Probiotic bacteria are recognized by the medical community as important to the function of the digestive system and valuable in providing immune support. Since bacteria are produced by fermentation, the foods that are created by partial fermentation have become a popular choice for probiotic reinforcement. Yogurt is the most popular of those foods.
Dannon Yogurt has made the health value of their products the center of their ad campaigns for several years, base on their probiotic content. As the result of a recent legal challenge, Dannon has agreed to be more specific in its product labeling about the probiotic bacteria provided by its foods. Stonyfield Farms Yogurt is a more recent entry into the field. There are also probiotic yogurt powders on the market available for probiotic diets that contain the essential organisms associated with digestive health as well as a probiotic yeast that has proven to be beneficial.
The New York Times recently wrote an article about probiotic yogurt and the marketing campaigns that support various brands, which justified the value of probiotic supplements but made the point that there are thousands of strains with specific health value assigned to specific bacteria types.
“Consider Lactobacillus, a probiotic that comes in a number of strains, among them: Lactobacillus GG (often called LGG), which can be found in the diet supplement Culturelle as well as several milk products in Finland; L. casei DN114 001, included in Dannon products; and L. casei Shirota, found in Yakult, a popular probiotic drink from Japan.”
According to the Times all of these strains are associated with reducing diarrhea. There are also examples of the benefits found in kids’ probiotic products: LGG has also shown a benefit in treating atopic eczema and milk allergy in infants and children – based on a report published in The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology in 2008. Meanwhile, both LGG and Dannon’s L. casei strain have been shown in studies of children attending day care to reduce illness.
It’s important to note that the relationship between health value and bacteria strain has been established through clinical study, and that for many bacteria strains believed to have probiotic value there has been little in the way of measured research. While there is ample evidence of probiotics immune system support, research on the question is still scattered and confined to small samples. The value of probiotic yogurt is unassailable; nevertheless the yogurt companies that advertise this feature should provide a little more clarity in the labeling.