Probiotics may not be very useful – and could actually hurt

Probiotics may not be as useful as you think and may even be harmful in some cases. Researchers studying the human digestive tract have found that probiotics have questionable benefits and can delay the return of normal bacteria when taken on antibiotics.

Probiotics are naturally present in products such as yogurt, sauerkraut and pickles, and probiotic supplements are widely marketed for their ability to maintain intestinal health. It is common that doctors recommend taking probiotics, which are live bacteria pills, during a course of antibiotics to counteract the action of antibiotics, namely eliminating bacteria, good as bad.

Studies have shown that the types of bacteria found in probiotics would then begin to dominate the I.I. pull and slow down the natural ability of the intestine to return to normal.

"So it's not fair that it does not hurt – it could actually delay the recovery of antibiotics," said Dr. David Agus, medical associate of CBS News.

But that's not all bad news.

"They took the normal bacteria from individuals and made a pill of their own bacteria and gave it to those people and those people recovered in a few days, compared to six months when they took the probiotics. Bacteria are going from the front and that's what's going to be exciting, "Agus said.

As for what studies say about taking probiotics while you're do not on antibiotics: there is no quick fix for a happy bowel.

"What he says is intestinal health is extremely important. The data is correct. It controls your brain, it controls your immune system, what you eat food, diabetes, all these elements. But a simple pill is not a quick fix to intestinal health. … there is complexity there. This will take a little while, but intestinal health will be a way to prevent diseases and treat diseases in the future. But the simple patch of probiotics is now out of the window. "