"Friendly" Bacteria May Boost Health

(AP)  Bugs in baby food? Microbes in your milkshake? Relax, this is not the latest tainted food scare - it's a growing trend in foods designed to boost health, not make you sick.

These products contain probiotics, or "friendly" bacteria similar to those found in the human digestive system.

There are supplement pills, yogurts, smoothies, snack bars and cereals, even baby formula and chocolate. Sold by major names like Dannon and Kraft, they're spreading like germs on grocery store shelves and in supermarket dairy cases.

And they come with vague health claims of "regulating your digestive health" or "strengthening your body's defenses."

Experts say probiotics are generally safe, and in some cases might be helpful. More research is needed, and it's a hot new area, reflecting a growing understanding of the role that naturally occurring intestinal bacteria play in health. This week, the National Institutes of Health is hosting a conference where top scientists will discuss recent advances.

In the meantime, the market is ahead of the science. It's all part of a burgeoning effort to capitalize on an obsession with health foods. Probiotics are already popular in Europe, Asia and South America.

And there are "prebiotics," too, which contain fiber and other nutrients that feed probiotic bacteria.

So far this year, more than 150 probiotic and prebiotic commercial food products have been introduced in the U.S., compared with about 100 last year and just 40 in 2005, said Tom Vierhile of Datamonitor, a market research firm.

"It is definitely a growing trend," Vierhile said.

Holly Maloney, a nutrition instructor at Chicago's Kendall College, eats new probiotic nutrition bars that claim to help digestion and the immune system. She's also a longtime fan of yogurt and kefir, a probiotic-containing fermented milk drink.

"It just makes me feel good," Maloney, 32, said of the products. "If I have a few days where I don't have it, I don't feel right."

While many probiotic products haven't been put to a rigorous scientific test, there is emerging evidence that in huge amounts, some kinds of "friendly" bacteria can be helpful.

Small studies have suggested that certain probiotics might help treat or prevent some types of gastroenteritis, diarrhea and allergic skin reactions, and the bugs are being investigated for many other ailments.

The NIH has declared the study of gastrointestinal bacteria and probiotics a major research initiative. The agency's upcoming meeting will highlight current science so it can identify research gaps and determine the direction of future research, said Crystal McDade-Ngutter, who heads an NIH working group on the topic.

"The fact that there are a number of health implications and a lack of understanding associated with the use of pre- and probiotics makes this a very interesting subject to study," she said.

The bugs are being put under the microscope around the globe.

For example:

• A Canadian study published last month suggested that fermented milk containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus caseii could help prevent antibiotic-related diarrhea.
  
• A study from Finland published this year found that an oat drink containing Bifidobacterium lactis bacteria helped bowel function in nursing home residents.
  
• Scientists in Argentina are investigating whether milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria might reduce amounts of cancer-causing substances in the intestine.
  
• University of California at Los Angeles researchers are looking at whether probiotic supplements can treat allergy-induced skin rashes in babies.
  
• Israeli scientists are studying whether these supplements can improve complications in liver disease.

Even without all the answers from science, probiotics are a multibillion-dollar global industry. In the United States alone, retail sales of probiotic-containing foods and supplements totaled an estimated at $764 million in 2005 and are projected to reach $1 billion in 2010, according to market research firm BCC Research.

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[yongamerica]

If a news company as large as CBS is going try to sound educated in reporting an article like this, the one thing they should get straight is yogurt, such as that in stories opening picture, has active cultures of yeast (mold), not bacteria. Blue cheese is a bacteria growing on a mold.

Good bacteria grows in dirt, ask any gardener. Eat more dirt.

[baileyccc]

Your response looks like more disinformation to confuse the general public to what is really going on. It is sad.

[baileyccc]

seandgreen you must know that Pharmaceuticals Companies have deals with physicians to write prescriptions for their particular drug. A Doctor can easily received $100,000 or more a year for their prescribing habits. The doctors do what is best for their bank account not your health. This is a sad way to do business and it is what health care has become in our country. The statin drugs are the classic example, they are so profitable and it is the first order of business to put all patients on cholesterol medicine. Cholesterol is the biggest scam in the medical world. Estrogen is another drug that they are looking for excuses to put all women on. The fact that hormone replacement therapy gives women breast and other forms of cancer doesn''t seem to matter to the prescribing physician. The profits from chemotherapy are enormous and plenty of money to pass around. The medical money wheel is endless.

[displeased]

How is this news? The benefits of friendly bacteria and fermented foods have been known for decades or longer
Posted by andor3

Yes, basic nutrition is obvious to some but others have no clue. It doesn''t hurt to publish some reminders occasionally since it seems some people have no idea what to put in their bodies.

[rf35]

The problem with the probiotic stuff is that it tends to cost way more than the regular variety and the actual effects are unclear.

[andor3]

How is this news? The benefits of friendly bacteria and fermented foods have been known for decades or longer--wine, beer, bread, yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, real pickles, sourdough, vinegar, cheese...

It is good science is catching up, but it is wrong to pretend they discovered any of this age-old knowledge.

[baileyccc]

Now this is a subject this almost totality ignored by mainstream medicine. It cause so many other symptoms that they can prescribe for profit, it makes financial sense that this be ignored. Anyone from the nutrition world knows that all problems begin with the digestive system. The standard American diet and the way health care is today, it is such a joke. It is all about the money.