| Probiotics are bacteria that help repopulate the | | | | these friendly bacteria. People with ulcerative colitis, |
| beneficial bacteria in the large intestine when it has | | | | where the large intestine is inflamed, sore, and often |
| been damaged through illness, antibiotic use, or poor | | | | bleeding, have been helped with probiotics also. There |
| diet. It has been said that they provide a temporary | | | | is anecdotal reports on many forums of the benefits |
| effect that lasts as long as the supplements are taken. | | | | of probiotics for colitis sufferers. However, the |
| But this effect is still important in that it can give our | | | | Canadian study I saw used very high concentrations |
| bodies time to regrow their own natural positive | | | | of bacteria, in the order of 3,600 billion per day, for 6 |
| bacterial population. | | | | weeks. Compare this with the average supplement, |
| The benefits of these bacteria are many. They have | | | | which at most will have around 5 billion per tablet. Still, it |
| helped babies with colic, may prevent eczema in | | | | represents promising research. |
| children, and help people of all ages with gastrointestinal | | | | Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is another |
| diseases, including colitis and IBS. This article will discuss | | | | gastrointestinal illness that is being studied in relation to |
| these gastric and immune benefits. | | | | the good bacteria in our intestines. Doctors and |
| Colic is a problem many mothers face, with up to 28% | | | | researchers are increasingly seeing a role for probiotic |
| of newborn babies crying for long periods, for no | | | | supplementation there, as they believe that certain |
| identifiable cause. Yet in a study conducted at the | | | | problematic bacteria are implicated in the disease. |
| University of Turin, the probiotic L reuteri was found to | | | | However, despite some promising studies on individual |
| lower the crying time of babies by 74%, to only 51 | | | | bacterial strains, such as a non-pathogenic variety of E. |
| minutes a day. This was achieved after the babies | | | | coli, it is currently believed that no single strain will |
| taking 108 CFU of L. reuteri daily for 28 days. There | | | | benefit all IBD sufferers. This is partly due to the fact |
| were actually improvements seen after only 7 days, | | | | that many different pathogenic bacteria may be |
| with crying time reduced by 21%. The other babies in | | | | involved, and also because our understanding of |
| the study received simethicone, which is an anti-gas | | | | exactly what good bacteria should naturally be there is |
| medication. After 7 days, this group of babies only | | | | not complete. |
| reduced their crying time by 10%, and after 28 days, | | | | Thus probiotic supplementation can be seen to have |
| by 26%. Probiotics were the clear winner here. | | | | many uses, for people of all ages. No doubt more |
| Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a chronic skin | | | | work will be done to unearth new friendly flora, that |
| problem that is on the rise in more affluent countries. | | | | may allow more precise improvements particularly in |
| Both children and adults can develop it, although it | | | | relation to gastrointestinal disease. Despite the |
| usually appears when people are very young. For this | | | | specialized nature of some studies, with very high |
| reason, researchers in Finland decided to study the | | | | doses that are expensive to replicate with regular |
| effect of probiotics on children up to 4 years of age. | | | | shop supplies, probiotics have a place in child and adult |
| The mothers were given probiotic supplements whilst | | | | health. And even for those without a serious illness, |
| they were still pregnant. When they were | | | | probiotics, in their many forms, provide serious benefits. |
| breastfeeding, either the mothers or babies took them. | | | | The relationship of probiotics with the immune system |
| Significantly, these babies had a 40% lower chance of | | | | is more complex, but can be understood with a |
| developing eczema by the time they were 4 years | | | | greater awareness of how the various systems of |
| old. | | | | our body support and mesh with each other. |
| Yet, it's not only children who can reap the benefits of | | | | |