probiotics- a waste of time??

[hazlinh]

apparently a new study conducted suggesting this.

yoghurt is useless??

Still useful for other stuff and good to take during last 3 months of pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

I'm sure I read something the other day saying that probiotics were in fact so useful that in five years time taking them will be as much of a standard piece of health advice as drinking plenty of water (not that I do that either, but...!)

Of course I can't remember where I saw this, so don't quote me. Thought it interesting that the study in the link was stopped early though -surely it couldn't have done any harm to continue?

Another problem is that you don't know which bacteria you are getting, esp. in supplements, and whether it's in a form that is available to your body, or a form that just gets excreted. I'm sure there is some benefit if you don't have enough of some strains of bacteria in your gut, but it's hard to know which you are missing and whether the particular supplement you are taking is any good for that.
Another way for supplement manufacturers to make a lot of money doing very little good...

There is evidence that taking probiotics during the last few weeks of pregnancy and for hte initial period of breastfeeding can cut the risk of allergies by half. I think that alone will keep me reaching for the Actimel.

There was a story last week on A Current Affair that referred to a successful study conducted in Perth on the positive effects of probiotics (although not served up in dairy products) on eczema and the same people who conducted that study are planning their next study to be on pregnant women.

I share a Yakult every day with my 19mth old who has eczema which is currently under control. When I have to take antibiotics I buy acidopholis (sp?) tablets from the health food store - the ones you have to keep in the fridge and it certainly prevents me from getting thrush.

My kids went through a long period of time earlier this year where they seemed to catch every bug going. I put my ds on a course of yakult and within a few days he was waking up so bright and early and full of beans that we couldn't cope with him and had to stop giving him the yakult (bad mother).

I've put myself on a course of it just now but I'm not feeling any different. I certainly resent the price of it, about £2.50 for 7 little bottles. All my kids want to take one every day too, with a family of 5 that's £12.50 a week! Or £650 a year, not cheap!