This article is continued from Part 1 here...

AN increasing amount of research suggests that probiotics could be helpful to certain health complaints. Here we examine the research so far into how certain strains of bacteria could help with stomach ulcers and diarrhoea.

STOMACH ULCERS
One of the ‘bad’ bacteria that lives in the stomach is called helicobactor pylori. It is, in fact, the most common cause of chronic bacterial infection. Helicobactor pylori weakens the mucus layer of the stomach and can go on to cause stomach ulcers, stomach cancer and gastric reflux. Clinical studies (ref 1,2,3) suggest that the bacteria strain acidophilus reduced levels of helicobactor pylori. It was thought that this effect was due either to competition between probiotics and helicobactor pylori or by the suppression of an enzyme called helicobactor pylori urease which prevented the bacteria’s survival.

A Polish study (ref 4) also appears to show that using the probiotic strain acidophilus rhamnosus helped to eradicate helicobactor pylori.

DIARRHOEA
Research published in 2002 (ref 5) shows that probiotics appear to have an effect on diarrhoea. The study of 22 patients showed that the L Casei and L. Acidophillus strains of bacteria helped to treat bacterial growth-related diarrhoea. The research from this study appeared to suggest that the probiotic worked best when used over a continuous period of time.

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REFERENCES
1. Canducci F, Cremonini F, Armuzzi A, Di Caro S, Gabrielli M, Santarelli L et al. Probiotics and Helicobacter pylori eradication. Dig Liver Dis 2002 ; 34: S81-3.
2. Felley C, Michetti P. Probiotics and Helicobacter pylori. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 2003;17:785-91
3. Hamilton-Miller JM. The role of probiotics in the treatment and prevention of Helicobacter pylori infection. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2003; 22:360-366.
4. Bielanski, W., Konturek, S.J., 1996, New approach to 13C−urea breath test: capsule−based modification with low−dose of 13C−urea in the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection, J.Physiol Pharmacol.” 47, 545−553, Institute of Physiology, Jagiellonian University School of Medicine, Kraków, 45.
5. Effect of Lactobacillus strains (L. casei and L. Acidophillus Strains cerela) on bacterial overgrowth-related chronic diarrhea. Gaon, David : Garmendia, Carmen : Murrielo, Norberto O : de Cucco Games, Alfredo : Cerchio, Angel : Quintas, Ricardo : Gonzalez, Silvia N : Oliver, Guillermo