Evidently, the reputation of probiotics -- live microorganisms that are similar to beneficial ones found in the human gut contained in supplements and foods -- has come a long, long way, when a recent health feature in the New York Times fairly questions their value in functional foods like yogurt.
Just like marshmallows containing collagen or selling Cheerios as a heart-healthy product, the piece illustrates the problems with promoting the value of probiotics in processed, albeit functional, foods:
* Listing a probiotic as an ingredient on a label in yogurt, for example, doesn't guarantee the efficacy of the product.
* Product labels can be misleading, considering the recent settlement of a class-action lawsuit against Dannon.
* The value of a probiotic depends on the individual strain, like lactobacillus GG that may be beneficial, not only in reducing diarrhea, but treating milk allergies and atopic eczema, according to the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology.
New York Times September 28, 2009
The Daily Green September 29, 2009
Minneapolis Star-Tribune September 29, 2009