Before refrigeration, people preserved milk by adding fermented milk to it. The result was a yogurt drink loaded with “friendly” bacteria. A growing body of research suggests that those bacteria, known as probiotics, may provide multiple health benefits.
Probiotics take up residence in the intestines and prevent disease-causing bugs from settling in. They’re found in live- culture cheese, kefir (a Middle Eastern version of buttermilk or lassi), and yogurt (dahi) as well as in supplements. According to a 2005 report by the American Society for Microbiology,probiotics show promise for relieving diarrhoea, eczema
children, and urinary-tract and vaginal infections. Other research suggests that probiotics might also improve digestive problems and irritable bowel syndrome, offset side effects from antibiotics, and shorten the length and severity of the common cold.
To try probiotics for one of these problems, look for a yogurt or yogurt drink that contains live active cultures, preferably Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, the two most widely studied strains. Or consider yogurts or drinks labeled “probiotic,” which may have higher amounts of those organisms. Numbers are important because, for the benefits to accrue, each serying should have at least one billion bacteria. The other factor to
consider with probiotics is, whether the organisms are reaching the intestines live in large enough numbers (i.e. they aren’t killed by stomach fluids). Evidence suggests that the probiotic strain Lactbacillus Casel Shirota meets thiscriteria to a great extent. So read the labels carefully.
You could try probiotic pills, but they often contain less good bacteria than yogurt and don’t include as many healthful nutrients.
Apart from bloating probiotics in live-culture yogurts and other foods pose few, if any, risks to healthy adults, children, and toddlers.
However talk with your doctor before trying probiotics if you have a serious acute or chronic illness.