The Pros and Cons of Probiotics

By Bonnie Jenkins, Advanced Natural Medicine

I’ve been a fan of probiotics for years. So imagine my surprise when I came across recent headlines claiming that 24 people had died in a clinical trial of probiotics!

If you only read the headlines, you would probably come away with a pretty frightening image – and you might even give serious thought to purging the yogurt from your fridge. But on closer examination, it turns out that the participants were all critically ill with pancreatitis. And probiotics were given intravenously as a drug, not as a dietary supplement.

The truth is, probiotics aren’t a magic bullet that can cure whatever ails you. What they can do is boost the immune system, combat allergies and aid the digestive tract. They can also be a girl’s best friend when it comes to feminine health.

The Good the Bad, and the Ugly

Before we get the skinny on the benefits of certain probiotics for feminine health, let’s review what a probiotic is and how it works.

Probiotic is a Latin term that means “for life.” Clarifies everything, right? Ok maybe not, but at least there is a reason for that. The reason is that probiotics are live, active bacteria that can benefit our health. Bacteria live all over our bodies, inside and out. In fact, there are more bacteria amongst our bodies than actual human cells! This may sound alarming at first, but we have good bacteria to thank for many important bodily functions like training our immune systems and producing some of the vitamins (biotin and vitamin K) we need. Of course there are also harmful bacteria like Helicobacter pylori, the cause of stomach ulcers, or other bacterial species that can make us sick. But we don’t necessarily have to just accept the bad with the good. Here’s why. Beneficial bacteria and harmful bacteria compete with each other to survive. And that’s where probiotics come in.

Beneficial bacteria also have numerous tricks in their arsenal like regulating pH balance, producing hydrogen peroxide and secreting anti-proliferation signals that inhibit bad bacteria. And since our bodies have formed a symbiotic relationship with these beneficial bacteria over time, an environment better suited for their survival translates into improved health for us.

The Feminine Warrior

While this is all fine and good, what is it that makes probiotics particularly good for women? It turns out that the digestive tract isn’t the only place bacteria do battle. The vagina is another environmental battleground for good and bad bacteria.

When certain types of bad bacteria flourish in the vagina they can produce enzymes and give-off amine byproducts. This in turn can lead to an increased pH, an often fishy odor and in some cases discharge. These are some of the clinical symptoms used to diagnose bacterial vaginosis. These bad bacteria can also change the vaginal environment, making women more susceptible to yeast infections. There is also some evidence to suggest that a vaginal environment gone awry with harmful bacteria can result in a number of things, like increased inflammation that makes a woman more vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases. It also appears that bad bacteria can weaken the defenses that good bacteria create to keep the urinary tract and bladder sterile. The result – frequent urinary tract infections.

Put to the Test

The good news is that two specific probiotic strains – Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 & Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 – can bolster beneficial bacteria in the vagina, which clinical studies show can reduce the incidence of unhealthy urogenital conditions, including bacterial vaginosis, yeast vaginosis and urinary tract infections.

Should you be taking these two probiotics? Although often without symptoms, 78 percent of women have suboptimal vaginal health and a whopping one-third of all women in the U.S. test positive for bacterial vaginosis. As a result, many women may be at an increased risk for urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases without even knowing it.

Even when symptoms are present, bacterial vaginosis and yeast vaginosis can be difficult to diagnose accurately. Because of this and the sensitive nature of these issues, many women attempt to self-medicate using an over-the-counter yeast treatment. Of course, these products won’t work if it isn’t a yeast infection. And you’d be surprised at how often it isn’t. In fact, only 34 percent of those believing they had a yeast infection actually tested positive for yeast vaginosis.

Best bet – if you think you have a yeast infection, schedule a visit with your gynecologist to find out what’s really going on down there. Then pick up these feminine-friendly probiotics to head off future problems.

One Last Thing ...

If you do have a case of bacterial vaginosis, most doctors prescribe a course of antibiotics. Unfortunately this approach only works about 40 percent of the time. But taking these two probiotic strains along with your antibiotic can significantly boost that rate.

In one study, 125 premenopausal women with bacterial vaginosis were treated with oral metronidazole (500 mg.) twice daily for seven days. The women were also given either a combination of L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14 or a placebo from day one, continuing for 30 days. At the end of the study, 88 percent of the women in the group treated with an antibiotic plus GR-1 and RC-14 were cured while only 44 percent of the women treated with antibiotics and no probiotics recovered from their bacteria vaginosis.

So what does all this mean for you? Although vaginosis can be uncomfortable, embarrassing and difficult to cure, it can also have hidden risks when it isn’t diagnosed – including higher odds of contracting HIV or an STD like chlamydia and gonorrhea. Fortunately, a measure of prevention can be found in once-daily probiotic supplements. But before you buy, check the label on probiotic supplements to make sure these two bacterial buddies are included.

This Just In ...

I’m a sucker for a soda – especially when it’s a Dr. Pepper. And I hate to admit that I used to be one of those people who drank them from morning ‘til night every day for years. But, since I’m not big on diet sodas, all those drinks started showing up on my hips.

Luckily, I’ve managed to ditch the soda habit – a good thing since new evidence suggests that soda – even diet soda – doesn’t do our hearts any favors. In fact, a recent study has found a link between drinking a single soft drink a day (diet or regular) and increased risk of metabolic syndrome, which in turn greatly increases your risk of heart disease.

The study was part of the famed, long-running Framingham Heart Study and included more than 6,000 men and women, none of whom had metabolic syndrome at the start. The researchers found that those who consumed an average of one or more soft drinks a day were 44 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those who drank less than one soda a week.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions that coexist. A diagnosis depends on having at least three of the following: a large waist size, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high blood triglyceride levels and low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, the “good” cholesterol).

While a link between sugary, caloric soft drinks and an expanding waist and heart disease makes sense, it seems counterintuitive that diet soft drinks might increase heart disease risk. But this study and others found that people who drink more of any kind of soft drink tend to eat foods high in saturated and trans fats. They also smoke more.

If you’re really hooked on those fizzy drinks, try to limit yourself to no more than one 12-ounce soda per day. Otherwise you might want to dump them altogether. Opt instead for antioxidant-rich juices or teas. And make sure you stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Your heart – and your waistline – will thank you for it.

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References:

Anukam KC, Osazuwa E, Osemene GI, et al. “Clinical study comparing probiotic Lactobacillus GR-1 and RC-14 with metronidazole vaginal gel to treat symptomatic bacterial vaginosis.” Microbes and Infections. 2006;8:2772-2776.

Dhingra R, Sullivan L, Jacques PF, et al. “Soft drink consumption and risk of developing cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults in the community.” Circulation. 2007;116:480-488.

“Healthy bacteria may have caused 24 deaths.” United Press International. 2008