The effects of probiotics should be viewed from two perspectives: they are indeed beneficial for patients with intestinal flora imbalance caused by antibiotic abuse, but ordinary people with a balanced internal flora do not need additional supplementation.
Standing in front of the supermarket's freezer, facing yogurt products labeled with various incomprehensible probiotic codes like "LGG," "AB," and "BB," many consumers feel quite confused. But after hearing salespeople tout probiotics for detoxifying, beautifying, preventing cavities, aiding bowel regularity and weight loss, preventing cancer, supplementing calcium, and replenishing trace elements... despite the price being several times higher than regular yogurt, many consumers still毫不犹豫地掏腰包 (without hesitation, open their wallets). Can these probiotics truly be "beneficial"? Is more always better when it comes to supplementing with probiotics? In response, Professor Liu Fengbin, Director of the Digestive Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, believes that the effects of probiotics should be viewed from two perspectives: they are indeed beneficial for patients with intestinal flora imbalance caused by antibiotic abuse, but ordinary people with a balanced internal flora do not need additional supplementation. He suggests that patients who truly need to supplement with probiotics due to intestinal diseases causing diarrhea should best consult a doctor for guidance on taking a sufficient dose of medicinal probiotics to avoid delaying their condition.
Medical Guidance/Professor Liu Fengbin, Director of the Digestive Department, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. Healthy people do not have a high demand for probiotics
According to interviews with reporters, many people now consider probiotics an important reference when buying yogurt, but many report that after consuming probiotic yogurt, it feels no different from regular yogurt.
In response, Liu Fengbin explained that "probiotics" mainly reside in the human intestine, stomach, and oral cavity. The number of flora in the stomach and oral cavity is small, while the intestine has the largest number. Therefore, symptoms of flora imbalance caused by intestinal lesions are more obvious. Since the large number of probiotics in the intestine includes Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, etc., some manufacturers directly define probiotics as "live microorganisms that can improve the balance of intestinal flora."
Liu Fengbin believes that the effects of probiotics must be viewed from two perspectives: they are indeed useful for patients with intestinal flora imbalance caused by antibiotic abuse, but an effective amount of live bacteria must be consumed. For ordinary people with a balanced internal flora, there is no need for additional supplementation.
Liu Fengbin pointed out that the human intestine is a natural fermentation factory that produces beneficial bacteria. We only need to ingest a certain amount of nutrients such as fruits and vegetables daily. Through digestion, decomposition, and fermentation of dietary fiber from fruits and vegetables in the intestine, a large number of beneficial flora can be produced. This is also an innate physiological function of our intestines. The average person's demand for probiotics is not high, so there is no need to rely too much on "external help," as the normal body will automatically regulate itself. As for whether the various popular probiotic yogurts and drinks on the market truly contain enough probiotics, and whether these probiotics can successfully "escape" the "erosion" of stomach acid and bile, how many can survive and reach the intestine alive and maintain their activity to continue growing and reproducing to "benefit" people, there is currently no scientific verification or basis.
Research shows that when people consume probiotic products, the specific probiotics can be detected in their feces. However, once they stop taking them, they can no longer be detected, which indicates that the probiotics have not multiplied in the body, and of course, they cannot change the body's flora status. The abuse of probiotics can lead to dependency or new infections
As probiotic health products become popular, some people who are obsessed with probiotics are even inquiring about more "pure" oral probiotic preparations. Experts believe that drinking probiotic yogurt, even if its effects are not as great as manufacturers claim, is at least harmless to the body, but the danger lies in the general population's abuse of oral probiotic preparations.
Liu Fengbin pointed out that oral probiotic preparations are generally only used clinically to treat patients with intestinal failure or dysfunction. Although oral probiotic products can provide beneficial bacteria to the human intestine in a short time, long-term use can pose potential health risks. Medical research has shown that long-term use of synthetic oral probiotic products can cause the intestinal function to gradually lose its ability to reproduce beneficial bacteria. Over time, the human intestine can develop a dependency, which is medically known as "probiotic dependency syndrome." Once a person develops "probiotic dependency syndrome," they will have to rely on and use synthetic oral probiotic products for life to maintain their health.
"In fact, any bacterial species in the human body must maintain a certain proportional balance. Once this balance is disrupted, even probiotics can cause harm. Besides causing dependency, it can also lead to new infections in severe cases," Liu Fengbin said. For example, in patients with cirrhosis, portal hypertension causes congestion of the gastrointestinal mucosa, reducing the mucosal barrier function. This allows pathogenic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract to multiply excessively and enter the bloodstream through the damaged mucosa, causing fatal bacteremia, sepsis, or peritonitis. Similar cases have occurred in Spain. It was reported that three patients with severe immunodeficiency in Spain died after receiving probiotic products to treat diarrhea. The reason was that during the probiotic treatment, new flora were introduced into the patients' bodies, triggering new infections that led to bacteremia. Probiotic supplementation is only necessary for long-term antibiotic use
"Only those who take antibiotics long-term need to supplement with probiotics." According to Liu Fengbin, broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs have a significant impact on the human flora. They can directly inhibit and kill sensitive bacteria, causing complete destruction of the flora and leading to human flora imbalance. If the human flora is severely damaged by antibiotics, a flora replacement process may occur even after stopping the medication or during the course of treatment, and the balance can eventually be restored on its own. Unless one is taking broad-spectrum, highly active antibiotics for a long time, the diversity and total biomass of the human flora, including probiotics, will be reduced. In this extreme case, the vast majority of bacteria in the body are exterminated, and some parts of the body may even become "sterile." In this situation, it is necessary to consider supplementing with medicinal probiotics to maintain the balance of internal flora.
For people who often experience indigestion, dry stools, constipation, or chronic diarrhea, they can also drink some yogurt to supplement with probiotics in a mild way. But in the end, probiotics are not beneficial for everyone. For patients with severely compromised immune function, such as late-stage cancer patients and those with organ failure, it is generally not recommended for them to drink yogurt or take probiotics. Professor Liu especially reminds that even if it is necessary to supplement with probiotics, it should be done under a doctor's guidance, strictly according to the needs of the condition, and not used as a health supplement for long-term use.