Viable probiotics might help the critically ill

By David Douglas
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Therapy with viable probiotics stimulates the function of the immune system in critically ill patients in intensive care, Canadian researchers report.
Probiotics are dietary supplements, containing bacteria or yeast, which have potentially beneficial effects on the body. Probiotic cultures are sometimes recommended by physicians to re-establish the balance of the gut flora after a course of antibiotics or as part of a treatment for a gastrointestinal infection. Claims have also been made that probiotics strengthen the immune system.
"Live probiotic bacteria are effective in enhancing immune activity in patients at risk of developing sepsis, suggesting that viable probiotic preparations may be effective as adjunctive therapy under a variety of clinical conditions," senior investigator Dr. Karen Madsen told Reuters Health.
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is a major cause of mortality in intensive care units, Madsen, of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, and colleagues point out in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The onset of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is preceded by a breakdown in the gut's barrier function along with dysfunction of the immune system.