Walk into a pharmacy with a prescription for antibiotics and you're sure to be recommended probiotics by the pharmacy staff.
But a new study has revealed probiotics aren't always good for you and can, in fact, be bad for you if you're taking antibiotics.
Through a series of experiments looking inside the gut, researchers found some digestive tracts prevent standard probiotics from successfully colonizing them. In addition, taking probiotics in conjunction with antibiotics could delay the return of normal gut bacteria.
Study senior author, Eran Elinav, an immunologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, said the studies suggest that probiotics should not be universally given as a "one-size-fits-all" supplement, but should rather be tailored to individual needs.
However, Tauranga researcher, GP and pharmacist, Dr Shaun Holt, says studies like this should not be taken out of context.
Part of the study, he says, basically concludes that gut bacteria take longer to get back to normal when taking probiotics in conjunction with antibiotics but that doesn't mean taking probiotics is ineffective.
Clinical studies done in humans showing the benefits of taking probiotics should not be ignored, Dr Holt says.
"The human body contains around 2.5kg of bacteria and most bacteria are concentrated in the bowel. This has a huge effect on the immune system for both bowel and non-bowel related ailments."
Time and again probiotics have been shown to be effective in treating bowel-related ailments, Dr Holt says, as well as non-bowel-related conditions such as depression, eczema and weight loss.
"Personally, I take them when travelling as probiotics reduce the risk of traveller's diarrhea," he says.
Dr Holt has also prescribed probiotics "for years".
"Around a third of patients taking antibiotics can develop diarrhea. This is reduced by 42 percent if probiotics are also taken."
The key, Dr Holt says, is to get the dose right.
"The magic number is five billion."
Pharmacy Guild spokesperson Stephanie Symynuk says it is common practice for pharmacists to recommend probiotics to patients taking antibiotics.
Dr Holt agrees with this recommendation. He believes studies such as the latest studies from Israel can be harmful as people may be put off using complementary therapies that have been shown to be effective.
"Pharmacists are well-trained health professionals. In general they make good recommendations when it comes to complementary healthcare," Dr Holt says.
Whether it's vitamin C, Echinacea, honey and zinc for general immunity and to help prevent coughs and colds, or reduce their duration, there is science to support these therapies, he says.
However, Dr Holt is emphatic that homeopathic remedies have no place in pharmacies and should not be recommended by healthcare professionals.
"There is no clinical evidence to show that homeopathic remedies work," he says.
Dr Shaun Holt has a special interest in complementary medicines, and wrote the book, Should I Take Probiotics? in 2015.
Newshub.
