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Yahoo Health recently ran a story about antibiotic-resistant gastrointestinal infections and ran a companion story on the use of probiotics in the prevention of illnesses. 

So what are probiotics?  Simply stated, they are the “friendly” bacteria that are normally found in the gastrointestinal tract.  These bacteria assist in digestion, produce Vitamin K (necessary to blood clotting), and help prevent GI tract infections by competing with infectious bacteria. 

Many individuals are lacking in these beneficial gut bacteria, sometimes because of poor diet and lifestyle, and sometimes because of the use of antibiotics, which kill the good bacteria along with the bad.  Ironically, this elimination of beneficial bacteria through the use of antibiotics often makes the individual susceptible to recurring infections with pathogenic bacteria.  This often creates the endless loop of infection - take antibiotics - get infected again - take antibiotics again and on and on.

To end this self-perpetuating cycle of infection, one might consider supplementing with probiotics anytime he or she has had a bout of a GI “bug”, and/or anytime after finishing a round of antibiotics.  There are different ways to supplement with probiotics.  The simplest way is probably to use a broad-spectrum supplement in pill form, such as “Total Probiotic” by NutriWest (which is what I recommend to my patients).  You can also find many probiotic supplements in your local healthfood store. 

In addition to pills, you can replenish your healthy bacteria by eating yogurt, yakult and/or kefir.  Be careful with yogurt though, because you need active cultures of the bacteria to do any good, and most of the yogurt on store shelves does not have active cultures due to pasteurization and is usually loaded with sugar (which may make things worse by providing a food source for infectious bacteria and yeasts).  Yakult too has quite a bit of sugar, but it does come in a “lite” version which is better.  Recently, there have been a number of television ads for “special” yogurts containing probiotics, such as Activia and Dannon ProActiv.  These products are alright, though not ideal because of their sugar content.  They’re also probably a bit overpriced for what they provide (they only contain one or two varieties of healthy bacteria and I believe it is more beneficial to provide a broader type of probiotic support), but because they are nationally-promoted brands, they are usually at least readily accessible at regular grocery stores. 

Because most people will tend to go for the better-tasting (in other words, high sugar) probiotic foods, I usually recommend sticking with the pills, but it is possible to get a reasonably good combination of high probiotic content and good flavor by making your own probiotic drink.  For your viewing pleasure, here’s a video on how to do just that:

Enjoy!

Stay tuned to my natural remedies blog for more on healthy immune function!

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