the value of probiotics

Hey Billy,

There was an article on this very topic in the Travel section of yesterday's Washington Post. Here's a link.

Keli

It is thought that eating local yogurt helps adjust to a new place but then depends on how clean the yogurt is.

i have done 1 year research on this. trial and error. have suffered pretty much for the last 2-3 yrs and some of the answer lay in probiotics

probiotics (fancy name for bacilli acidophilis) does help in maintaining good digestive tract.

But then this is present in yogurt and buttermilk too.
Make sure its with active culture. IF buttermilk then it should be little thicker.

You have a sensitive stomach i am guessing. What other symptoms if you dont mind? IBS? blisters?

Have you done a comprehensive allergy test?

ok forgot to add.

Probiotics/buttermilk/yogurt helps in maintainining the "flora" of the stomach.

imbalance in that flora leads to irritable digestive tract and then i am sure the rest you know.

Gut flora reside in the intestines and mostly in the large intestine....we have a lot of them....about one and a half kilos! Most probiotics pass through the gut, helping on their way......very few ingested probiotics actually colonize in the gut.

It is useful to take a Betain HCL supplement with meals. This is a stomac acid supplement (our stomach linings make hydrochloric acid which breaks up food into absorbable particles)...a supplement of HCl enhances the acid in the stomach and helps to kill off bacteria that might cause food poisoning. I always take HCl to India and Nepal....

hi, yes pro-biotics definitely help, and I'm going to take a supply with me to India too! But my caution is about the quality, portability, and viability of the product you choose... they are living things, and unless you buy a product which guarantees viability at room temperature, they need to be kept in the fridge. Some types are transient and pass through the GI tract, so you need to get a product which contains types that take up a permant residancy - acidophilus and bifidobacterium are 2 strains its worth to look out for. As the other posters suggest, live yoghurt is also a good source - if you can guarentee it's fresh. Note that pasteurised yoghurt, unless pro-biotics have been re-introduced AFTER pasteurisation will not have any live bacteria left!

Hi,info for you all. Ever heard of Kefir. No. Find out. Type in Kefir. You will never ever have any problems anywhere in the World if you carry and take Kefir.
Im living proof. Kefir over 2000 years Old. What is it ? Find out Be Free. Natural Kefir `

Probiotics are useful but this is not conclusively proven. ( the trend in Medicine is "Evidence based Medicine" and there are no conclusive meta-analysis studies to prove this)

However it is certain that they do not cause any harm.

From personal experience I can say that they really help in Travellers diarrhea.
Also, they are available in most if not all pharmacies.
The best ones are
Lactobacillus acidophillus ( t.sporlac, sachet with powder sporlac , not expensive, freely available) and Saccharomyces bolardi ( T.econorm, Powder econorm, more expensive, should be available in larger cities)

Combinations with vitamins are available ( Cap.Nutrolin B).

When a probiotic is combined with a PREbiotic (usually a complex carbohydrate) , then it is called a SYNBIOTIC and some authorities claim superior results with these combinations.

Can i also suggest you carry an alcohol based hand rub and use it before every meal.

Have a good holiday.

I entirely agree with Chaudi at No. 7. Just eat simple, clean, healthy and vegetarian meals and you will be fine. All this is maddening. The deeper you get into it, the crazier it will make you.

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East or West, India is the Best.