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- National Institutes of Health: Lactobacillus Acidophilus
- The Journal of Otolaryngoloy: Effect of Lactobacillus Acidophilus on Antibiotic-Associated Gastrointestinal Morbidity: A Prospective Randomized Trial.
- The Journal of Otolaryngoloy: Effect of Lactobacillus Acidophilus on Antibiotic-Associated Gastrointestinal Morbidity: A Prospective Randomized Trial.
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Benefits of the Probiotic Acidophilus
Lactobacillus acidophilus has "extraordinary" benefits for your health, write Sarah Wernick, Ph.D., and Gary Huffnagle, Ph.D., in their book, "The Probiotics Revolution." L. acidophilus is one of many strains of friendly bacteria known as probiotics and by far the most commonly used, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center 13. If you incorporate L. acidophilus into your daily life, you may discover some of these benefits for yourself. Like all health supplements, probiotics do have occasional negative side effects and should only be taken under the supervision of your doctor.
Diarrhea Prevention
L. acidophilus can help prevent and reduce the severity of diarrhea that arises from eating spoiled food, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center 3. It may also help with infectious diarrhea caused by various viruses and bacteria like E. coli and the astrovirus.
Vaginal Infection Reduction
Acidophilus and Acid Reflux
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The National Institutes of Health report that L. acidophilus is an effective treatment for bacterial infections of the vaginal area. Though L. acidophilus is usually taken orally, it's often inserted in tablet form into the afflicted area of the body when treating infections of this kind.
Bacteria Rebalancing
When you take antibiotics, the medications kill all the bacteria in your digestive tract, including the friendly bacteria. L. acidophilus supplements can help rebalance the digestive tract by repopulating it and may help with common antibiotic side effects like cramping and flatulence, according to a report in "The Journal of Otolaryngoloy."
Lactose Digestion Assistance
Should I Take a Probiotic Every Day?
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If you are lactose intolerant, L. acidophilus may help reduce the discomfort and symptoms that come with eating dairy by helping you digest it, notes the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Cholesterol Control
L. acidophilus may help lower levels of low-density lipoprotein, also known as "bad" cholesterol, suggests the National Institutes of Health, while also reducing overall levels of cholesterol in the blood stream.
Allergy Defense
Rudimentary research shows that L. acidophilus may help allergy-afflicted individuals react less strongly to pollen, according to a randomized placebo-controlled study published in the September 2005 issue of the journal "Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry." The National Institutes of Health warn that additional research is needed to better understand the probiotic's efficacy for allergies 2.
Related Articles
References
- "The Probiotics Revolution"; Gary Huffnagle and Sarah Wernick; 2008
- "Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry"; Effect of Milk Fermented with Lactobacillus Acidophilus Strain L-92 on Symptoms of Japanese Cedar Pollen Allergy: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial; Y. Ishida, et al.; September 2005
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Lactobacillus Acidophilus
- The Journal of Otolaryngoloy: Effect of Lactobacillus Acidophilus on Antibiotic-Associated Gastrointestinal Morbidity: A Prospective Randomized Trial.
- Guo H, Zheng Y, Wang B, Li Z. A Note on an Improved Self-Healing Group Key Distribution Scheme. Sensors (Basel). 2015;15(10):25033-8. doi:10.3390/fermentation5020041
- Goldenberg JZ, Yap C, Lytvyn L, et al. Probiotics for the prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in adults and children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;12:CD006095. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006095.pub4.
- Schettle L, Lio PA. Probiotics: The Search for Bacterial Balance. National Eczema Association.
- Understanding the health benefits of taking probiotics. Harvard Medical School. March 2014.
- Sun J, Buys N. Effects of probiotics consumption on lowering lipids and CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Ann Med. 2015;47(6):430-40. doi:10.3109/07853890.2015.1071872
- Cho YA, Kim J. Effect of Probiotics on Blood Lipid Concentrations: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015;94(43):e1714. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000001714.
- Homayouni A, Bastani P, Ziyadi S, et al. Effects of probiotics on the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis: a review. J Low Genit Tract Dis. 2014;18(1):79-86. doi:10.1097/LGT.0b013e31829156ec
- Matsubara VH, Wang Y, Bandara HM, Mayer MP, Samaranayake LP. Probiotic lactobacilli inhibit early stages of Candida albicans biofilm development by reducing their growth, cell adhesion, and filamentation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2016;100(14):6415-26. doi:10.1007/s00253-016-7527-3
- Kovachev SM, Vatcheva-Dobrevska RS. Local Probiotic Therapy for Vaginal Candida albicans Infections. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2015;7(1):38-44. doi:10.1007/s12602-014-9176-0.
- Huang R, Wang K, Hu J. Effect of Probiotics on Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2016;8(8). doi:10.3390/nu8080483
- Microorganisms & Microbial-Derived Ingredients Used in Food (Partial List). US Food & Drug Administration. January 2018.
- Karlsson S, Brantsæter AL, Meltzer HM, Jacobsson B, Barman M, Sengpiel V. Maternal probiotic milk intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding complications in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Eur J Nutr. 2019. doi:10.1007/s00394-019-02072-8
- Taking Medications: What You Need to Know to Stay Safe. Cleveland Clinic. March 2014.
- Kadooka Y, Sato M, Ogawa A, et al. Effect of Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 in fermented milk on abdominal adiposity in adults in a randomised controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2013;110(9):1696-703. doi:10.1017/S0007114513001037
- Zhang Q, Wu Y, Fei X. Effect of probiotics on glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicina (Kaunas). 2016;52(1):28-34. doi:10.1016/j.medici.2015.11.008
- Cho YA, Kim J. Effect of Probiotics on Blood Lipid Concentrations: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015;94(43):e1714. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000001714.
- Goldenberg JZ, Yap C, Lytvyn L, et al. Probiotics for the prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in adults and children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;12:CD006095. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006095.pub4.
- Huang R, Wang K, Hu J. Effect of Probiotics on Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Nutrients. 2016.8(8). pii: E483. doi:10.3390/nu8080483.
- Kadooka Y, Sato M, Ogawa A, et al. Effect of Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 in fermented milk on abdominal adiposity in adults in a randomised controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2013;110(9):1696-703. doi:10.1017/S0007114513001037.
- Kovachev SM, Vatcheva-Dobrevska RS. Local Probiotic Therapy for Vaginal Candida albicans Infections. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2015;7(1):38-44. doi:10.1007/s12602-014-9176-0.
- Leyer GJ, Li S, Mubasher ME, Reifer C, Ouwehand AC. Probiotic effects on cold and influenza-like symptom incidence and duration in children. Pediatrics. 2009;124(2):e172-9. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-2666.
- Matsubara VH, Wang Y, Bandara HM, Mayer MP, Samaranayake LP. Probiotic lactobacilli inhibit early stages of Candida albicans biofilm development by reducing their growth, cell adhesion, and filamentation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2016;100(14):6415-26. doi:10.1007/s00253-016-7527-3.
- Mayo Clinic. Acidophilus. mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-acidophilus/art-20361967
- NIH: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Probiotics: What You Need To Know. nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics/introduction.htm
- Sun J, Buys N. Effects of probiotics consumption on lowering lipids and CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Ann Med. 2015;47(6):430-40. doi:10.3109/07853890.2015.1071872
- Zhang Q, Wu Y, Fei X. Effect of probiotics on glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Medicina (Kaunas). 2016;52(1):28-34. doi:10.1016/j.medici.2015.11.008.
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Joshua Duvauchelle is a certified personal trainer and health journalist, relationships expert and gardening specialist. His articles and advice have appeared in dozens of magazines, including exercise workouts in Shape, relationship guides for Alive and lifestyle tips for Lifehacker. In his spare time, he enjoys yoga and urban patio gardening.