order to defeat the antibiotics.
My purpose here is to make people think about/research the topic of probiotics rather than just jumping on the bandwagon and deciding probiotics is the new panacea for maintaining good health. The same was thought about soy and organic foods when they first became trendy. Only after many years of studies/research was it determined that some serious issues existed with soy and organic food products. I would hate to see the same thing happen with respect to probiotics.