Posted by on September 9, 2013 - 3:08pm

You might have noticed “probiotics” listed on the label of your yogurt. Maybe you’ve seen probiotic pills on store shelves next to vitamins or other supplements.

Probiotics are live microbes, such as bacteria, similar to those found naturally in the human body. We tend to think of microbes as harmful, but certain kinds are good for us and help the body to function properly.

Probiotics are found in some foods or are taken by mouth as dietary supplements. Probiotics also come in other products, such as creams.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved any health claims for probiotics. Although some products have shown promise, there’s little evidence to support specific uses of probiotics for most conditions.

Some evidence suggests that probiotics may relieve diarrhea, ease irritable bowel syndrome and reduce symptoms of atopic eczema, an itchy skin condition usually seen in infants. Probiotics generally have few side effects, but there’s little data about their long-term safety.

Talk with your health care provider before taking probiotics for a health condition. These products contain different types of bacteria, and their effects on the body can vary from person to person. Probiotics might cause serious side effects in people with underlying health conditions. To learn more, visit NIH’s Probiotics Web page.

Source:   National Institutes of Health

Posted by on February 23, 2012 - 7:54am

Older, postmenopausal women who take popular medications to control indigestion and heartburn called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)  may put themselves at higher risk for hip fractures according to new research by Dr. Hamed Khalili, from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  Long-term use of these drugs may increase that risk by 35 percent and even higher (to 50 percent) in smokers.    Some examples of these medications are shown here.

According to the researchers, PPIs are strongly indicated in some patients for short term use, but they should be closely monitored if long term use is needed.  Dr. Khalili's data supports the recent decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revise labeling of PPIs to incorporate concerns about a bone fractures with use of these products.  

For the study, they looked at data from 80,000 postmenopausal women. .Over the course of eight years, almost 900 hip fractures occurred -- a 35 percent increased risk for women using PPIs compared to women who didn't take the drugs.   In absolute terms, the risk of hip fracture works out to about 2.02 fractures for every 1,000 person years for those taking PPIs, compared with 1.51 fractures per 1,000 person years. Person years are the number of years in a study multiplied by the number of people in the study.  The increased risk of fractures among women who smoked was even higher. The longer a women took a PPI, the more her risk increased.

In 2000, 6.7 percent of the women used PPIs regularly, generally for acid reflux; by 2008 that had jumped to 18.9 percent. This could mean that more fractures will be seen in years to come.   Women who stopped using PPIs saw their risk of hip fracture return to normal within two years, Khalili's group noted.   Women are also cautioned not to suddenly quit their PPI and gradual tapering is recommended to avoid acid rebound.   Often, calcium supplements are used to bolster bone strength, but because PPIs affect the absorption of calcium, taking calcium supplements may not be effective.  The researchers did take calcium supplement use into account and the risk remained.

SOURCE:  Jan. 31, 2012, BMJ, online