Look, people, Probiotic food is about as healthy as a Salmonella infection. In fact, it functions in the same fashion, that being it replaces the normal bacteria in your gut and when there is an overabundance of the bacteria, you evacuate the invaders. Thus, all of the “health benefits” associated. All of the beneficial effects can be attained by simply eating healthier overall, and eating more fibre. You don’t need to spend 6 bucks on a 4 pack of yogurt drinks. Eat some whole grains, and you’ll see what I mean. Not to mention too, we go around our house trying to eradicate the little buggers with anti-bacterial cleaners. Finally, they’re only recycling the bacteria that they use to make the yogurt in the first place…
— L. Casei bullshittyensis.
This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2009.
Thank you! BTW, love the handle.
I’ve seen more health food trends over the years that amounted to granulated shit. It’s all hype, reinvention to generate a generous bottom line for the yogurt company. I think the yogurt debate is as much as crock as the antioxients of the 1990s – I was on a regime of vitamins Betacarotene, Vitamins C and E for five years before they found out it was a crock of crap on a cracker and could actually promote the growth of tumours. That pretty much jaded me for life as far as these kind of claims go.
I like vanilla yogurt with syrup and berries. Yummmm!
Yogurt’s great stuff – I’m just saying: don’t buy the hype. I’m a huge Mango fan.
I like yogurt, but hell, this probiotic stuff just plain bothers me. It’s like everything else though, it’s a fad. I imagine we’ll see the stuff leave the the market when people finally realize what they’re eating.
The belly dancing commercials for a certain brand of this type of yogurt annoy me.
Oh…and apparently it “helps improve intestinal transit”. Fancy talk for it “makes you shit”. o_O
different bacteria have different functions in this world and the idea of taking bacteria supplements to improve digestion is NOT a new idea. Yes food companies have been using it to sell product but saying its like eating Salmonella is off base. I eat a pretty healthy diet which included lots of fiber from veggies and grains but I also benefit from taking pro biotic pills.
You should do more reaserch about probiotics and pre biotics. Your digestion is aided by bacteria, with out them you would die, And any food that promotes growth of these bacteria is pro biotic. the combination of eating artichokes and yogert is extremly good for you. you should try it.
lynbee– it functions in the same fashion as Salmonella. (To Rafiki, Salmonella and E-coli is in your intestinal tract, it’s part of the function, “pro” and “pre” biotics do not) When there is an overabundance of these bacterium, the body evacuates it (i.e.: shitting it out). That’s basic microbiology. The probiotics you speak of (primarily lactobaccilicus, is the run-off from the production of cultured dairy products, i.e.: cheese and yogurt) are genetically altered slightly so that the companies can give them a new name, and then trademark them, this is how you get L. Casei Defensis and Immunofit. Those names are trademarks of their respective companies. The long-term problem with the pro and pre biotic trends is that the bacteria that you eat have a chance to replace the normal bacteria in your body. What ends up happening there is yet unclear, as no long-term studies have been done that I know of.
Unless you are on antibiotics, your intestinal tract is probably well colonized with natural and health-promoting bacteria. “Probiotic” is a scam.
It’s all along the same lines of oxygenated water a few years ago – market some pseudoscientific sounding food product as part of a healthy diet, and jack up the price accordingly. Same crap, different product.
Snake oil comes to mind, really.