Hi @Daniel, good question! We have definitely had a good look into probiotics. Eating bacteria to improve our health, sounds interesting. As it's Wednesday today, here's a long answer:
Probiotics are microorganisms, like bacteria, fungi and viruses, that are believed to be beneficial for our health when we consume them. This may sound strange to some, as bacteria are often associated with illness and bad health, but that's quite the misconception.
In fact, our bodies count more microbial cells than human cells. Thought you knew yourself? You're one big zoo. In fact, when you step on the scale, about 1-2kg of your weight is microbiome. The most interesting for us are the microorganisms that live in your digestive tracts, your so-called gut flora.
Your gut flora does many things, it's like an organ. Some bacteria help us digest food, some help us absorb minerals and some even synthesise the vitamins we need, like vitamin K. Some do nothing beneficial, some are bad. There are hundreds of different species in our gut alone. Our gut microbiome changes over time and is different in everyone. Your gut flora adapts to your specific circumstances, e.g. the things you eat.
Having a healthy gut flora is crucial to good health. And, as I've just pointed out, what you eat influences your gut flora. Doing the math: 1 + 1 = business. Business loves to step in and tell you that you should eat this or drink that to improve your gut microbiome. People like to take care of their health so they're particularly susceptible to these types of health claims. It sounds convincing, eat the right bacteria and you'll have more good bacteria in your system.
However, to date, the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) has not approved health claims for any probiotics. The same goes for the European Union: no health claims relating to probiotics are approved, and even the word 'probiotic' is effectively banned from all marketing. The inner workings of our microbiome are way way more complicated than some would like us to believe.
So, for Jake, until there's a scientific basis that a certain probiotic is what its name implies it is: good for your health, we'll be holding off on them.
