What Are the Benefits of Acidophilus?

Background

The bacteria Lactobacillus include a variety of species, one of which is acidophilus. When you consume supplements or foods containing this probiotic, the microbe helps break down food in your gut, releasing hydrogen peroxide and lactic acid. These byproducts increase the acidity in your digestive tract and can be toxic to harmful bacteria and fungi, preventing them from taking over the environment of your gut. Lactobacillus species, unlike some probiotics, have the advantage of surviving the harsh acidity in your stomach to emerge still active once they reach your intestines.

Vaginal Infections

Suppositories or tablets containing live acidophilus cultures may help treat the condition of bacterial vaginosis. The acidophilus naturally present in the vagina helps maintain a slightly acidic environment that keeps harmful microorganisms from overgrowing, and this probiotic is thought to bolster the activity of the natural microbe. Consuming acidophilus-rich food products may also help. Whether this supplement, taken either as a suppository or as a food product, can treat or prevent vaginal yeast infections is under investigation.

Digestive Disorders

Acidophilus products may prevent or treat a number of digestive problems. They can ward off the traveler’s diarrhea you may be prone to when eating unfamiliar or contaminated foods away from home, and they may be helpful in relieving the stomach pain and bloating associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Acidophilus can help restore normal intestinal bacteria following a course of antibiotics, which can kill off beneficial as well as harmful microorganisms. In addition, drinking acidophilus milk can help prevent digestive upset if you are lactose intolerant. The process of manufacturing this type of milk reduces its lactose, or milk sugar, content, resulting in a product less likely to cause the stomach cramps and diarrhea associated with regular milk.

Respiratory Infections

In young children who attend daycare, drinking acidophilus milk may reduce the number and severity of lung infections. This preventive effect appears when live cultures of the probiotic are consumed once or twice a day with another microbe called Bifidobacterium.

Considerations

Probiotics may or may not have approval by the U.S Food and Drug Administration, depending on the intended use, although most – marketed as dietary supplements – do not. They can therefore vary widely in quality, and labels may not accurately reflect the product’s contents. They may even be contaminated with “unfriendly” microorganisms. Consuming fermented foods, such as yogurt, acidophilus milk, miso and tempeh, can offer the benefits of acidophilus supplements, provided they contain live cultures.

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