CFS, but the research is mixed most likely because of the failure to
accurately define ME and CFS and do trials in subgroups who might
benefit the most.
Probiotics do ease gut problems, several studies show
By Rachael Rettner
MSNBC/MyHealthNewsDaily
Probiotics, or "good bacteria," may lower levels of inflammation in
the body, which could benefit patients who have inflammatory diseases
such as ulcerative colitis, a new study says.
Inflammation normally helps your body fight off infection, but
chronically high levels of it may cause swelling and pain and damage
tissues. Psoriasis, ulcerative colitis and chronic fatigue syndrome
are all diseases in which inflammation is thought to play a role.
In the new study, patients with one of these conditions who took the
probiotic bacteria B. infantis for eight weeks had lower levels of
inflammation compared with those who took a placebo. And healthy
people who took probiotics also saw a reduction in inflammation
compared with those who took a placebo.
The results suggest that probiotics may lower levels of inflammation,
regardless of the affliction, the researchers said. However, it's
still not clear whether probiotics can actually help with symptoms of
these diseases, experts say.
"It would be too soon to be able to say people with psoriasis or
chronic fatigue syndrome would feel a lot better after taking this
[probiotic]," said Gregor Reid, a microbiologists at the University of
Western Ontario in Canada, who was not involved in the study. "In
theory it should," but studies haven't shown this, he said.
The study, conducted by researchers from the University College Cork
in Ireland, will be presented this week at the American College of
Gastroenterology's (ACG) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. It was
funded by the biotechnology company Alimentary Health Ltd.
The results may seem to conflict with other research that shows
probiotics ramp up, not tone down, our immune system responses. But
Reid said it's possible for the bacteria to do both.
"I don=92t think there's anything that bacteria can't do, just about,"
Reid said. "We are essentially walking bacterial bodies. They're
affecting everything that we do."
The study adds to evidence that probiotics can help treat the bowel
disease ulcerative colitis, said Dr. Raymond Cross, a
gastroenterologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
However, the bacteria may help those with mild or moderate forms of
the disease, and not severe forms of it, Cross said.
Probiotics may also help people who need to take antibiotics for an
extended time.
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Another study presented at the ACG meeting showed taking probiotics
before starting antibiotics reduced the risk of developing
antibiotic-associated diarrhea by about 60 percent, said study
researcher Dr. Rabin Rahmani, a gastroenterologist at Maimonides
Medical Center in New York. Rahmani and colleagues reviewed 22 studies
involving more than 3,000 patients who took probiotics for an average
of 1.5 weeks.
While gastroenterologists are beginning to recommend probiotics for
disorders such as ulcerative colitis and antibiotic-associated
diarrhea, is not clear exactly which bacteria, or what dose, is most
beneficial, Cross said. Researchers should investigate this so doctors
know the best way to prescribe these bacteria to their patients, he
said.
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