There have been a number of studies using probiotics for health conditions. Overall, there are conflicting results. Part of it has to due with the fact that there are different species and strains of good bacteria.
A new study appears to have got the right combination. It tests a probiotic mix on cold and flu incidence and duration in children. The children who received the probiotics had massive decreases in cold or flu problems over a six-month period. Specifically, the:
- Fever incidence was reduced by 72%
- Coughing incidence by 62%
- Rhinorrhea (runny nose) incidence by 58%
Then, even if there was an incident, the duration of fever, coughing, and runny nose decreased by 48%.
These are pretty striking results. I am actually trying to get a hold of this particular probiotic mix. It is made by HOWARU. The product used in this study is currently only available in Poland and Israel (I think), so it may take some time to acquire it.
Anyways, this is why you can't generalize and say "probiotics work" or "probiotics have no effect". It all depends on the strain and combination used. Even in this study, the combination of two strains was more powerful than just a single strand. I look forward to more exciting research on probiotics and their health benefits.
