Key points from article :
Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts promoted as helping stimulate the growth of “friendly bacteria” in the gut.
University of Copenhagen reviewed seven trials – overall quality of reporting for all trials was poor.
None of the studies provided evidence that probiotics had a beneficial effect on gut bacteria.
Absence of good-quality evidence is not evidence of there being no effect.
Studies included Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and/or Bacillus.
Trials only included healthy adults so can’t tell us whether probiotics are effective in IBS or for “rebuilding” the gut bacteria in people who have had an illness.
The study was published in the Genome Medicine journal.
