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Bacterial Vaginosis & Probiotic Acidophilus
Bacterial vaginosis occurs when the conditions of the vaginal tract change and allow anaerobic bacteria to overgrow and crowd out the naturally occurring beneficial bacteria that normally reside there. Bacterial infections such as bacterial vaginosis may be treatable with probiotics, such as acidophilus 2. You should talk to a doctor about using probiotics for treating bacterial vaginosis before attempting to treat yourself 2.
Acidophilus
Acidophilus is a type of bacteria belonging to the group Lactobacillus, one of the friendly bacteria, or probiotics 123. Its full name is Lactobacillus acidophilus, or L. acidophilus 13. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, it is the most commonly used probiotic 1. Probiotics like L. acidophilus work in the body to fend off unfriendly bacteria that can cause disease 2.
Usage
What Is Lactobacillus Bulgaricus?
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The use of L. acidophilus to fight bacterial vaginosis is based off the observation that when a bacterial vaginosis infection takes hold, natural lactobacillus in the vaginal tract become depleted 13. Probiotic L. acidophilus also lets off hydrogen peroxide, which is believed to alter the pH of the vaginal tract, making it less hospitable to the invading bacteria. A few small clinical studies that have found this probiotic helpful for treating this condition, according to MayoClinic.com. Additional larger clinical studies are needed to definitively determine the effectiveness of L. acidophilus against bacterial vaginosis.
- The use of L. acidophilus to fight bacterial vaginosis is based off the observation that when a bacterial vaginosis infection takes hold, natural lactobacillus in the vaginal tract become depleted 1.
- Probiotic L. acidophilus also lets off hydrogen peroxide, which is believed to alter the pH of the vaginal tract, making it less hospitable to the invading bacteria.
Options
L. acidophilus can be purchased as live active cultures or dried cultures. Freeze-dried L. acidophilus comes in granules, powder, tablet or capsule form. A liquid version containing live cultures is also available. Probiotics, including L. acidophilus, are often added to yogurt, milk, miso or tempeh 2.
- L. acidophilus can be purchased as live active cultures or dried cultures.
Dosing
Should I Take a Probiotic Every Day?
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Capsules or tablets containing L. acidophilus can be inserted as a vaginal suppository. Suppositories should contain between 10 million and 1 billion live colony forming units per tablet and you can use 1 or 2 tablets daily. Alternately, L. acidophilus may be taken orally at doses of 1 to 2 billion live organisms each day. Another option is to consume an 8 oz. tub of yogurt with live active L. acidophilus cultures daily. Over 1 to 2 billion bacteria in a dose may cause mild side effects such as gas, nausea and diarrhea. Doses smaller than 1 billion bacteria may not be sufficient to colonize the vaginal tract.
- Capsules or tablets containing L. acidophilus can be inserted as a vaginal suppository.
- Alternately, L. acidophilus may be taken orally at doses of 1 to 2 billion live organisms each day.
Alternatives
An alternative treatment for bacterial vaginosis is taking a medication called metronidazole, which kills the bacteria responsible for the disease. Taking a probiotic supplement or eating yogurt with L. acidophilus while also being treated with metronidazole may increase the effectiveness of the treatment. However, you should discuss the use of probiotics with your doctor before using them in conjunction with other treatment 2.
Related Articles
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Lactobacillus Acidophilus
- Drugs.com: Probiotics
- Medline Plus: Lactobacillus
- 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.
Writer Bio
Bridget Coila specializes in health, nutrition, pregnancy, pet and parenting topics. Her articles have appeared in Oxygen, American Fitness and on various websites. Coila has a Bachelor of Science in cell and molecular biology from the University of Cincinnati and more than 10 years of medical research experience.