Probiotics Research Hot Topic for Gastroenterologists

29/10/07 New research showing that probiotics can benefit health and positively impact the gastrointestinal tract was discussed at a symposium, Probiotics: Applications in Gastrointestinal Health and Disease held in conjunction with the 72nd Annual American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Scientific Meeting. Leading scientists and physicians shared their insights on how "friendly" bacteria, or probiotics like those in certain yogurts and fermented dairy drinks, can optimize the functioning of the GI tract. The study of the health benefits of probiotics is one of the most rapidly growing interest areas for health professionals as well as for consumers.

Dr. Martin Floch, Clinical Professor of Medicine and Director of Ambulatory Gastrointestinal Services at Yale University School of Medicine, led a world-class panel of speakers in the fields of gastroenterology, pediatrics, and nutrition in this cutting-edge science focused symposium on the use of probiotics for specific intestinal conditions. Physicians are increasingly recognizing that probiotics are helping their patients and a growing number of scientific studies are demonstrating positive correlations between consumption of specific bacterial strains and health.

"Not all live cultures are probiotics," said Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, Chair of the Task Force charged with preparing an Issue Paper on Probiotics for the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) in the opening presentation. "The live cultures must also show functional benefits to be termed probiotics. Although we typically think of probiotics of benefiting the intestine, they have been shown to impact other colonized sites as well, including the mouth, throat, stomach and vaginal tract. It is important to remember that health benefits are specific to the strain tested - as all of them are different," she said. Dr. Sanders, who is also the founding President and Executive Director of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP), highlighted several of the important findings about the emerging role of probiotics discussed in the October 2007 Issue Paper released by CAST and funded by The United States Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Stefano Guandalini of the University of Chicago Comer Children's Hospital discussed that diarrhea is a common side-effect people experience when taking antibiotics, and showed that ingesting certain probiotics can substantially decrease incidences of antibiotic associated diarrhea. For example, a recent paper from the July 2007 British Medical Journal showed a significant reduction of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in those who consumed a probiotic drink twice daily. The cost of using probiotics to mitigate antibiotic associated diarrhea was just a fraction of the cost of treating it.

Dr. Eamonn Quigley, Vice President of the American College of Gastroenterology explained the mechanism of immune activation and disruption of bacterial flora in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). He showed that recent research is promising for specific probiotics in possibly reversing changes to the complex ecosystem of bacteria that lives in the intestinal tract and affecting the symptoms of IBS.

Probiotics are live cultures that, when consumed in sufficient quantities, can provide health benefits to the individual. Probiotics can help maintain the digestive system by providing a regular source of "friendly" bacteria to the intestinal tract, helping to improve the functioning of the intestinal microflora. More than 1000 kinds of bacteria have been isolated from people's intestines and normally a healthy intestine is one that is dominated by "friendly" bacteria. But several factors can disrupt the intestinal ecosystem, including stress, antibiotic use, lack of sleep, illness, diet, and aging. Research suggests that regular consumption of probiotic-containing products, like certain yogurts and fermented dairy drinks, can help to regulate the intestinal ecosystem and contribute to the host's health.

The symposium was made possible by an unrestricted educational grant provided by The Dannon Company, Inc. and Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.

A Webcast of the symposium will be made available in November at http://www.usprobioitics.org, http://www.probioticscenter.com and http://www.yakult.co.jp/front/institute/.

Dannon and Yakult Continue to Advocate and Lead Probiotic Research and Education

Active cultures have been used for centuries to help promote healthy functioning of the body. New food products are on the horizon that provide these good bacteria. For example, Dannon and Yakult are leading companies researching probiotics with academic approaches and providing various products worldwide. Dannon produces DanActive, a cultured probiotic dairy drink that has been clinically proven to help strengthen the body's defense system, Activia, a yogurt that has been clinically proven to help naturally regulate the digestive system by helping with slow intestinal transit, and Danimals with LGG, which is clinically proven to help kids stay healthy. Yakult, with its signature probiotics Lactobacillus casei Shirota, has been educating people around the world about the benefits of probiotics with their cultured probiotic dairy drink, Yakult for more than 70 years.

In March 2004, Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. and Groupe Danone, the parent company of The Dannon Company, jointly established the Global Probiotics Council to communicate the latest knowledge and discoveries and to raise awareness and understanding of probiotics.