Products with good bacteria get popular

Moron madness.

"Bugs in baby food? Microbes in your milkshake? Relax, this is not the latest tainted food scare — it's a growing trend in foods designed to boost health, not make you sick.

These products contain probiotics, or "friendly" bacteria similar to those found in the human digestive system."

Want to eat "bacteria similar to those found in the human digestive system"?

It is cheaper to eat your own crap than buy theirs.

And you can eat the SAME, not similar, "bacteria...to those found in the human digestive system."

Why settle for ersatz when you can have the real thing?

How good are these products?

"In the meantime, the market is ahead of the science. It's all part of a burgeoning effort to capitalize on an obsession with health foods. Probiotics are already popular in Europe, Asia and South America."

"...the market is ahead of the science." This means there is no proof.

"And there are 'prebiotics,' too, which contain fiber and other nutrients that feed probiotic bacteria."

And other bacteria, too.

"So far this year, more than 150 probiotic and prebiotic commercial food products have been introduced in the U.S., compared with about 100 last year and just 40 in 2005, said Tom Vierhile of Datamonitor, a market research firm.

'It is definitely a growing trend,' Vierhile said."

So are overweight, obesity and stupid.

Then there is the testimonial of a moron "professional."

"Holly Maloney, a nutrition instructor at Chicago's Kendall College, eats new probiotic nutrition bars that claim to help digestion and the immune system. She's also a longtime fan of yogurt and kefir, a probiotic-containing fermented milk drink.

'It just makes me feel good,' Maloney, 32, said of the products. 'If I have a few days where I don't have it, I don't feel right.'"

There's "proof" for you.

Maybe if Holly were a fan of self-mutilation and had a nipple ring, she would not "feel right" if it were removed. She is clearly an actively involved participant in self-stupefication.

"Even without all the answers from science, probiotics are a multibillion-dollar global industry. In the United States alone, retail sales of probiotic-containing foods and supplements totaled an estimated at $764 million in 2005 and are projected to reach $1 billion in 2010, according to market research firm BCC Research."

Remember that 98% of the population is stupider than the top 2%.

P.T. Barnum would be proud every minute. (possibly others would be proud)