Just how friendly are those probiotics in your food?

Bacterial scam by scum.

"Probiotics, the so-called 'friendly' bacteria with health benefits, have busted out of the dairy case and are colonizing other areas of the supermarket.

The bacteria, which occur naturally in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir and miso, are thought to aid digestion and support the immune system by balancing the intestinal ecosystem.

But as manufacturers add the microbes to everything from infant formula and fruit juice to pizza, muffins and granola bars, experts caution that the word "probiotic" is widely misused by industry and misunderstood by consumers.

While there are thousands of different bacterial strains, only a few dozen have been tested for health benefits. And though studies suggest some products may offer relief to people with digestive issues, it's not known whether healthy people receive any benefits from snacking on live 'bugs.'"

In fact, it is known that some healthy people receive benefits - the people at the companies hawking this crap. They benefit financially.

Though, arguably, they are not healthy, but mentally. morally and emotionally sick con artists.

"The European Union Food Safety Authority this week started a process to regulate health claims on products, including probiotics. And a pending class-action lawsuit alleges Dannon misled consumers about the benefits of Activia and DanActive, both marketed as probiotics.

Dannon denies using deceptive advertising and is standing by the claims and the studies that supported them. But a spokesman agreed it's buyer beware at the market...

There is no standard definition of probiotics, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but scientists generally say the term refers to foods, beverages or supplements containing live microorganisms that studies show promote health when people take enough of them. Without studies, they shouldn't be called probiotic, scientists say.

'Sadly, of the hundreds of new products launched in recent years, very few have been shown to be probiotic,' said probiotic researcher and developer Gregor Reid, a microbiologist at the University of Western Ontario and the president of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics."

Yes, it is sad that people are so stupid that they fall for this hogwash wholesale (at retail prices, no less).

"For the consumer, finding the right probiotic can be vexing. Labels can't legally declare that the probiotic can cure, treat or prevent disease. So health claims, which don't require FDA approval, are often vague.

For example, Kashi's 'Vive' is called a 'probiotic digestive wellness cereal,' one that 'may restore your digestive balance.'

And it may - each serving contains a whopping 12 grams of fiber. But the probiotic used - Lactobacillus paracasei ssp paracasei F19 - has not been tested in humans eating Kashi Vive. And there's no guarantee that the microbes in the dry cereal are alive.

To make things more complicated, probiotics interact with bacteria already in the body and everyone has slightly different microflora, said probiotic expert Gary Huffnagle, a professor of internal medicine and microbiology at the University of Michigan Medical School. So a product that works for one person might not be the right one for another."

Caveat emptor.