The latest research published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport found that New Zealand athletes had about 40% fewer colds and gastrointestinal infections when they took a probiotic compared to when they took a placebo. Other research has found that probiotic supplements may greatly lower the risk of an antibiotic-resistant superbug, Clostridium difficile, which is increasingly common in nursing homes and hospitals and named by the CDC as an “urgent threat” in their 2013 report on Antibiotic Resistant Infections. C. diff. can cause severe diarrhea and life-threatening inflammation of the colon. “In people taking an antibiotic, also taking a probiotic reduced the risk of developing C. diff. by two-thirds,” says Joshua Goldenberg, ND, a naturopathic physician at the Northshore Family Practice in Kenmore, Washington, and co-author of a Cochrane Library Review on the subject. “That is quite impressive. There are very few medical interventions, conventional or naturopathic, that improve results by that much." However, probiotics may not be safe in people who are severely immunocompromised, Dr. Goldenberg adds. He recommends talking with your doctor if you want to use a probiotic to ward off antibiotic-associated GI troubles. Strains of probiotics that have been found helpful for preventing C. diff. are Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus acidophilus, which are thought to inhibit adherence of C. diff to the intestinal wall. If you’re just trying to ward off whatever is going around this winter, you might want to try a product similar to that used in the New Zealand study, Probiotica P3 (Nutra-Life), an over-the-counter product that does not require refrigeration, containing Lactobacillus gasseri (2.6 billion colony-forming units (CFU), Bifidobacterium bifidum (0.2 billion CFU) and Bifidobacterium longum (0.2 billion CFU.) You probably need a minimum of 2 billion CFU to be effective and to consume them for at least two weeks before they kick in, says lead researcher Katherine Black, PhD, of the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago, New Zealand. The product must also be handled correctly and refrigerated if needed, since heat will kill some probiotic organisms. More from Prevention: 3 Best Essential Oils For Cold And Flu
