Probiotics can ease gut problems

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A study shows that probiotics help with digestive problems caused by chronic stress.
Previous research has suggested that chronic stress can play a role in digestive problems like irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Now a lab study carried out by researchers at McMaster University in Canada suggests that probiotics can help relieve such problems.

A group of rats was subjected to long term stress and examination of gut tissue showed that such exposure made the gut 'leaky'.  This boosts the adherence of harmful bacteria to cells lining the gut wall. Half of the rats were given drinking water containing probiotic bacteria in the form of Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The other half had regular drinking water. Probiotics prevented the adherence of bacteria to the gut wall - the researchers say they compete for space with harmful bacteria. Thus probiotics may offer a useful approach to reducing the digestive problems that can be caused by stress.

Source
Online First Gut 2006 24th April 2006

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