FARNWORTHE at GW.AGR.CA wrote
>I would like to know if it is common practice for medical doctors to
>perscribe yogurt to patients that have undergone surgery or antibiotic
>treatment in order to assist in the restoration of GI microflora. It
>would be really helpful to get a reference (article or textbook) where
>this practice is recommended.
and
Steven_Projan wrote
>Eating yoghurt is probably good nutrition whether or not you have taken
>antibiotics but the bacteria in yoghurt are not those commonly found in
>the GI tract nor would they expect to colonize the GI tract long term.
>It has certainly not been demonstrated that eating yoghurt leads to a
>more rapid recolonization by the normal intestinal microflora. This is
>despite the claims of a Finnish group: see Ann Med 1990 Vol: 22:57-9
I send this mail on the behalf of my collegue who has no access to this
newsgroup.
There are several good reviews concerning health benefits of lactic acid
bacteria (Salminen & Deighton, 1992, Dig. Dis. 10:227-238). Especially
some of the probiotic strains are tolerant to GI conditions and some of
them are very effectively studied in clinical research. Finnish strain
(Lactobacillus GG) is one of the best documented (see Isolauri et al.,
1991, Pediatric Res. 88:90-97; Isolauri et al., 1993, Pediatric Res.
33:548-553; Isolauri et al., 1993, Gastroenterology 105:1643-1650; Kaila
et al., 1992, Pediatric Res. 32:141-144: Gorbach et al., 1987, Lancet
26:1516 etc.)
For further questions, please contact
Maija Saxelin
Valio Ltd R&D
PO Box 390
FIN-00101 Helsinki
Finland
telefax +358 0 5066 3129
