In the wake of skepticism over probiotics, on January 24, a woman from California, USA, along with other consumers, filed a lawsuit against the French company Danone. The woman stated that Danone's advertisements for its probiotic yogurt product "DanActive" claimed it was "clinically proven to help strengthen the body's defenses against illness" and "improve the body's immune system"; while for another probiotic yogurt product "Activia," the advertisement claimed it "helps regulate the digestive system." These advertisements contain false and misleading components.
The woman's lawyer is demanding that Danone pay a total of $300 million in compensation to all American consumers who purchased these two yogurt products. The lawyer's accusation against Danone is: "False advertising has allowed Danone to sell yogurt, which is no different from regular yogurt but at a higher price, to health-conscious consumers, thereby profiting hundreds of millions of dollars." The lawyer also revealed that studies funded by Danone have even shown that "there is no conclusive evidence" that the product is beneficial to health.
Meanwhile, Danone's yogurt has also run into trouble in the UK. A recent research report released by the UK's Food Standards Agency states, "Researchers need more information on the effects of probiotics on the immune system to fully assess the impact of probiotics on humans."
Regarding the claim that "probiotics may cause death," many experts believe it is "impossible." According to Wang Dingmian, a director of the China Dairy Association and chairman of the Guangzhou Dairy Association, probiotics is a general term for hundreds of bacterial strains. China's national regulations only allow about a dozen strains to be used in daily food, and domestic businesses commonly use only eight or ten, including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Foreign countries also commonly use only about a dozen strains. The edibility of other strains is still under research.
Professor Zeng Qingxiao, a probiotics research expert from the School of Light Industry and Food at South China University of Technology, stated that the probiotics permitted and allowed for use by the state are beneficial to human health, and so far, no adverse effects on the human body have been found. For healthy individuals, all groups are suitable, but it is not clear whether they are suitable for critically ill patients.
Director Yang, head of the Gastroenterology Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, believes that probiotics recognized by the medical community and verified and approved by the state for use are reliable in terms of safety. As for "drinking probiotic yogurt leading to death," he thinks the possibility is very small. Pancreatitis patients have a high mortality rate with complex causes of death, and even if probiotic yogurt was consumed during this period, its role would be minimal. He suspects that the probiotic yogurt might have been contaminated by other harmful bacteria.
Although the current debate over probiotics has not yet reached a final conclusion, researchers from Utrecht University have suggested that three groups of people should avoid probiotic yogurt: patients with organ failure, patients requiring special care, and critically ill patients who rely on liquid food through a feeding tube.