HPPR hosts & contributors Mon July 9, 2012 Confusion At The
Yogurt Aisle? Time for Probiotics 101 Originally published on
Tue July 10, 2012 7:51 am Researchers are studying the ability
of beneficial micro-organisms - or probiotics - to treat a range
of conditions from eczema to inflammatory bowel disease. And the
idea that "good" bacteria are healthy for us is gaining
traction. But the science is tricky. On one hand, scientists now
know that some of the millions of microbes that populate our
guts are beneficial. "It's incredibly clear that these bacteria
in our gut are not just innocent bystanders, hanging out," says
Athos Bousvaros, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Harvard
Medical School. Beneficial bacteria help us digest food, make
vitamins, even help protect us from harmful pathogens. "That's
all totally real," Bousvaros says. But it's not clear which live
micro-organisms, or probiotics, are helpful, says Bousvaros.
Lots of people have turned to yogurt, with the belief that the
bacteria added to the milk