Probiotics (cont.)

How should people take probiotics?

The requirements for a microbe to be considered a probiotic are that the microbe must be alive when administered, it must be documented to have a heath benefit, and it must be administered at levels to confer a health benefit. These are live microorganisms that will not provide the promised benefits if they don't stay alive. The manufacturer and consumer must pay close attention to the conditions of storage at which the particular microorganism will survive and the end of their shelf life. The potency will tell you the number of viable bacteria per dose, and the purity has to do with presence of contaminating or ineffective bacteria.

The other thing to remember is that these microorganisms are not all created equally. In fact, the genus, strain, and species all need to be the same for the results that you find in the study to be the results that you hope to achieve when taking it. For example, with the strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, the genus is Lactobacillus, the species is rhamnosus and the strain is GG. If any one of those are different in your supplement, you may not attain the same results.

With the growing popularity of probiotics, there is a huge variety of supplements from which you can choose. The most important thing is to determine what type of probiotic microorganism you need for your condition. Do not just take the supplement that provides the most kinds of organisms. You need to do your research and be sure that there are scientific studies to support what you take. New research is emerging, so if you don't find what you need right, now keep looking. Your doctor can help you decide if trying probiotics might be helpful for you and can advise you regarding the amount and type of probiotics that may be appropriate in your case.

Where can I get more information on probiotics?

USProbiotics.org (http://www.usprobiotics.org/)

"Herbs and Supplements," MedlinePlus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/herb_All.html)

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Last Editorial Review: 3/26/2012

Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/probiotics/article.htm