With or without extra probiotics?

– healthy people do not need extra probiotics.
According to the Nutrition Center, healthy people do not need extra probiotics. However, there are also scientists who believe that everyone benefits from a daily dose of probiotics. According to them, they are necessary to keep the intestinal flora in balance, and help prevent infections or shorten the duration of illness. This is not proven.

– some products with probiotics are proven to be effective for intestinal complaints.
The bottles of probiotics come in all kinds of variants, all of which contain different types of probiotics. Just as each vitamin has a different function in the body, every type of bacteria also has a different function. Three products have really been proven in the Netherlands that they can help: Activia, Vifit and Yakult. These products have gone through the Nutrition Center’s Code of Conduct. Activia and Yakult have a beneficial effect on delayed bowel movements. Yakult and Vifit help protect against diarrhea.

– Probiotics reduce the risk of diarrhea during a course of antibiotics.
Antibiotics not only eliminate harmful bacteria, but also good bacteria in our gut. As a result, a course of antibiotics is associated with diarrhea in 30 to 40 percent of cases. You can reduce the risk of diarrhea by more than half by taking one serving of probiotics such as Vifit or Yakult daily. In Finland it is very common for general practitioners to prescribe probiotics during a course of antibiotics. For optimal effect, it is important to start with probiotics as soon as possible, preferably before the antibiotic treatment has started. Do not take them at the same time, because antibiotics counteract the effect of probiotics. It is best to take probiotics exactly between two doses of antibiotics. And continue with the probiotics for one or two weeks after the treatment, because the effect of antibiotics often lags behind.

– products containing probiotics are safe.
In early 2008, there was an alarming report that severely ill patients with pancreatitis have a higher risk of death if they are given probiotics. This did not concern the probiotic products as you find them in the store. In that case, it was a study in which much higher doses were introduced directly into the intestines via a tube. However, probiotic drinks are normally safe for healthy people, the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority concluded in June 2009. Only people with severely weakened immune systems or serious illnesses should be careful with probiotics.