"Probiotic" remedies are not what they seem

Abstract

EDITOR,—“Probiotics,” usually called “acidophilus,” are claimed to contain “friendly” intestinal lactic bacteria, regular consumption of which confers health benefits.1 As a previous report showed that dietary products sold in the United States as containing Lactobacillus acidophilus either contained no viable lactobacilli or contained organisms other than L acidophilus,2 we investigated the microbiological content of 13 brands of probiotics bought over the counter in Britain. The preparations were cultured for lactobacilli on MRS agar (Unipath, Basingstoke, Hampshire), for enterococci on …