Probiotics Could Help Fight Off Colds: Study

By  Amanda Chan
The Huffington Post 
Probiotics, the healthy bacteria in yogurt and supplements, could do more than help your digestive system -- a new review of studies show they could also help to stave off colds.
Chinese researchers analyzed 10 studies that gave probiotics, a placebo or no treatment for more than a week to a combined total of 3,451 study participants whose ages ranged from infancy to adulthood (40s). They found that taking probiotics could help reduce the number of upper respiratory tract infections by 12%.
"This indicates that probiotics may be more beneficial than placebo for preventing acute URTIs," researchers wrote in The Cochrane Library review. "However, the results have some limitations and there were no data for older people."
MedPage Today reported a possible reason why probiotics could help against colds:
Probiotics, which most commonly include lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, may exert their immune-boosting effect by bolstering gut wall integrity and amping up activity of phagocytes, Dong's group explained.
Past studies have shown that probiotics could help relieve the symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome, though more research needs to be done on what kind of how many doses of probiotics are needed for a sustained benefit (since IBS is a chronic condition).
A Cochrane review also shows that probiotics could help to reduce the length of time people suffer from acute infectious diarrhea. But just as in the other study, more research is needed to find the right kind of probiotic to be used as a treatment.
Probiotics have also shown some promise for treating bad breath, reported HuffPost blogger Dr. Harold Katz.
Last year, a Pediatrics study showed that probiotics could also help stave off diarrhea in kids when they are taking antibiotics that can cause diarrhea as a side effect. However, there were many caveats to the study; for one, kids whose immune systems are compromised or who are using intravenous catheters shouldn't use probiotics because they could risk a serious infection, the Associated Press reported.
A recent animal study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has also shown that probiotics in dairy could aid in treating anxiety and depression, the Daily Mail reported.

Take a look at the Different Methods to Make Probiotic here.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mind-altering microbes: Probiotic bacteria may lessen anxiety and depression

Image
Professor John Cryan, Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, University College Cork (Credit: Image courtesy of University College Cork) ScienceDaily (Aug. 30, 2011) — Probiotic bacteria have the potential to alter brain neurochemistry and treat anxiety and depression-related disorders according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research, carried out by Dr Javier Bravo, and Professor John Cryan at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre in University College Cork, along with collaborators from the Brain-Body Institute at McMaster University in Canada, demonstrated that mice fed with Lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 showed significantly fewer stress, anxiety and depression-related behaviours than those fed with just broth. Moreover, ingestion of the bacteria resulted in significantly lower levels of the stress-induced hormone, corticosterone. "This study identifies potential brain targets and a pathway through which certain gut organisms can alte
Read more

Probiotics Fight Cancer, Colds and Constipation

Image
It may not surprise you to hear that probiotics can reduce constipation (Italy, Amenta et al. 2006). But what may surprise you, is that probiotics play a role in cancer. They have been shown stimulate production of anti-cancer chemicals (Hatakka et al. 2008). The probiotics, Lactobacillus casei, have also been shown in Tokyo to reduce the risk of bladder cancer, depending on frequency and dosage (Ohashi et al. 2002). Numerous probiotics have been shown to fight viruses such as colds, the flu, rotavirus, herpes and ulcers. In New Delhi, 100 children ages 2-5 were given L. acidophilus for 6 months. These children have fewer incidences of colds, flu, diarrhea and fever than the placebo group (Saran et al. 2002). In Japan, Bio E has conducted several studies in hospital in the Philippines & South East Asia that has shown remarkable improvements & shortened days of recovery on children using Bio-15 & Biogenics MD probiotics.
Read more

GMO Sweet Corn - Buyers Beware!

Image
Monsanto and the EPA swore that the genetically engineered corn would only harm insects. The Bt-toxin produced inside the plant would be completely destroyed in the human digestive system and would not have any impact at all on consumers, they claimed. Alas, they’ve been proven wrong on that account as well, because not only is Bt corn producing resistant “super-pests,” researchers have also found that the Bt-toxin can indeed wreak havoc on human health. Bt-Toxin Now Found in Many People’s Blood! Last year, doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec found Bt-toxin in the blood of: • 93% of pregnant women tested • 80% of umbilical blood in their babies, and • 67% of non-pregnant women The study authors speculate that the Bt toxin was likely consumed in the normal diet of the Canadian middle class—which makes sense when you consider that genetically engineered corn is present in the vast majority of all processed foods and drinks in the form of high fructose
Read more