Probiotic Defense Side Effects

According to USProbiotics.org, probiotics are "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amount confer a health benefit on the host." The product Probiotic Defense offers consumers one way to use probiotics as a daily supplement. Although there are many health benefits associated with Probiotic Defense, the effectiveness depends the product and the individual's digestive tract. It is important to understand the mild yet proven side effects that are commonly associated with both this product and other probiotic sources.

Significance

• According to Gibson, "Probiotics are non-digestible substances that when consumed provide a beneficial physiological effect on the host by selectively stimulating the favorable growth or activity of a limited number of indigenous bacteria." Human beings have always been hosts to high numbers of microbes, which play an important role in human health. Most bacteria in the human body are not harmful, but some have negative influences. Therefore it is important have a balance of different microbes in the body, which probiotics can help achieve.

Features of Probiotic Defense

• Probiotics come in many forms, as they can be in foods, dietary supplements, and clinical therapeutics with oral or non-oral delivery. The product Probiotic Defense is a dietary supplement that is sold as a dried powder that is encapsulated in pills. The product claims that each capsule contains 1 billion organisms that include 13 different bacterial strains. Probiotic Defense is advertised as being stable at room temperature and does not require refrigeration.

Benefits

• Probiotics, inlcuding Probiotic Defense, claim to have variety of benefits to human health. The three main areas of benefits include helping lower the risk of diarrheal illnesses, assisting lactose intolerant people with lactose digestion, and enhancing immune function. Initial studies have reported that probiotics can help reduce allergy development in children, decrease Helicobacter pylori colonization of the stomach, help individuals cope with side effects of antibiotic therapy, ease some inflammatory bowel conditions and decrease the risk of certain cancers.

Side Effects of Probiotic Defense

• Although there are some general side effects associated with using probiotics, they are few and are not considered life-threatening. They include excess gas and a condition called excessive drainage syndrome, characterized by diarrhea, headache, bloating and constipation . Because Probiotic Defense capsules contain milk derivatives, this can cause side effects for people with food allergies or for those with sensitive digestive tracts. Individuals who are lactose intolerant or vegetarians should consider a non-dairy probiotic product as an alternative to Probiotic Defense.

Considerations

• The effectiveness of probiotics is disputed for a number of reasons and Probiotic Defense is no exception. The reasons for why this product can be argued as being effective are twofold: it holds up as being "therapeutic" since it contains 1 billion bacteria per gram and it comes in a powered form. However, since Probiotic Defense claims to have multiple bacteria strains and is not supposed to be refrigerated, it may not be as effective as other alternative supplement products.