SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The "good bacteria," or probiotics, that fill the pomegranate drink are everywhere these days, in pills and powders marketed as super supplements. Probiotics are said to improve digestive and immune health. They're touted as potential treatments for conditions ranging from inflammatory bowel disease to eczema to tooth decay. Some marketing campaigns even hint that they can prevent the flu.
Scientific evidence, however, does not necessarily support those claims.
Studies in rodents and small groups of humans point to possible health benefits of consuming probiotics. But there have been only a few large human trials — in large part because Food and Drug Administration rules have dissuaded food companies and federally funded researchers from conducting the types of studies that could confirm, or refute, the proposed benefits of consuming "good" microbes.
http://www.statnews.com/2016/01/21/probiotics-shaky-science/
(Score: 3, Insightful) by goodie on Wednesday January 27 2016, @07:39PM
Our kids' doctors (you don't get to pick, you get whoever is available here when your child is sick) vary on their recommendations. After antibiotics or illness, some recommend it, some say that they have no evidence to suggest that it helps but that the risk of adverse effects is very low so it doesn't hurt. Now there is more and more leaning toward paying more attention to our gut bacteria and the results seem to be edging that way too. So from that perspective, probiotics should be beneficial (should, not are).
The problem is that not all probiotics are the same so a simple live bacteria count as some products claim is not sufficient. Again, this is something that time and time again we have known in the past. Eat diverse foods. In Europe that means different kinds of cheeses, yogurts, kefir etc. Those things contain probiotics and are good for you for a whole bunch of other reasons (fat, different tastes, textures, mold etc.). So have those things instead and keep your $20 for something else :)
(FWIW I don't think that string cheese, velveeta, or Kraft Singles count as a European would not consider those cheeses to begin with ;) ).