Gut health and preventing antibiotic diarrhea.
Well studied
Photo: Tirachard KumtanomWhat the research says
Effects depend on the strain. In a meta-analysis of 12 trials, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG cut antibiotic-associated diarrhea risk from 22.4 percent to 12.3 percent.
Serious infections are rare and mostly in severely ill or immunocompromised people, and FDA has warned that probiotics may cause infection in preterm infants.
About "most pills": NIH ODS: many probiotic supplements contain 1 to 10 billion CFU per dose, and some contain 50 billion or more.
Sources: ods.od.nih.gov, nccih.nih.gov
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