Now probiotic drugs sold over counter

Efficacy Not Proven, Warn Docs

Kill your diarrhoea with good bacteria. That’s the latest fad in healthcare. Almost every pharmaceutical company now has a brand of probiotic drug and some are even being commercially marketed off the counter.

Probiotics are foods that contain live bacteria. It is the bacteria and metabolites which they produce that give probiotics their health-promoting properties. The best known example is yogurt.

While some doctors are excited about chances of treating even severe intestinal disorders with probiotics, many say this is a huge money-spinner. Doctors are still assessing whether these drugs can be an alternative to antibiotics considering the increasing cases of antibiotic resistance in India.

WHAT IS PROBIOTIC?

• Live micro-organisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host, says World Health Organisation 

• It means introducing good live bacteria into your intestine to fight off bad bacteria 

• Lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics 

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-appointed committee member and consultant gastroenterologist, Manipal Hospital, Dr Dinesh Kini, is part of the research team on probiotics. He says probiotics can’t be an alternative to antibiotics. “They’re a huge money-spinner that are pharmaceutically motivated and currently being used unscientifically. There is less scientific data on probiotics. It may, however, be used by travellers for diarrhoea, colitis, inflammatory bowel diseases and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. It is not the wonder drug that it’s being projected to be,” he asserts.

“We need robust and randomized clinical trials to say with confidence that they have positive impact on health. The market is flooded with various brands of probiotics,” he adds.

“These are micro-organisms that colonize your intestine and remove harmful bacteria. The best natural probiotics are in yogurt and soy yogurt, which can be eaten on a regular basis even without a prescription. But people consume them less these days. So it is available in tablet and liquid forms. Research is being conducted to see its impact on colon cancer and urinary tract infections,” explains Dr B S Ravindra, consultant gastroenterologist, BGS Global Hospital.

There was a sudden increase in the prescription of probiotics recently. It was seen that they had a positive effect on patients who were under antibiotics for long and suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. Even patients who recurrently suffered from bouts of gastroenteritis showed good recovery.

“Use of probiotics has definitely increased. It’s true that yogurt and curds contain probiotics but those cannot be quantified. It is a great source of medication but I do not suggest that people buy it off the counter just for fitness. The quality and dosage of this live bacteria cannot be assured if it’s used without monitoring,” said Dr Ravishankar Bhat, consultant gastroenterologist, Apollo Hospitals.

AVAILABLE IN STORES

Pro-biotic yogurts and fortified supplements are available in almost all stores. I have tried them many times since they claim to have health benefits and assist in digestion but am not sure whether these claims are true.

THE BENEFITS

Experts agree that it may be helpful to those who have been consuming antibiotics for a long time. It may help in breeding good bacterial flora in the intestine and considered useful for irritable bowel syndrome.

GUIDELINES ON USAGE

ICMR released guidelines on the use of probiotics this year. It says: “Probiotics have been suggested to be associated with alleviation of lactose intolerance, prevention and cure of viral-, bacterial- and antibiotic- or radiotherapyinduced diarrhoea, anticarcinogenic effects and even blood cholesterol reduction. The optimism associated with probiotics is, however, counterbalanced by scepticism as many probiotic products in the market are unreliable in content and unproven clinically.’’

YES OR NO? Doctors are still assessing if these drugs can be an alternative to antibiotics