Probiotic drinky things - do they work?

[CoolGirl]

Anybody tried them?
Are they and good?
Or just a load of marketing nonsense?

I'm on a second, and more heavy-duty round of antibiotics for a stubborn chest infection. I haven't taken antibiotics for years, but am quite keen to replenish my system. Tell it like it is!

[gettin2dizzy]

Science says NOPE!

edit: well that they're not completely proven anyway. As far as know a lot of them are rubbish as they're not bound by any particular rules to make them declare the ingredients

[Foey]

I tried the yoghurts but they didn't seem to do anything for me i'm afraid.

[neillfergie]

Depends on who you speak to, all they did for me was make me go to the loo much more regularly for the first week so i guess they are good for that!

[stewie]

Ive tried various ones, yakult etc but never felt any difference tbh, might be better off with some fruit really

[Ping]

Depends on who you speak to, all they did for me was make me go to the loo much more regularly for the first week so i guess they are good for that!
Total opposite for me... :lol:

[Samnooshka]

I drink the actimal ones, as i get really bad tummy aches etc and usually get bad tummy aches 3 times a week... been drinking these for 4 weeks and haven't had a bad tummy since.

[timwilky]

tried one. Only had one mouthful and started puking. They are disgusting.

[thedonal]

tried one. Only had one mouthful and started puking. They are disgusting.

Why? Did you mix it with Tequila, or simply not check the expiry date? :grin:

[timwilky]

No it tastes disgusting. one mouthful was enough to know I had made a big mistake. But the wife told me that it was good for me. She then decided that maybe I should have read the label as I cannot eat berries etc. and this was flavored.

I throw up at even the smell of strawberries, raspberries etc.

[neillfergie]

Yakult is a bit "sweet milky slightly out of date" tasting but that would suggest it actually might work cos the muller vitality ones are ruddey lovely especially in vanilla flav!

ps. this opinion is not even slightly based on any scientific facts at all

[MavUK]

As far as I am aware they are useful if you eat rubbish (they repalce your need for a balanced diet :)) but if you eat OK you don't need them

[K]

Ooooh - I can put my education to work here...

... they do work - but the effect is generally either unnoticed or a placaebo effect on may people, they are best for people who have some form of digestive problem/disorder.
I have a friend with Khrones and she's pretty much prescribed them by her dietician.

The work by competetive exclusion - basically there are only so many available 'host sites' within your Gastrointestinal (GI) tract for bacteria to latch onto. Probiotics flood your system with beneficial bacteria, aiming to fill up the hosts sites and thereby decrease the available space for harmful bacteria to breed in.
The net result is better food digestion and a more stable GI tract.

If you're already in a fairly healthy balance then it won't make any real difference (other than perhaps in your head ;)), but likewise if you have an excess of harmful bacteria then there is nowhere to host the influx of beneficial bacteria - so the effect is again, nothing.
However, if you have had an excess of harmful bacteria that have been remmoved from your GI tract through the use of antibiotics for example, then following this with a couple of weeks using Probiotics will help to boost the recolinisation of the suddenly available host sites with beneficial bacteria - so you probably will notice some effect.

That said - once you are in balance and are eating a healthy diet then there is no real need to continue... unless something happens to upset that balance.
Tricky thing is the lifespan of bacterial is fairly short and not only are they continually breeding and replenishing themselves - but the acidic balance of the GI tract also is constantly shifting - causing them to be killed off... leaving host sites potentially free for harmful bacteria that may still be existing.
Acidic balance can be altered by diet, exercise, other illness and even stress - so it can be a never ending cycle juggling the good and the bad.


This information was brought to you by your tax pennies at work. ;)

[CoolGirl]

stuff



Thanks K - I'll give it a go for a couple of weeks.

Thanks also to the other mighty orgers for their more, uh, personal insight. Will know what side effects to expect!