Bugs in balance: The probiotic approach

The good bacteria in the human gut play a huge role in maintaining health. Sometimes they need a little help.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Oct. 3, 2005.

When treated with an antibiotic for recurring infections, a patient of Robert Bonakdar, MD, a family physician in San Diego, invariably confronted a round of debilitating stomach problems -- bloating, upsets and diarrhea. His conundrum raised the possibility that the cure really was worse than the disease.

But all that changed when the patient also took an over-the-counter product packed with strains of good bacteria that normally populate the gut. "In this case, the patient was able to take the antibiotic and not have the diarrhea," said Dr. Bonakdar, who practices at the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine and also heads an annual conference there. The conference brings in experts to help physicians sort through the "good, the bad and the ugly" of the booming supplement field, he said. Helpful bacteria, known as probiotics, are emerging as one of the good guys.

These bacteria, which reside in vast colonies in the gastrointestinal tract, exert a major influence on our well-being, according to researchers who study their attributes. Ensuring that these colonies thrive in a way that allows them to do their good work could lead to better health for many who now have a range of gastrointestinal disorders and allergies.

The colonies are in constant flux as major quantities of bacteria are eliminated daily, and others may be killed by antibiotics. One way to sustain those colonies is to ingest more of the beneficial bacteria in a product known as a probiotic. That's what Dr. Bonakdar's patient did.