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PMID: 15356352 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Review

Probiotics and human health: a clinical perspective.

Postgraduate medical journal ·Vol. 80 ·No. 947 ·2004-09-00 ·Pages 516-26

Gill HS, Guarner F

Abstract

There is unequivocal evidence that administration of probiotics could be effective in the treatment of acute infectious diarrhoea in children and the prevention of antibiotic associated diarrhoea and nosocomial/community acquired diarrhoea. Encouraging evidence is also emerging for the effectiveness of probiotics in the prevention and management of pouchitis and paediatric atopic diseases, and the prevention of postoperative infections. There is also strong evidence that certain probiotic strains are able to enhance immune function, especially in subjects with less than adequate immune function such as the elderly. Efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of traveller's diarrhoea, sepsis associated with severe acute pancreatitis, and cancers, the management of ulcerative colitis, and lowering of blood cholesterol remains unproven. In addition to firm evidence of efficacy (for a range of conditions), major gaps exist in our knowledge regarding the mechanisms by which probiotics modulate various physiological functions and the optimum dose, frequency, and duration of treatment for different probiotic strains.

MeSH Terms
Bacterial Infections/prevention & control Cholesterol/blood Diarrhea/drug therapy,prevention & control Evidence-Based Medicine Forecasting Humans Hypersensitivity, Immediate/prevention & control Immunity/drug effects Irritable Bowel Syndrome/drug therapy Lactose Intolerance/drug therapy Neoplasms/drug therapy Probiotics/therapeutic use
Chemicals
Cholesterol
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Gill H S
Primary Industries Research Victoria, Department of Primary Industries, 600 Sneydes Road, Werribee, Victoria, Australia. [email protected]
Guarner F
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Article Info
Journal
Postgraduate medical journal
Abbr.
Postgrad Med J
ISSN
0032-5473
DOI
10.1136/pgmj.2003.008664
Email
[email protected]
Published
2004-09-00
Pages
516-26
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
0234135
PMCID
PMC1743098
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1136/pgmj.2003.008664 PMC Full Text View journal details
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