How much lactobacillus acidophilus

Unlike prescription and over-the-counter drugs, the U. Some products may contain fewer than the stated number of live organisms.

Other products may be contaminated with other bacterial strains or ingredients. To ensure you are getting a quality product, look for a trusted independent, third-party seal on the label, such as U. This can at least give you peace of mind that what is on the product label is what is in the product itself. Lactic acid bacteria are used in the making of many foods, including yogurt, kefir, and buttermilk. Acidophilus, in particular, can be found in yogurt that is made with live acidophilus cultures, as well as other fermented milk products such as kefir.

Other sources of acidophilus include:. The number of live organisms varies greatly from option to option due to differences in processing methods. Look for products sold in the refrigerated section of the grocery or health-food store, which are more likely to contain live cultures than those stored at room temperature.

The current research on acidophilus is inconclusive as most studies have used a unique combination of probiotics or different doses, making it difficult to determine its effectiveness and standardized dosing. While acidophilus may seem harmless because it is found naturally in the body and in many common foods, supplementation isn't right for everyone.

If you're considering taking acidophilus for any condition, it's a good idea to consult with your healthcare provider to confirm if it's appropriate and safe for you. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sensors Basel. Probiotics for the prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in adults and children. Cochrane Database Syst Rev.

Understanding the health benefits of taking probiotics. Harvard Medical School. March Schettle L, Lio PA. Probiotics: The Search for Bacterial Balance. National Eczema Association. Probiotics in the treatment of acute rotavirus diarrhoea.

A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial using two different probiotic preparations in Bolivian children. BMC Infect Dis. Efficacy of probiotics in prevention of acute diarrhoea: a meta-analysis of masked, randomised, placebo-controlled trials.

Lancet Infect Dis. Randomized controlled trial of live lactobacillus acidophilus plus bifidobacterium bifidum in prophylaxis of diarrhea during radiotherapy in cervical cancer patients. Radiat Oncol. Probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium lactis Bi versus placebo for the symptoms of bloating in patients with functional bowel disorders: a double-blind study.

J Clin Gastroenterol. Long-term treatment with probiotics in primary care patients with irritable bowel syndrome—a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial. Scand J Gastroenterol. Effects of probiotic type, dose and treatment duration on irritable bowel syndrome diagnosed by Rome III criteria: a meta-analysis.

BMC Gastroenterol. Effects of probiotics on the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis: a review. J Low Genit Tract Dis. Probiotic lactobacilli inhibit early stages of Candida albicans biofilm development by reducing their growth, cell adhesion, and filamentation.

Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. Probiotic effects on cold and influenza-like symptom incidence and duration in children. Sun J, Buys N. Effects of probiotics consumption on lowering lipids and CVD risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Ann Med. Cho YA, Kim J. Medicine Baltimore. Effect of Lactobacillus gasseri SBT in fermented milk on abdominal adiposity in adults in a randomised controlled trial. Br J Nutr. Effect of probiotics on glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Medicina Kaunas. Maternal probiotic milk intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding complications in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Eur J Nutr. Cleveland Clinic. January Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

Environmental impacts, such as the use of antibiotics or diet itself, can result in structural changes of the microbial community. Such variations can lead to the loss of organisms that are beneficial to their host and to a subsequent overgrowth of pathobionts organisms that, under normal circumstances, live as commensals or symbionts but whose overgrowth could harm.

There are three types of dysbiosis in the intestinal ecosystem: 1. When dysbiosis occurs, the need to restore a healthy microbiota becomes evident. It can be carried out through a fecal microbiota transplant from a healthy donor, although the easiest way is through the administration of dietary supplements, which can be done through multiple mechanisms fecal microbiota transplant, consumption of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics , as shown in Figure 2.

Mechanisms of gut microbiota modulation. The microbiota microorganisms can be grown; therefore, they can be used as probiotics in pills, or they can be included with food. Given the importance of microbial diversity, a single microorganism may not work effectively, but rather an entire group of microorganisms will provide maximum health benefit.

Currently, yogurts and probiotics are beginning to introduce multiple strains of microorganisms. All interindividual variability of the gut microbiota can be classified into three groups, called enterotypes, which can be defined as a network of microbial populations dominated by the presence of one of these three genuses: Bacteroides enterotype type 1 , Prevotella enterotype type 2 , and Ruminococcus enterotype type 3 , probably related to long evolutionary dietary patterns.

Enterotype type 1 has been associated with a diet rich in protein and fat, and enterotype type 2 is more often associated with the consumption of carbohydrates. Specialized enterotype 3 is the breakdown of mucin, which also stimulates mucous secretions in the body and favors the absorption of beneficial nutrients. There are six general mechanisms through which probiotics perform their beneficial effects, and there are essential differences between probiotic species and their strains.

Modified, with permission from Wageningen Publishers. Probiotics can also metabolize mycotoxins e. These events can lead to a reduction of apoptosis mediated by tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha, increase production of interleukin and antibodies, as well as an increase in secretory immunoglobulin A, resulting in the prevention of atopic dermatitis, CDAD, AAD, infectious diarrhea, and cancer.

The immunostimulant effect which is induced by probiotics is also displayed by increased immunoglobulin production, increased activity of macrophages and lymphocytes, as well as stimulation of interferon production. The immunomodulatory effects of the gut microbiota, including probiotic bacteria, are based on three apparently contradictory phenomena:. The positive effects of probiotics can be used to restore the natural microbiota after antibiotic therapy.

Another function is to counterattack pathogenic intestinal microbiota activity introduced by food and contaminated environmental elements. Therefore, probiotics can effectively inhibit the development of pathogenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella, Escherichia coli , several species of Shigella, Staphylococcus , and Yersinia , thus preventing food poisoning.

A positive effect of probiotics has also been confirmed in digestive processes, the management of food allergies, candidiasis, and tooth decay. Probiotic microorganisms such as Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus reuteri, Bifidobacterium adolescentis , and Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum are natural producers of B-group vitamins.

Likewise, they increase the efficiency of the immune system, the absorption of vitamins and minerals, and stimulate the generation of organic and amino acids. Some products of probiotic metabolism can also have antibiotic acidophilin, bacitracin, lactacine , anticancer, and immunosuppressant properties.

For this reason, the concepts of nutribiotics and pharmabiotics emerged. A nutribiotic comprises probiotic microorganisms or its bioproducts, which are considered to have nutritional properties.

Nutribiotics can be present in food, food products, or dietary supplements, and they are subject to sanitary regulations required to guarantee food safety and nutritional guidelines. Consequently, nutribiotics satisfy three criteria: a they provide benefits in the form of food or dietary supplements; b they work as a therapy for nutritional problems and, c they contribute to the maintenance of human health. Nutraceuticals are defined as food or dietary components that play a beneficial role in modifying and maintaining physiological function in order to sustain human health; hence, nutribiotics can be classified as nutraceuticals.

Lactobacillales represent one of the most diverse and heterogeneous orders of lactic-acid-producing bacteria that include the genus Lactobacillus , among other producers of lactic acid e. Streptococcus and Bifidobacteria. Lactic acid is the final product of the fermentation of carbohydrates. Lactobacillus spp. Along with other aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, Lactobacillus spp. Lactobacilli are typical components of the gut and vaginal microbiota and, only occasionally, they play a role as pathogens.

Lactobacilli have long been used to produce various milk derivatives, such as cheese and yogurt. They have a high resistance to very low pH conditions, which eases their passage through the stomach. Important characteristics of lactobacilli which confer therapeutic potential in humans include: Resistance to pH. The pH of the human stomach is typically between 2 and 2. Resistance to bile.

Conjugated and unconjugated bile acids show antibacterial activity and inhibit the in vitro growth of E. Although many lactobacilli show some resistance to bovine and porcine bile in vitro , they are resistant to human bile, which correlates with survival in the gastrointestinal tract.

Adhesion to the mucosa. Many probiotics do not colonize the hosts to whom they are administered; however, it has been shown that Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and other lactobacilli can colonize the host for a significant period.

Inhibition of other bacterial growth. Lactobacilli inhibit the growth of several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by producing lactic acid, acetic acid, hydrogen peroxide, bacteriocins, and possibly biosurfactants. These bacilli also protect the mucosa by inducing the production of intestinal mucins that act as a barrier.

Mucins can inhibit viral replication. One of the most interesting characteristics of lactobacilli is their ability to immunomodulate in order to initiate an anti-inflammatory response. There are multiple effects of different lactobacilli on immunity, including increased phagocytosis, the production of defensins, the secretion of lysosomal enzymes, increased vaccine immunogenicity, the induction of pro- and anti-inflammatory interleukins, the induction of T cells, and a reduction in intestinal permeability.

The Mexican Consensus on Probiotics notes that gastrointestinal disorders in which the benefit of lactobacilli has been demonstrated include the following: Probiotics are used widely and their safety has been proven in millions of individuals for many years. Nevertheless, it is important to consider that, since they are bacteria, there is always the possibility that probiotics can behave as infectious agents.

Reports of severe infections are rare in the literature and are almost always associated with comorbidity cancer, cirrhosis, cholecystolithiasis. In a study of patients, bacteremia associated with probiotics occurred in 0. Isolates of L. It reaches its highest growth with a pH between 5. Even though L. Studies show that dietary ingestion is the main factor in acquiring human carriage of L. The strain L. In additionally, the Faculty of Pharmacy of the National Institute for Health and Medical Research confirmed that its pharmacological activity is sustained.

It is important to differentiate between probiotics live organisms and heat-treated strains, where the organisms are dead. The characterization of heat-treated strains can be divided into two broad categories. The first category includes probiotic physiology that can be demonstrated in vitro , such as product stability, resistance to bile, resistance to low pH, adhesion to human colonocytes in cell cultures, antimicrobial production, and lactase activity.

The second category includes the main probiotic effect that can be observed in the context of nutrition studies, such as mediation of the immune response, decreased serum cholesterol, improved lactose metabolism, and the prevention or treatment of infections. As mentioned previously, when L. Summary of the mechanisms of action of Lactobacillus acidophilus LB. Reproduced with permission from SAGE.

The drawing on the left summarizes the activities of Lactobacillus LB cells and secreted molecules against luminally localized bacterial pathogens, and bacterial pathogens attached at the brush border or internalized in polarized intestinal epithelial cells. The drawing on the right summarizes the antagonistic activities of L. It has similar activity to antibiotics.

Secreted molecules present in the culture of L. It has intravacuolar bactericidal activity. Demonstrated effect against S. It has adhesive and cytoprotective properties. Creation of a biofilm that protects enterocytes against diffusely adherent E.

It has bacteriostatic action; its effect against S. In addition, the use of heat-treated and lyophilized L. Lactobacillus LB was well tolerated, and only two patients, one in each group, experienced an adverse event. In children who received L. No adverse events were reported. The mean duration of diarrhea was lower with L. On the other hand, Xiao et al. Patients received either lyophilized heat-killed L. Probiotics are used as a supplement to rehydration therapy in the treatment of infectious diarrhea.

Results have been positive and remarkably consistent in terms of shortening the duration of the episode and reducing the frequency of evacuation. Randomized and non-randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of lyophilized and heat-treated cells and culture media together with oral rehydration solution therapy for the treatment of acute, well-established rotavirus-induced acute watery diarrhea in infants Table 2.

In two studies with children with rotavirus-induced acute diarrhea managed with L. In two studies of bacteria-induced acute diarrhea in children treated with L. Overview of clinical therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus LB. In a controlled clinical trial, oral rehydration plus placebo, and oral rehydration plus S.

Although both probiotics improved the condition, the mean duration of diarrhea and fever was lower with products containing a single probiotic. A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials documented that the use of L.

A controlled, randomized clinical trial of patients with chronic diarrhea compared the administration of two capsules per day of L. The frequency of evacuations and stool consistency, abdominal pain, distension, and rectal urgency were recorded.

At the second and fourth weeks of therapy, the evacuation rate was significantly lower in the group treated with L. At the end of therapy, symptoms improved markedly in L. Antibiotic therapy alters the gut microbiota and results in diarrhea. In around one third of cases, diarrhea is related to the overgrowth of C. Its incidence continues to increase in hospitals and long-term care institutions.

Each type of probiotic supplement — and each strain of each type — can work in different ways. As a supplement, acidophilus is available as capsules, tablets, wafers, powders and a vaginal suppository.

In addition to use as a supplement, acidophilus is found in some dairy products, such as yogurt, and is commercially added to many foods. People commonly take acidophilus to treat a type of vaginal inflammation bacterial vaginosis and digestive disorders, as well as to promote the growth of good bacteria.

Acidophilus products might contain significant differences in composition, which could cause varying results. There's growing interest in probiotics such as acidophilus. While more research is needed there appears to be little harm in taking acidophilus.

However, a balanced diet, including fermented foods such as kefir, might provide you with sufficient "good" bacteria. If you're immunocompromised, consider talking to your doctor before taking a product such as acidophilus that contains live bacteria.

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