Can Probiotics Make You Sick?

The body has thousands of germs, so don't run for your hand sanitizer or bottle of mouthwash to kill them. Germs are microorganisms, and they don't always make you sick. Some of them are quite beneficial, and we need them to survive. When taking probiotics, you're ingesting a batch of friendly bacteria. No matter how friendly these germs are, you might still be concerned about their effect on your health.

History

• The concept of friendly bacteria isn't new. Bacteria begin the process of changing milk to buttermilk, kefir, cheese and yogurt. Tempeh, miso and tofu require bacteria to ferment. Sauerkraut, kimchi and wine also use probiotics in their production. Their usefulness to health began when Elie Metchikoff, a Nobel Prize-winning Russian scientist, noticed that peasants in Bulgaria had extraordinary good health and believed that their consumption of fermented milk was at the core of this blessing.

Identification

• Even though you may think you're taking probiotics, good bacteria, there are unscrupulous manufacturers that take advantage of ineffective labeling laws. While many well-known manufacturers' products contain what the label claims, some products don't. Counterfeit probiotics may not contain as many beneficial bacteria as claimed and even may include the wrong bacteria.

Effects

• Initially, scientists believed that probiotics were useful to treat children with eczema. Dr. Robert Boyle from the Imperial College in London reviewed 12 studies and found no proof that probiotics helped. Dr. Susan Prescott of the University of Western Australia came to a similar conclusion. After completing a study using 178 children from birth to 6 months and comparing a placebo to probiotics, she and colleagues concluded the children taking the probiotics were more prone to allergens as they got older. Because of these studies, many doctors don't recommend probiotics for children or people with eczema. A Cochrane research team discovered that probiotics might cause bowel damage and infection when given to children for the treatment of eczema.

Considerations

• If you're considering probiotics to help boost a compromised immune system, stop before you swill your first bit of bacteria. The University Medical Center in Utrecht, Netherlands, experienced 24 deaths when it studied the effects of probiotics on inflammation of the pancreas. Because of this, Dutch consumer safety authorities deemed probiotics unsafe for people in intensive care.

Warning

• Hospitals that routinely gave beneficial bacteria have rethought their position and discontinued the practice. St. George's Hospital in London discontinued the use of probiotics for people with severe illnesses and compromised immune systems. According to Catherine Collins, its chief dietitian, probiotics "can lead to a potentially fatal illness called lactobacillus septicaemia and we have treated a few cases at St. George's."

Theories/Speculation

• An alternative to the introduction of probiotics into the system is the use of prebiotics. Prebiotics are the food for friendly bacteria. By providing lunches and dinners for the critters that already exist in the body, you help rebuild your own friendly bacteria and don't need to introduce a foreign population of germs. Prebiotic foods include foods rich in inulin. Inulin is in many foods but especially concentrated in oats, bananas, garlic, onions and chicory.