Common bacteria can help cut the risk that hospitalized infants will develop diarrhea by 80%.
The research team investigated whether providing the infants with formula containing Lactobacillus GG (LGG) bacteria could prevent onset of diarrhea. LGG is known as a "good" microbe, or "probiotic," which is naturally present in the gut and can help balance the presence of other harmful microbes, warding off intestinal problems.
Hospitalized infants are at an especially high risk of acquiring intestinal microbes such as the rotavirus, which can cause diarrhea and possibly lead to infant death. In the study, half the children were given a formula containing LGG twice daily, while the others received an inactive placebo formula.
One third of the children receiving the placebo formula developed diarrhea, compared with only 7% of the children receiving the formula containing LGG.
This translates to an 80% reduction in the risk of developing diarrhea.
Four children would need to be treated with the "good" bacteria to prevent a single case of diarrhea. There were no adverse side effects reported from the treatment.
There are several theories how probiotics might help prevent intestinal disorders: they may compete with harmful microbes for nutrients in the body, or may actually synthesize microbe-fighting compounds.
The Journal of Pediatrics 2001;138:361-365
This study used Lactobacillus GG (Culturelle). There was also another terrific study recently published in the Lancet (see below). ConAgra owns the patent on this product, which has some big pockets to fund these types of studies, which probably explains why we are seeing a number of studies published.
It is important to note that while these studies use Lactobacillus GG, other strains also work. These studies do not compare the efficacy of different types of probiotics. However, they are still important to demonstrate to the unbelieving traditional medical community that these products work.
Probiotics are the only supplement that I advise nearly every patient to start. Once their food choices are cleaned up they can stop it. It is not necessary to take them continuously. I do believe it is wise to use one bottle once a year of a good probiotic as most of us are less than perfect with our diet.
My personal favorite is Flora Source as it is a high potency multi strain product. Most good probiotics are literal miracles for most types of acute diarrhea. My recommended dose is one capsule or ¼ tsp of the powders every 30-60 minutes until the diarrhea is gone. It usually resolves in about four hours. These products are quite impressive.
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