[miso soup]

Anyone do these, or has done them?  Good?  Bad?  Placebo?  Pointless fad?

http://www.climbhealthy.com/power-probiotics/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probiotic

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324784404578143402702878118

[Giles F]

I was at the climbing injury symposium at Manchester last weekend and the American dietician who spoke recommended them in certain circumstances, particularly when traveling, apparently stomach upsets are caused by an imbalance in bacteria in the stomach or gut. Unfortunately, because I'm not medically trained I struggled to keep up! So yes, they do work but I think you would need to do more detailed research to know if you need them yourself. Not a definitive answer I'm afraid but with looking in to.

[Ged]

My girlfriend and I went on a round the world trip a few years ago, and before we went to SE Asia these were suggested as a good way to fend off stomach problems.  We bought some in New Zealand and then took them the whole time we were in Thailand and Nepal (about 10 weeks), and neither of us had a single problem.  Of course that's not to say it was definitely the probiotics, but for a couple of first timers to spend that long there, not being particularly careful about what we ate, seems like quite good anecdotal evidence.  I'd definitely take them again if going somewhere similar

(p.s. I'm also extremely sceptical about any quack/"alternative" medicines, if that helps you decide anything)

[Joepicalli]

I've just had a lymph infection and the doctor strongly suggested that I took a probiotic along with the pretty strong antibiotics he prescribed. He said it would minimise the stomach problems associated with the antibiotics. So their not total quackery.

[Ged]

I suppose eating lots of cultured yoghurt would work just as well, just less convenient when in a hot country

[miso soup]

That's interesting.  Would the antibiotics not just kill the probiotics if you took them at the same time?  I would have thought probiotics after a course of antibiotics would make more sense, when you need to regenerate the gut fauna or whatever.

Thanks for the responses, I've blagged a free bottle so I'm going to give them a bash.  The ones I've got need to be kept in the fridge though so I'll have to wait until after an imminent period of traveling in the tropics picking up stomach bugs.

[tomtom]

Isn't this just a more palatable equivalent of a fecal transplant?

[Ged]

I suppose in an ideal world you wouldn't have faeces in your small intestine!

[Stubbs]

http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD006095/IBD_the-use-of-probiotics-to-prevent-c.-difficile-diarrhea-associated-with-antibiotic-use

[fatdoc]

I've just had a lymph infection and the doctor strongly suggested that I took a probiotic along with the pretty strong antibiotics he prescribed. He said it would minimise the stomach problems associated with the antibiotics. So their not total quackery.

I agree, when people tell me they are allergic to any form of penicillin.. Esp fluclox... And it coz they get seriously loose shits... It's a gut flora thing... As the antibiotic works there as well as systemically. It's not an allergy... This is vital these days in the upcoming serious multi resistant Bacteria now very much a reality. To exclude a whole family of anti biotics from possible usage has a significant clinical ramifications.

You need to hoof down a good one... Like Yakult three times plus a day. This works quite well.

The data on promoting healing after bowel surgery is not as good.

I use probiotics every day... Whether they help... With a stresseed gut.. I dunno.. But they seem to help a bit.

[cha1n]

I take multi-vitamins with probiotics every day (multibionta ones) and when I run I out I notice within a few days because everything gets a lot looser in the bowel movement department, so even if the vitamin part is fake, the probiotic part definitely works on me. Plus every time we get a dodgy Chinese meal the gf always gets a bad stomach whereas I just show the bacteria who's boss.

I run out for a little while every 3 months (I buy them on those 3 for £10 deals) and it always happens, so I'm confident they work.

[tomtom]

I can see the point of taking them if you've had a round of strong AB's... But as part of a normal day to day diet? Assuming you already have a batch of the little beauties working away in your tract what's the point in filling them up (and Yakuts pockets) every day??

Fat doc - I have a spectacular reaction to amoxycillin.. Large hives over the whole body apart from face and hands.. Scary stuff...

[fatdoc]

That's a reall allergy!!

I agree with above.. My gut. And sporting performance is improved by the same pills version... It's cheap. If I run out, I notice in 3 days.. Poor quality science I admitt. But sod it, it works for me.

My gut is poor, shigella, hepatitis a, campylobacter and C diff all left their toll...

[webbo]

I can see the point of taking them if you've had a round of strong AB's... But as part of a normal day to day diet? Assuming you already have a batch of the little beauties working away in your tract what's the point in filling them up (and Yakuts pockets) every day??

Fat doc - I have a spectacular reaction to amoxycillin.. Large hives over the whole body apart from face and hands.. Scary stuff...

I think I would go with that Tom rather than shitting blood which was the reaction I experienced.
I not sure my GP would be keen on prescribing me penicillin base antibiotics, even If I reassured him I was having several pots of yogurt a day.

[kelvin]

I spent a month once on a drip that fed me liquid antibiotics and I felt pretty grim when I came out of hospital. A mate mentioned that part of it would be down to my gut being rather devastated by the ABs - his advice was a take a pre and a probiotic every day for a while. Gotta say, it did alleviate some of the grimness. Didn't fix the broken bones mind 

[miso soup]

Fascinating.  I'm kind of prone to loose shit generally and antibiotics seem to improve my gut health.  Yoghurt gives me rancid diarrhea very quickly and anything that's kind of yeasty, pickled or preserved doesn't seem to go down too well.  I have a list of things I've removed from my diet which has improved the symptoms but not entirely eliminated them.

There was this guy that reckons rotten meat is a good probiotic, if we were looking for a natural alternative: http://www.vice.com/en_au/read/this-guy-has-eaten-nothing-but-raw-meat-for-five-years

[tomtom]

Problem is - fat doc please correct me - that many many different things can cause bad stomachs, physical, chemical, biological, psychological (IBS I'm looking at you here) and probiotic shit is only going to tackle one of these. But it's cheap, easy and harmless (I think) so if someone had stomach trouble it's an easy 'see if it works' option. Probably a load of placebo effects too...

[fatdoc]

 

Worth a punt.