Views on Probiotics.

[catherinecherub]

It is very difficult nowadays to have a choice of yoghurt that is not labelled probiotic and how marvellous it is for your gut. I did ask a Gastro consultant about this last year when I was in Hospital and her view was that if you eat a healthy diet then why would you waste money on these products? Your food will do the job better than these products are supposed to do.

Another article I found shares her views and says that eating right is best at keeping your good bacteria healthy, and you should prescribe the right combinations when people are ill. No one size fits all.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168372.php

Last year there was an advert that was banned which suggested that actimel was scientifically proven to support our kid's defences and the advert was found to be misleading and broke rules in relation to evidence and accuracy in advertising,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8305918.stm

General health claims for probiotic drinks and yoghurts have been dismissed by a team of experts from the E.U.

We are still awaiting the outcome because 10 health claims were rejected and a further 170 had not provided enough evidence of their effect,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8286646.stm

....Are people buying them because they believe the health claims?
....Are they having a placebo effect and people think they are doing them good?
....Are people thinking that because some of these are expensive then they must be doing the job?

I would be interested in any comments please.

 

[Patch]

I've never tried these - but I haven't ruled it out. The only reason anyone would continue using them after trying them once would be if they noticed a difference. And if that difference is down to the placebo effect - so what? If it works for you, it works for you.

 

[Hobs]

I can only write as to my experience and I would never go without my daily slurp given the choice.

I used to be as regular in the loo as clockwork and never missed a morning until I started injecting Victoza ...wow, what a shock to my digestive system that was!
I consulted my chemist only to be told any usual laxatives would probably render Victoza almost useless and to take it up with my GP. He agreed and suggested I tried Actimel and I have not looked back.

Victoza really slows motility down and the Actimel (other brands are available lol) restores some of that lost speed ...not all, but some, and enough to ensure my willingness to keep on injecting Victoza and enjoying the excellent glucose control it provides. :thumbs-up:

 

[noblehead]

I would go along with the 'medicalnewstoday article', and would much prefer to eat the right foods to maintain my levels of good bacteria.

Although I except for some with certain medical conditions this may not be possible, and can see that a probiotics may be useful, I would be reluctant to waste my money on a product that is unnecessary, its far better to follow a well-balanced diet including most food groups as the article suggests.

Nigel

 

[hanadr]

I went to a fascinating lecture on probiotics by the professor o human Nutrition at Reading University. The figures and data he showed[from peer reviewed studies] showed them to be very effective over the long term.
In fact they were shown to be the only thing that can "cure" C. difficile infection. The evidence for them was overwhelming. I haven't got any, because I waas concerned by the high sugar content of the drinks. I have now discovered the low sugar version of "Yakult"
Hana
PS if you want to google for the work of the professor, he's Ian Rowlands.

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi Hana,
I can understand, after reading the article I posted above, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168372.php that there are some instances when people need probiotics but don't they have to be tailored to the patient's needs?

What did this lecturer say that convinced you that you needed a probiotic?
I see that he lectures to HCP's for Yakult, perhaps a bit of bias? Do they do any of the funding for him? It is quite usual for interested parties to do so. I understand that he does research in this field but the proof is still not available. http://hcp.yakult.co.uk/default.asp/s=1 ... 3/Speakers If you read my original post you will see we are still waiting for the proof from the E.U. that the 170 health claims made can be substantiated. The report is supposed to be coming out this year.

Hobs,
I am glad that your G.P. recommended them for you and I am not saying that nobody should take them, just interested as when I tried them I found they did the opposite for me and gave me stomach cramps and diarrhoea, both the drinks and the yoghurt.

Catherine.

 

[sugarless sue]

Personally, I do not see the point in drinking :

Yakult Light

Water, skimmed milk (reconstituted), glucose-fructose syrup, sweeteners (maltitol syrup, aspartame), dextrin, flavouring, citric acid. Contains Lactobacilllus casei Shirota. Contains a source of phenylalanine.

When I can get the same effect from my diet but..... each to their own I guess.

 

[juliadream]

I quite like yogurt, and probably better than eating chocolate hob-nobs. Makes you feel righteous rather than guilty, so better for stress.
To make me feel I'm "doing the right thing", I drink a daily Benecol (or equivalent) with added plant sterol esters. Claims to lower cholesterol, is that hookum too?

 

[Synonym]

Yoghurt is a fairly recent innovation in my diet and was introduced by my naturopath to help with digestion. It has been very helpful to me but I found that it was expensive and decided to make my own.

When you make your own yoghurt you generally use a starter which contains the ‘good’ bugs like acidophilus and lactobacillus etc. For economic reasons I sometimes reserve some of the yoghurt made to start off my next batch. The starter used seems to last in the ‘re-start’ batches for 3-4 times and then a fresh starter is required.

There have been times when I could not get a starter and so I have used a commercial yoghurt labelled as ‘probiotic’. Having tried some without success I have found that there is only one yoghurt that I have used which gives a consistently positive result, the rest have been unviable and have clearly not contained enough of the ‘bugs’ to create a yoghurt. The name of the yoghurt, which is clearly full of all the good 'bugs’, is not a name that I have seen on this forum! The conclusion that I draw from this is that the labels do not necessarily tell the whole story and you may well not be buying what you think is being offered! :roll:

My home-made yoghurt contains milk and starter and nothing else. The contents of some of these so-called ‘health’ yoghurts or drinks are concerning if your aim is health. :shock:

In any case yoghurt will not help if the rest of your diet is not appropriate.

 

[Aubergenie]

Eh, In my opinion. Pro and prebiotic youghurts would be more useful as a suppository than as something to eat.

As for the argument that it cures C.Diff. - Baloney. As an expriment, someone that had been diagnosed with C.Diff continued to take his probiotics, and another with the same illness didn't take any. The one who didn't drink them came off his metronidazole and gentamycin faster than the man who did. I dont claim to be an expert, I just dont think they work.

 

[JamesA]

My view is they're a way to charge more for yogurt. You're better off just buying a cheaper yogurt.

I thought they'd found they only help a minority of people at best and only when they've a bad stomach. There's no real way of knowing if you're one of them.

Unfortunately yogurts' image of a healthy product have meant they've been hijacked by the likes of Muller to hook people on them with high sugar levels and other dodgy ingredients.

It's just like all the skin creams.
Women generally want to believe in magic products that mean they don't have to exercise, eat well and turn the heating down.
Poor regulation of advertising allows this to happen.

 

[badmedisin]

I don't drink probiotics cos they're expensive and I hate the taste. I didn't feel any difference when I used to make myself drink them. I read that there aren't enough bacteria in them to make a difference. Also how come your stomach acid doesn't kill/ denature them? Or does it?

And surely plain live yoghurt has probiotic properties? It tastes ok and I can afford it, so I prefer that to any yakult style drinks.

I don't think benecol works on the same priciples though. My boss started drinking benecol every other day and his cholesterol came down a lot. And without improving his limited and shameful diet!

As for that comment about moisturiser, you've been reading too much Ben Goldacre and not trying enough moisturiser I use reasonably expensive moisturiser. I do not believe it has any magical anti aging properties. It just stops my skin feeling uncomfortably dry and tight after I wash my face. And I chose it because I like the smell and the texture and because it doesn't make me look greasy. In any case it's my one proper luxury item, and sometimes we need to treat ourselves to something that makes us feel good.

Well, I say I don't believe the anti aging claims, but I've moisturised obsessively since I was 12. I'm 31 now and I still get asked for ID if I buy alcohol. So maybe it helps!

 

[rogbert]

I take probiotics in capsul form I think they are marvelous they got rid of the thrush i'd had to put up with for years
cheers
happy male

 

[Synonym]

It's just like all the skin creams.
Women generally want to believe in magic products that mean they don't have to exercise, eat well and turn the heating down.
Poor regulation of advertising allows this to happen.

James, you shouldn't write these sort of comments unless you want people to believe that you truly are a misogynist! :shock: :lol:

 

[KerryH]

Can I take probiotics tablets

Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone knows if it is okay to take probiotics tablets?
I am a on insulin.
Thanks alot Kes. :?: