Probiotics: Are all the pictures rosy?

According to Dutch researchers, there was a significant mortality (8%) in a group of participants who used probiotics in a study on the effects of probiotics on pancreatic inflammation between 2004 and 2007. Products containing probiotics, like the Dutch yogurt drink Yakult, will be scrutinized by the Dutch Patient and Consumer Federation. A spokesperson for the regulating body says that probiotic products may not be as harmless as advertisers would have us believe. Yakult states that its product is “not a medicine” and that it has been safely consumed for over 70 years. A spokesperson from the yogurt producer says that the bacteria were improperly administered directly into the intestine, which differs from consuming them orally. Britain’s Food Standard Agency would like more conclusive evidence before approving probiotics as safe for human consumption. Telegraph.co.uk, Jan. 28, 2008
2008-01-30 06:57:52