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But what exactly is a probiotic?
The Noun Project and Getty Images/Graphic by Cristina Cianci
And, more importantly, do you need it?
Usually these are meant to be gut organisms, which grow in your intestine and help with digestion.
Probiotics are often bacteria, but they can also include some species of yeasts.
The idea that eating these “good organisms can help with varioushealth conditionshas been around for a long time.
The thought was that ingesting probiotic bacteria in yogurt could help ameliorate this antibiotic-related diarrhea.
But even though yogurt is often recommended,the jury is outon whether itactuallyhelps or not.
Some probiotic products have been marketed with vague claims, and even those dont always stand up to testing.
Dannon was sued by theFederal Trade Commissionfor the claims made about its Activia yogurt and DanActive drink.
casei immunitas, was claimed to prevent colds and influenza and otherwise help strengthen your bodys defenses.
None of these claims held up under scientific scrutiny.
But evidence that it works is lacking.
Though some showedmoderate success,others did not, and these studies have generally been very small.
Jonathan Eisenis a microbiologist and professor at University of California, Davis who studies the microbiome.
He tells SELF via email that some ‘probiotics’ don’t actually have much living in them.
They say they have microbes in them, but many of them are not viable.”
And thats just the first hurdle to clear.
An animal studysuggests this improvement is due to decreased intestinal inflammation.
While this is promising, gut health in general is a buzzword that means very little.
Currently, there seems to be more hype than evidence in probiotic claims.
Severalstudieshave demonstrated the effectiveness of a probiotic mixture in curingC.
Diffinfection through a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT).
That said, this is obviously not the same as taking a probiotic supplement by mouth.
Another study shows promise in colonizing the guts of newborn babies.
Were not there yet, but were inching closer.
In the meantime, save a few bucks and just buy the regular brownies.
