At the moment one of the favourite marketing buzzwords is 'probiotic' and we are constantly bombarded with information and messages telling us that we need 'healthy' or 'friendly' bacteria in order to remain fit and healthy. Every other yoghurt in the supermarket is probiotic now and there is a huge market for the little probiotic drinks that you should take daily to improve your digestion and therefore immune system. The marketing has been comprehensive and as a result many hundreds of thousands of us dutifully drink our mini yoghurt drinks each day, thinking we can't function without it and so the millions of $$$$ roll in for the big food and pharmaceutical companies.
So, this raises a number of questions........ 1) What is a probiotic, and do we need a probiotic at all? ...and.... 2) Are drinks like Yakult actually any good for us?1) Most people don't realise that about 80% of our immune system is actually contained in our gut, and therefore maintaining a healthy gut is crucial to your whole health and wellbeing. In the gut we have many billions of bacteria and enzymes that deal with any external bacteria, viruses or bugs that are ingested, as well as ensuring that we properly digest the foods we eat, fully absorbing all of the nutrients available. Clearly, without a healthy gut full of these good bacteria we won't be properly nourished, or properly protected from disease and illness.
Unfortunately for us, one of the side effects of modern life with its chemicals, convenience foods and poor diets is that the average British gut is not in a god way! It is lacking in good bacteria, is usually inflamed from all of the grain and low quality dairy products as well as the lack of raw fruit and veg, not to mention the damage done by cola, alcohol and other products. This partially explains how many people suffer from food allergies, IBS, and various vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Therefore, I believe the vast majority of the population would certainly benefit from supplementing their diet with a good quality probiotic. This view is supported by many doctors and nutritionists and people in similar fields. A good example is that a large scale trial has just been completed in the UK where hospital patients were all given a daily probiotic tablet for the entire duration of their stay, and it was so successful in preventing the spread of bugs and infection that it is being considered as a standard procedure for all British hospitals.
2) So, if we should all be taking a probiotic, then should we all be drinking Yakult and eating probiotic yoghurt daily? In my opinion, the answer is NO. Take a look at the information below that I cut and pasted from the Yakult website just now.....
Yakult
Ingredients: water, skimmed milk (reconstituted), glucose-fructose syrup, sugar, maltodextrin, flavouring, contains Lactobacillus casei Shirota.
| Per 100ml | Per bottle (65ml) | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 280.0kJ / 66.0 kcal | 182.0kJ / 42.9 kcal |
| Protein | 1.3g | 0.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 14.7 g | 9.6 g |
| of which sugars | 14.2 g | 9.2 g |
| Fat | < 0.1 g | < 0.1 g |
| of which saturates | < 0.1 g | < 0.1 g |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0 g |
| Sodium | 0.02 g | 0.01 g |
First, let us look at the ingredients:
Water - no problems.
Reconstituted skimmed milk - first of all this is low quality pasteurised and homogenised dairy that has been skimmed into little more than lactose water, and it has effectively been taken apart and put back together again in food processing. Do you really think your body will recognise this as a nutritious and available food or will it actually cause you inflammation and possible allergy?
Glucose-fructose syrup - basically sugar broken down into different parts and formed into a syrup making it very quick to be absorbed and very high GI, meaning a blood sugar spike and fat storage.
Sugar and Maltodextrin - more of the same, but maltodextrin is actually a very starchy product that closely resembles sugar.
Flavouring - this could be anything?!?! Are you willing to trust them no to fill this product with cheap, unsafe chemicals to make them more money, because I am not!
Finally, the actual bacteria which is listed at the bottom of the page as being a count of about 6.5 billion. Whilst this sounds like a lot, it is actually only about half of the amount found in the quality probiotic supplements recommended by informed doctors and experts in the field. Most recommend a daily intake in the region of 12 billion bacteria, and at times of illness or stress, up to 25 billion per day is taken.
The bottom line is that these drinks are only minimally effective at improving gut health due to the low numbers of bacteria, and that any benefit is mostly out weighed by the large amount of fattening and unhealthy sugar. Just look at the table above and tell me that is a good way to start your day with 9g of quickly absorbed carbohydrate. especially for a child! Don't believe the marketing hype, there is another way.......
A simple, daily capsule will provide all that you need to support your body's needs. Look for about 12 billion bacteria per dose and take a dose daily with a meal. You can also help your gut by cutting out crap processed foods and eating more raw vegetables.
Here are some useful links to expand your knowledge:
This is what I use and recommend:
Dr Briffa's blog containing many article relevant to probiotics:
Also read anything by Dr Nigel Plummer.
Stay Strong
Ben
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