Probiotic research began with infectious diarrheal disease

The introduction of a hypothesis similar to the modern concept, but not the term, “probiotic”, is generally attributed to Metchnikoff, who suggested that “the dependence of the intestinal microbes on the food makes it possible to adopt measures to modify the microbiota in our bodies and to replace the harmful microbes by useful microbes”. It doesn’t just sound similar, it is the hypothesis and it gave rise not only to the term probiotic but prebiotic and the two should not be confused but they are closely intertwined. Prebiotics are chemicals or substrates that induce the growth or activity of microorganisms.

Current research on the efficacy of probiotics include such conditions as metabolic disease, antibiotic-associated and C. difficile-associated diarrhea, IBS, constipation, IBD, chemotherapy associated diarrhea, respiratory tract infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, NAFLD, liver encephalopathy, periodontitis, depression, vaginosis, urinary tract infections, pancreatitis, pneumonia, hospital infection, mortality of posttrauma patients and necrotising enterocolitis in premature infants.

How can the average consumer begin when reading about ‘benefits’?

Microbial influence is greatly affected by the host.

“The terrain is everything.” 

Determine if the probiotics are GRAS, generally regarded as safe. Is the probiotic readily available to consumers with virtually no detrimental public health outcomes. In that case you can usually rest assured it is a ‘pro-biotic’.

Understand prebiotic effects

It was never proposed that probiotics be consumed apart from their natural environments. Cheese and many fermented foods were readily available until the modern marketplace gave rise to ‘probiotic capsules’ or powders and health benefit was implied. That assumption was challenged and it soon gained traction.

Probiotics without milk are useless.