Just how friendly are those probiotics in your food? From very interesting site about food.

[snagglepuss]

Chicago Tribune By Julie Deardorff

As manufacturers add probiotics, the so-called “friendly” bacteria with health benefits, to many products, experts caution that the word “probiotic” is widely misused and misunderstood.

snip

While there are thousands of different bacterial strains, only a few dozen have been tested for health benefits. And though studies suggest some products may offer relief to people with digestive issues, it’s not known whether healthy people receive any benefits from snacking on live “bugs.”

The European Union Food Safety Authority recently started a process to regulate health claims on products, including probiotics. And a pending class-action lawsuit alleges Dannon misled consumers about the benefits of Activia and DanActive, both marketed as probiotics.


snip


“Sadly, of the hundreds of new products launched in recent years, very few have been shown to be probiotic,” said probiotic researcher and developer Gregor Reid, a microbiologist at the University of Western Ontario and the president of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics.





http://foodsafety.suencs.com/110709-just-how-friendly-are-those-probiotics-in-your-food

[bemildred]

1. "While there are thousands of different bacterial strains"

Try millions, maybe billions. We have hardly the first clue about what is going on in the world of bacteria, and humility is the only appropriate attitude.