Probiotic claim to digestion regulation a hoax?

[AnnaG]

An EU agency has dismissed general health claims of probiotic drinks and yogurts, saying they were not backed by science.

CBC News - Consumer Life - Probiotic health claims unsupported: EU

I have a friend who ate a spoonful of baker's yeast one time because some dolt told her it would aid her digestion. I was almost ready to call an ambulance to scoot her to the horsespittle and have her tummy pumped. She was in agony. She woofed her cookies though, it helped immensely. People shouldn't tell kids these things. And others should check first on these things.

 

[Cliffy]

I had a cousin who ate a spoon full of nutmeg one time because someone told him it would get him high.

Brewers yeast sprinkled on food is good for you, but I suspect eating a spoonful by itself might make you gag. Bakers yeast will probably expand so fast that it will look for the quickest exit.

 

[mabudon]

Nutmeg actually is hallucinogenic, but the amount you would have to eat to experience "effects" also happens to be pretty damn close to the lethal dose (and it's a LOT of nutmeg, like a pound or some wacky thing, which is why you never hear of people dying from it)

And yeah, eating yeast on its own is a god way to bloat yerself I'd figure, might as well eat an alka-seltzer

 

[karrie]

"Albert Flynn, who chairs the [EU] agency panel that considered the claims, said the first stage was to look at general health claims for the products. It will next look at more specific claims from individual manufacturers."

While I think it's important to look into the claims, as they intend to, I find it a bit dishonest the way the article is worded in some places to imply that science has failed to prove it, rather than specific studies and appropriate paperwork by the companies being the issue.

It comes off as saying that 'probiotics don't do what they claim', rather than 'probiotic marketing hasn't gotten its ducks in a row to prove it does what it claims.' Danone says it can show 37 studies on the issue. Tonington has talked about probiotic applications in other areas previously on this board.

And from personal experience, my doctor's orders of making sure to eat active bacteria yogurts (no, you don't need the specially marketed ones... any active bacteria yogurt does essentially the same thing), when taking anti-b's, helps stave off some of the nasty side effects.

 

[Tonington]

Yes...it's not that probiotics are a hoax, it's that they need to be taken in large enough quantities, and to date only certain species of bacterial cultures have actually been investigated.

It's now a trend in the food industry, and as such it's expected that some products will be slapping labels on the food, and claiming benefits where there are none.

It's further proof that we need better standards for labeling requirements, and perhaps for any medical benefits, the product should have to register with CFIA or Health Canada. One day, maybe we will have less logo, and more info...

Like a patent, there are specific claims. Maybe companies should be required to prove those claims...just a thought.

 

[Goober]

Yes...it's not that probiotics are a hoax, it's that they need to be taken in large enough quantities, and to date only certain species of bacterial cultures have actually been investigated.

It's now a trend in the food industry, and as such it's expected that some products will be slapping labels on the food, and claiming benefits where there are none.

It's further proof that we need better standards for labeling requirements, and perhaps for any medical benefits, the product should have to register with CFIA or Health Canada. One day, maybe we will have less logo, and more info...

Like a patent, there are specific claims. Maybe companies should be required to prove those claims...just a thought.

I take the pill variety and also the yogurt - I also eat 2 teaspoons of Salba everyday.

 

[AnnaG]

Yes...it's not that probiotics are a hoax, it's that they need to be taken in large enough quantities, and to date only certain species of bacterial cultures have actually been investigated.

It's now a trend in the food industry, and as such it's expected that some products will be slapping labels on the food, and claiming benefits where there are none.

It's further proof that we need better standards for labeling requirements, and perhaps for any medical benefits, the product should have to register with CFIA or Health Canada. One day, maybe we will have less logo, and more info...

Like a patent, there are specific claims. Maybe companies should be required to prove those claims...just a thought.

Exactly my point.
(I did add the question mark in the thread title for a reason, Karrie)

Personally, I found with a good diet & exercise, one shouldn't need rotten milk with additives to be able to digest food.

 

[jambo101]

The dairy i worked for (Parmalat) came out with a new yogurt but they were calling it Prebiotic:-? I was wondering if they had just mispelled it but looking it up its somewhat the same as probiotic just another meaninless glitzy word to sucker the customer.

 

[Tonington]

Prebiotics are actually foods that contain elements which encourage the growth of the organisms already colonizing your gut. Normally it's polysaccharides that your body doesn't easilly digest, but is easilly digestible by the bacteria.

If the food includes a prebiotic, and a probiotic culture, then it's called a synbiotic.

ETA: A prebiotic won't really do you much good, say after you finish an antibiotic treatment. To repopulate your gut, it's a good idea to eat foods or supplements with many different species of the good bacteria. If there are very few left, the prebiotics won't help very much.

 

[AnnaG]

Milk is milk I suppose (we get ours from a neighbor. It's raw milk. Damned yummy stuff), but it's sad that we lose small dairy outfits like NOCA to huge conglomerates like Parmalat and Saputo.