Probiotics Is Big Business

Mark McAfee is a milkman on a mission: To introduce the world to the benefits of raw milk that comes from cows, CBS News correspondent Sandra Hughes reports.

"It's Mother Nature's original probiotic food," says McAfee of Organic Pastures. "You don't appreciate what you're losing when you send it off to be processed."

From his small organic farm outside Fresno, McAfee is spearheading a revolution in "probiotics," the good bacteria, or living organisms, found in unprocessed foods.

"They call it bovine wine," McAfee says.

Our gastrointestinal tract is home to trillions of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotic products add more "good" bacteria. Advocates claim they can aid digestion, alleviate irritable bowel syndrome and even banish allergies.

The idea of eating bacteria to stay healthy hasn't always been an easy sell. But after six years of hyping the benefits of probtiotics, McAfee's dairy can't keep up with their orders.

Activia, a probiotic yogurt, has gone mainstream by making claims that in just two weeks it will "regulate" your system. In just one year, sales have surpassed $100 million.

Grocers like Whole Foods are jumping on the bandwagon, designating entire sections of their store for probiotics.

"It is popular beyond belief and getting more and more so every day," a Whole Foods executive says.

An independent study did find some benefit for certain intestinal problems.

However, "Don't expect miracles. Don't expect to see a big difference within 14 days, as one manufacturer claims," says David Schardt, a nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

But do expect to pay more. In some case, it could be three times more and expect a shorter shelf life since many products are unprocessed.

"It's the way Mother Nature designed it. It is hard for some people to digest that thought," McAfee says.

But more and more people have swallowed his probiotic idea whole.