Good bacteria – whodathunkit?
It seems like everyone and everything is contrarian these days –from geo-politics to Charlie Sheen –and lately, in dietary trends we’ve had “probiotics” which are in opposition, one might think, to “antibiotics.” The later, of course, kills nasties in your system, the former helps the good ones live long, healthy lives in your gut.
“But some experts worry that the benefits of probiotics will be diluted as the substances move beyond their yogurt and milk base,” reports the Los Angeles Times. Indeed, there’s been a rash of probiotically-supplemented products on the market of late. From bars to
However, only a limited number of probiotics strains have been shown to have effective results when ingested. Yet, some manufacturers are using strains that have yet to be identified as such. Moreover, there is no Food and Drug Administration regulation on how specific strains are labeled and marketed to the public.
Also, if you put micro-organism that lives in a moist environment (from liquid dairy products to your intestinal tract), will it survive when in a dry bar product? What good is a probiotics bacteria if it’s dead? The jury is out, though some manufacturers may add probiotics and label the product as though there are healthful benefits when, in fact, you’re actually eating a bacterial graveyard. Food for thought…