Probiotics is growing, but many of the claims are
proving to be questionable.
Probiotics: Eating Healthier
A newly discovered virus appears to slow the rapidly duplicating AIDS virus.
Treating baby chicks with a cocktail containing chicken flora may result in
salmonella-proof chickens. Every day medical researchers are finding more evidence
to support Probiotics, the use of germs to combat illness.
Tufts University scientist Stuart Levy suggests that trying to get rid
of bacteria is to try to get rid of the world, and corporate America is
stepping up to the challenge of ensuring there are plenty of bacteria laden
foods for us to buy. Supermarket shelves are filling up with an ever growing
supply of products labeled as Probiotic. Dannon introduced a new brand of
Probiotic yogurt, Activia, and watched sales rocket past the $100 million mark.
According to an International Herald Tribune report, Gary Huffnagle, a professor
of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and a strong proponent of
probiotics, says there is independent research that shows that probiotics help
with some bowel problems, plus strong but not conclusive evidence that probiotics
help alleviate yeast infections and the stomach woes often associated with taking
antibiotics.
However, not everyone is convinced and Probiotics still faces many challenges.
No one really knows how to define the balance between good bacteria and bad bacteria,
and few clinical trials exist to support the value of Probiotics.
Additionally, some manufacturers may be over stating their claims of health benefits.
In January, 2008, Trish Wiener filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles,
accusing Dannon of a "massive and comprehensive" false advertising campaign for its Activia,
Activia Light and DanActive products. Wiener claims that Dannon's own studies failed
to support its advertised claims that its Activia, Activia Light and DanActive were
"clinically" and "scientifically" "proven" to have health benefits that other yogurts
did not.
While it's clear that more research is needed before Probiotics will be accepted by
all quarters within the medical and research communities, the evidence favoring it
is strong enough that the National Institutes of Health have begun their own
research and issued grants to further the study.
Until more is learned, consumers should be wary of advertising claims and depend on
foods known to have Probiotic value, such as yogurts and mushrooms.
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