If probiotics are to be believed, millions of good bugs can offer untold digestive benefits for the consumer. "US sales of probiotic foods projected to grow at an average annual growth rate of 7 percent to reach $700 million in 2010,” says the Business Communications Company, who estimates that the US probiotics market will expand to $1.1 billion by the end of this decade.
The question is, do probiotics added to food work, or is this just another health fad being fueled by manufacturers and designed to make consumers part with their money?
Probiotic Phenomena in Advertising
Dannon, maker of probiotic yoghurts such as Activia, has an entire center dedicated to probiotics. The Dannon Probiotics Center says, "Probiotics work to our benefit by modulating the composition and activity of intestinal microflora (gut flora) or by acting directly on intestinal cells. In the simplest possible terms, probiotics work by helping improve that intestinal microbial balance." Dannonprobioticscenter.com; (accessed Jun. 01, 2010).
But do they?
Dannon cites a 2004 study conducted by Sanders et al, into the "Weight of Evidence Needed to Substantiate a Health Effect for Probiotics and Prebiotics: Regulatory Considerations in Canada, E.U., and U.S.," which appeared in the European Journal of Nutrition in Aug. 2005.
The company hailed the study a success, despite the conclusion by Sanders that wellness benefits will vary depending upon the amount and type of probiotic bacteria consumed, something that is not certain to be at the forefront of every consumer's mind. Sanders is also a consultant in probiotic microbiology and is specifically involved in marketing and research strategies for probiotics.
Sander's bio says that she has "coordinated clinical studies to validate probiotic efficacy," so a pro, probiotic Sanders perhaps isn't the most neutral of experts. What is the truth surrounding probiotics and are there concrete studies available to support manufacturer's claims?
Food Pretending to be Drugs is Worth $160 Billion
In the June 7, 2010 article, "Snake Oil in Your Snacks. Food Masquerading as Drugs Have Become a $160 Billion Business," Matthew Herper and Rebecca Ruiz of Forbes says that the world's biggest food companies are stuffing foods full of beneficial bacteria promising to, "boost immunity; protect your heart and digestive system and help you sleep."
Herper and Ruiz also claim that these large companies are funding, "often deliberately vague" clinical research to justify health claims and to "blur the line between nutrition and medicine." Steven Nissen, head of cardiology at the Cleveland clinic told Forbes that most claims are "completely unsubstantiated."
Thomas Pirko of Bevmark, a consulting company with clients such as Kraft, Nestle and Coke adds that, "If you find the perfect additive, you get rich." The Forbes article continues to cite reputable sources and renowned physicists such as Daniel Merenstein of Georgetown University who points out that if drug companies made such claims without sufficient evidence, they would be fined.
The Future of Probiotics
The National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NCCAM, says that there is limited available data or clinical research to support probiotic therapy. Furthermore, it says that, "Effects found from one species or strain of probiotics do not necessarily hold true for others, or even for different preparations of the same species or strain." This is despite, "American spending on probiotic supplements," having "nearly tripled from 1994 to 2003."
There are some credible studies currently being undertaken by the Mayo Clinic and College of Medicine and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; unfortunately neither of these studies are related to probiotics and food. To date, the safety of probiotics in food has not been studied sufficiently. Seeing as probiotics are regulated as food rather than drugs, they are not held to the same standards as a medication would be.
Probiotics are naturally found in the gut and the chance of harmful effects may be low and eventually prove of no consequence. The concern about probiotics as food additives surrounds the various probiotic formulations and the knowledge to differentiate between them. If wellness varies by the type and amount of probiotics and effects differ from probiotic to probiotic, how will the consumer and indeed the manufacturer know the best combination and amounts?
Furthermore, when a combination is created, is it thoroughly tested, independently, as well as by the company? If so, how is it tested and where are the results published? What might a probiotic diet do to or for a person long-term? Do manufacturers of probiotic foods genuinely have the education and knowledge to determine which combination of probiotics is beneficial? The public believes the hype: the increase in probiotic food sales is evidence of that.
There are still too many unanswered questions about probiotics, specifically what happens to probiotics when they are added to food for example. Yet, the general consensus implies that probiotics could prove highly beneficial in several areas, including the medical field, once these bacteria have been thoroughly evaluated.
In the meantime, it takes just a few bad apples looking to turn a fast buck, to spoil the barrel. Until concrete scientific facts support the hype being pushed by companies, probiotic food products might not harm, but do they meet or exceed the claims?
Sources:
ICIS.com; "Probiotics Add Life to Food," Business Communications Company; Jul. 05, 2005; (accessed Jun. 01, 2010).
National Institutes of Health, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; NCCAM; "An Introduction to Probiotics," Nccam.nih.gov; May 04, 2010; (accessed Jun. 01, 2010).
Elizabeth Batt - Elizabeth Batt is a former large animal nurse, certified NREMT, lover of equines and conservationist.
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