Re: another view on probiotics

hi hanna,i was just saying if a person was to use Antibiotics they would need to use some sort of probiotic,it takes a long time for the body to replenish it's probiotics and it only takes a very little amount of Antibiotics to destroy it.here is some info i have found.
The bowels should be home to nearly 4 pounds of probiotics, or “friendly” bacteria. The term “probiotics” means “for life”. It’s no wonder, given the many ways these bacteria help to maintain good health. Here are some of the benefits that probiotics provide:

• Manufacture some of the B vitamins such as B3 (niacin), B6, folic acid and biotin.

• Manufacture lactase, the milk-digesting enzyme that helps digest dairy products.

• Help detoxify bile, from which estrogen is recycled and cholesterol is discarded. This function helps balance hormones and lower cholesterol. Bile detoxification by probiotics also helps deactivate toxic pollutants.

• Have powerful anti-carcinogenic effects that are active against certain tumors.

• Produce lactic acid and Antibiotic substances that kill or deactivate invading bacteria, viruses and yeasts. • Help finish digestion of food and regulate bowel function.

The best way to supplement these important “friendly” bacteria is to purchase refrigerated capsules from a reputable source. A recent analysis of probiotics available from health food stores revealed that less than 20% contained the amount of viable bacteria listed on the label. At COCP, we use Metagenics brand of probiotics in a dairy-free form. Independent lab assays prove that even at expiration, the listed amounts of both Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium are contained and viable. Probiotics are best taken on an empty stomach since stomach acids are activated when we eat, and these stomach acids are meant to sterilize all bacteria as they come in. You want these bacteria to survive so they can begin to colonize in the gut. In addition, if they are held up behind foods that take 1-2 hours to digest, they are subjected to the heat of the stomach, which can also destroy them. Lactobacillus acidophilus is the main inhabitant of the small intestines of both humans and animals, and Bifidobacterium is the second most prevalent strain. Eating yogurt is not the best way to supplement these friendly bacteria because of its high Sugar content (even unsweetened yogurt contains significant amounts of milk sugar) and because most of the active cultures are sterilized (destroyed) by the stomach .
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