Mismatch between Probiotic Benefits in Trials versus Food Products

Abstract

Probiotic food products contain a variety of different bacterial strains and may offer different health effects. The objective was to document the prevalence and dosage of probiotic strains in the Canadian food supply and to review the literature investigating these strains in order to understand what health benefits these products may offer. The Food Label Information Program was used to identify probiotic-containing products in the food supply. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for randomized controlled trials that tested the health effects of these strains in humans. There were six probiotic strains/strain combinations identified in the food supply. Thirty-one studies investigated these strains and found that they are associated with decreased diarrhea and constipation, improved digestive symptoms, glycemic control, antioxidant status, blood lipids, oral health, and infant breastfeeding outcomes, as well as enhanced immunity and support for Helicobacter pylori eradication. There were a limited number of studies investigating these strains. Many studies were funded by the food industry and tested dosages that were up to twenty-five times the dosage found in most food products. Probiotic food products could have health benefits not currently reported on their labels. However, many dosages are too low to provide the benefits demonstrated in clinical trials. Further research is needed to enable more effective use of these functional foods.

The gut microbiota, environmental factors, and links to the development of food allergy

“…There are three limitations on probiotic dietary intervention. First, the effect of probiotic is strain specific [103] and may vary depending on the individual's lifestyle and baseline gut microbiota profile [104]. Secondly, abrupt termination of probiotic dietary intervention may further increase the gut dysbiosis [105].…”

Diet and rosacea: the role of dietary change in the management of rosacea

“…This includes such foods as yogurt, kefir, miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut. A number of retail probiotic food products have been developed in which live microbes are added to food products, although studies suggest that many contain a lower number and diversity of microbes [ 54 ]. A number of probiotic supplements are sold as well, with marked differences in variety and type of microbes, as well as dosages.…”

Correction: Scourboutakos, M.J.; et al. Mismatch between Probiotic Benefits in Trials versus Food Products. Nutrients 2017, 9, 400

“…On page 9, the second sentence of paragraph three, of the original publication [ 1 ] incorrectly stated “However, the dosage tested in the study (20 billion colony forming units (cfu) per day) was twenty times the dosage found in the product (1 billion cfu per day).”. Instead, this statement should read “However, the dosage tested in the study (10 billion colony forming units (cfu) per day) was ten times the dosage found in the product (1 billion cfu per day).”.…”

“…We would like to submit the following correction to our recently published paper [ 1 ] because the wrong dose of probiotic was reported. The probiotic dosage has been corrected throughout Table 1 and Table 2 ( Table 1 : in the fifth column of the sixth row and in the fifth column of the seventh row, 2 × 10 10 was changed to 1 × 10 10 ; Table 2 : in the fourth column of the seventeenth row, 2 × 10 10 was changed to 1 × 10 10 ).…”