These live microorganisms are akin to the valuable microorganisms already residing in our bodies, a vast ecosystem of microbial species, including bacteria and yeast.
Now that products containing probiotics are sold as yogurt, drinks and dietary supplements, there seems to be some confusion around how to define probiotics and how beneficial they really are.
"It's taken a while for the scientific community to actually form a consensus of what we mean when we say probiotics, because people might mean different things," said Lynne McFarland, an associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Washington in Seattle.
"The most recent recommendation and consensus is that they have to be alive. They can be a bacteria or a yeast. They have to be used in an adequate dose, and they have to have some proven beneficial health effect," McFarland said of probiotics.
"Probiotics have been around for a long time," she said. "It took a while for science to catch up with what's going on."
How has our understanding of probiotics changed over time? Here's a look at probiotics' steady rise in popularity, from Europe to America, and where health experts now stand on their benefits.
As farmers settled into communities, they developed the habit of storing more of their food. "With anything that you store, microbes are just going to start growing in it," Shanahan said. This sometimes resulted in the fermentation of foods.
For instance, in Asia, sushi was originally a fermented food, Shanahan said.
In other words, the bacteria in the rice helped store the fish.
"They have the hieroglyphics of the pharaoh being served something in a bowl, and people who have translated those have gone, 'OK, this is sort of a fermented milk product,' " McFarland said.
As agriculture expanded, so did our relationship with probiotics.
It's believed that the word kefir derives from the Turkish word keyif, meaning "pleasure" or "feeling good" after its ingestion. The beneficial health properties of kefir and other dairy products were a part of folklore until the idea of probiotics arose.
"He's the first one who published a book looking at Bulgarians and saying, 'Gosh, they live longer,' and it wasn't due to their diet. It wasn't due to the yogurt that they consumed but actually the bacteria that was used to ferment the yogurt," McFarland said. "That clever Russian. ... He's the one who kind of went, 'You know, bacteria aren't all bad.' "
However, the concept of probiotics quietly drifted to the background of medical focus until it re-emerged in the mid-1950s in Europe.
"They were always more popular in Scandinavia and Europe," McFarland said.
In the United States, however, there was less attention on probiotics and more attention on antibiotics.
"Antibiotics were seen as only beneficial. In the '70s, actually, doctors would just treat people with anything with a shot, like they didn't have any clue about resistance or any clue about side effects," Shanahan said.
"I started doing this research back in the 1990s, and it was very infrequent that somebody in the US would know what we were talking about when we would talk about probiotics," McFarland said.
"It really wasn't until 1994, when the dietary health and supplement law was enacted, that allowed these kinds of products to be sold over the counter," she said. "Suddenly ... people became very aware of what it is. It's truly amazing how quickly the popularity of this spread."
"What changed is that before that law became enacted, probiotics were considered an investigational drug. So it was going through the FDA process, and we had to go through ... very long and expensive drug pathway development through the FDA," McFarland said.
"Then, when the dietary supplement law got enacted ... it opened a floodgate of quote-unquote probiotic products that weren't really probiotic, and the quality of the products were not as regulated as they should have been, having not gone through the ordinary FDA process," she said. "I think that's still the situation today."
"There's now probiotics that come in chocolate; probiotics come in cheese; there's bread. Little sprinkles you can put on ice cream," she said.
Next, scientists started to research how probiotics may benefit your health, specifically your gut.
For the paper, 18 randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of probiotics as an irritable bowel syndrome treatment were analyzed. The trials, published between 1950 and 2008, involved 1,650 patients total.
"This systematic review indicates that probiotics have a therapeutic benefit in improving IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) symptoms," the researchers wrote. "Future studies need to establish which species, strain and dose of probiotics are most efficacious in IBS."
Additionally, "there's been a big thing on 'this is a women's probiotic' or 'this is a men's probiotic.' There has been a big thing on gender probiotics," McFarland said of one emerging trend.
However, she added that there is no difference between a male or female microbiome, and therefore, there should be no difference in how a probiotic would benefit a man or a woman -- that is, outside of vaginal health.
"The only difference is that there are some probiotic strains that are good for vaginitis, so if they're trying to say 'restores vaginal health,' then that might be OK as a woman's product," McFarland said.
All in all, McFarland said, probiotics may be beneficial if taken to prevent travel-associated diarrhea or to prevent side effects of antibiotics. For any other purposes, however, she recommended consulting with your doctor or checking scientific literature for guidance.
"What we're finding is that a person has their own profile of their microbiome. If that's disrupted, and even if you take probiotics, after you stop taking probiotics, it goes back to what your profile was before," McFarland said.
"So, it's like it remembers who's invited to the party, and it only invites those people," she said. "I think it's still an exciting field for research because, the more we appreciate how much bacteria do for us, the more we appreciate what happens when it gets disrupted."
Shanahan recommends going old-school.
"From my perspective, the more logical thing to do is to eat foods that are good for us and that bacteria can utilize as well," Shanahan said.
"I get foods rich in prebiotics and ready-to-eat fermented foods. I'll eat yogurt or kimchi, and for prebiotics to feed the probiotics, I make sure I always get some kind of fiber-y thing, whether it's nuts or vegetables or beans," she said. "But the probiotic-rich foods, which are the fermented and cultured foods, are more likely to be beneficial than supplements."
The rest is here:
Health effects of probiotics: Where do we stand? - CNN
- The 7 Best Fertility Supplements for Men of 2024 - Parents - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- Monitoring and evaluation of childhood stunting reduction program based on fish supplement product in North ... - Nature.com - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- The Best Supplements To Take At Every Age - Vogue - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- The 11 Best Ashwagandha Supplements of 2024 - Health.com - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- The 8 Best-Tasting Greens Powders of 2024 - EatingWell - May 23rd, 2024 [May 23rd, 2024]
- Creatine and Caffeine: Benefits, Risks, Dosage - Health.com - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Fiber Supplements Are Once Again Popular But Pick The Right One | mindbodygreen - mindbodygreen - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- The Ministry of Health Warns the Public Against Use of Food Supplements Manufactured by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical ... - Gov.il - April 16th, 2024 [April 16th, 2024]
- Study: Vitamin D and Calcium Supplements May Reduce Cancer Risk - Prevention Magazine - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Magnesium for Sleep: The Best Type, When to Take It and More - Good Housekeeping - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Food ingredients drive growth in beauty supplements - IngredientsNetwork.com - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Best Ozempic Weight Loss Alternative Supplements Money Can Buy (Top OTC Semaglutide Alternatives) - Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Can Fiber Help with Ozempic, Wegovy Side Effects? - Health.com - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Vitamin B12 and Magnesium: Benefits, Risks, Dosage - Health.com - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Taking a Daily Fiber Supplement Might Help Boost Brain Function in Older Adults - Health.com - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Moringa: Benefits, Side Effects And Risks Forbes Health - Forbes - October 22nd, 2023 [October 22nd, 2023]
- What to Know About California's New Law Banning Food Additives ... - Smithsonian Magazine - October 18th, 2023 [October 18th, 2023]
- How to Treat Iron Deficiency - The New York Times - October 18th, 2023 [October 18th, 2023]
- The Importance of Micronutrients for Optimal Health - Everyday Health - September 11th, 2023 [September 11th, 2023]
- How can companies stand out in the immune health category in 2023? - Nutritional Outlook - June 20th, 2023 [June 20th, 2023]
- Kemin's BetaVia Pure immune and gut health ingredient gains ... - Nutritional Outlook - June 20th, 2023 [June 20th, 2023]
- Steadfast Nutrition expands its portfolio with four supplements - Asia Food Journal - June 20th, 2023 [June 20th, 2023]
- Martyn Ford Reveals Food & Supplements of 10000 Calorie Diet for ... - Fitness Volt - June 20th, 2023 [June 20th, 2023]
- Nutrition & Longevity Experts Love This Metabolism Supplement ... - mindbodygreen - June 20th, 2023 [June 20th, 2023]
- Ric Flair Reveals Diet, Training & Supplements to Stay Jacked at 74 ... - Fitness Volt - June 20th, 2023 [June 20th, 2023]
- ADM licenses gut-health ingredient from Gnubiotics for pet food ... - Nutritional Outlook - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Global Sorbitol Market Report 2023: Increasing Demand for Non-medical Dietary Supplements Drives Growth - Yahoo Finance - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Fat-Soluble Vitamins: What They Are and How To Get the Most Out of Them - Health Essentials - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Six of the Best... food, treats & supplements - Dogs Today Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 9 Anti-Inflammatory Supplements Backed By Science Forbes Health - Forbes - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Dietary Supplements Market Size to Reach Globally with Growing ... - Digital Journal - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- These 11 Vegan Vitamins Are Made With Fruits and Vegetables - VegNews - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Hemptown's Kirkman Subsidiary Named One of the 50 Most Admired Companies to Watch in 2023 - Yahoo Finance - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- What is biotin? Foods to eat and if you should take it every day - USA TODAY - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Best vitamins to be taking as seasons change, according to health expert - Daily Record - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- KITTEN YOGA RETURNS TO EAST BANK REGIONAL LIBRARY ... - Jefferson Parish - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 8 Best Fiber Supplements of 2023, Tested by Experts - Good Housekeeping - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- FDA Passes the Buck (Back) to Congress for Legislative Solution on ... - JD Supra - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Wellness Trap: Break Free from Diet Culture, Disinformation, and Dubious Diagnoses, and Find Your True Well-Being - Next Big Idea Club Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Fruit And Vegetable Supplements: A 2023 Guide Forbes Health - Forbes - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- FDA: SARMs not worth the health risk 'for a few extra likes' - NutraIngredients-usa.com - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Are Melatonin Gummies Safe? Here's What (Kinda Scary) New Research Says - POPSUGAR - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- New paper discusses the rationale for proprietary blends in ... - Nutritional Outlook - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- The Best Brain Supplements For Cognitive Health Forbes Health - Forbes - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Protein powders: Are they bad for your health? - BBC - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- New Regulation on Turkish Food Codex Nutrition Claims Has Just ... - Lexology - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Selenium: Benefits, Side Effects, and More - Verywell Health - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- FDA Warns of Use of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators ... - FDA.gov - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Probiotic supplements may do the opposite of boosting Gut Health ... - WholeFoods Magazine - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Do hangover supplements actually work? - Nutritional Outlook - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Common Sense Health: Fish oil is the superhero of supplements - The Independent - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Red yeast rice nutritional supplements health benefits, risks ... - Chicago Sun-Times - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- From forest to fork - All About Feed - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Could Certain Foods Help With Hot Flashes? - The New York Times - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Consumer interest in cognitive, immune health rising - Food Business News - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- 15 Best Vitamin Brands of 2022: A Dietitians Picks - February 24th, 2023 [February 24th, 2023]
- Dietary supplements for weight loss - Mayo Clinic - February 24th, 2023 [February 24th, 2023]
- Emergency Food Supplements | DSHS - Washington - December 28th, 2022 [December 28th, 2022]
- Guidance & Regulation (Food and Dietary Supplements) | FDA - December 25th, 2022 [December 25th, 2022]
- Food Labeling & Nutrition | FDA - December 25th, 2022 [December 25th, 2022]
- Health & Food Supplements Information Service - HSIS - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Food Security Community Food Security Coalition - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Expert Voices: Diet and Nutrition for People With Parkinson's... - Parkinson's News Today - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- The regulatory state of play of the sports and active nutrition sector - NutraIngredients.com - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- The Digestive Health Supplements Market Is Set To Grow At A More Than 9% Rate Due To Rising Cases Of Digestive Diseases As Per The Business Research... - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- FSAI highlights incidents, recalls and fraud in its annual report - Food Safety News - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Global Cannabidiol Legalization Trend to Shape the CBD Market's Future Growth - PR Newswire - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- The FoodNavigator Podcast: Mood food for mental wellbeing how can the industry capitalise? - FoodNavigator.com - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- 6 Ways to Find Relief from Your Menopause Symptoms - Health Essentials - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- NutraCast: How amendments in the 2023 Farm Bill could shape the hemp industry - NutraIngredients-usa.com - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- South Korea starts year-long inspection of probiotics imported from US, Europe - NutraIngredients-Asia - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Nveda employs a variety of dietary supplements made of natural ingredients for a fit and healthy life - The Hindu - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Vitamin C Market to See Healthy Growth of USD 1,899.69 Million with Excellent Compound Annual Growth Rate of 7.60% by 2029, Size, Opportunities,... - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Global Microalgae Market to Reach $1.3 Billion by 2027 - GlobeNewswire - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Dietary supplements that are safe to take, which to avoid: experts - Insider - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- 6 Best Fiber Supplements That Will Keep Your Gut Happy - CNET - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Do You Actually Need To Take A Multivitamin? The Answer May Surprise You - The Zoe Report - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Global overview for probiotics: Trends, markets, and harmonization - Regulatory Focus - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Combining Your Medication With This May Have "Life-Threatening Effects" - Best Life - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Aroma-Zone opens a new store in Paris and prepares to grow abroad - Premium beauty - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]