| Abstract (english) | Probiotics are currently among the most popular dietary supplements and are
defined as living microorganisms that, administered in adequate doses, show positive
health effects. The most commonly used probiotics are different species/strains of
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, some yeasts (Saccharomyces boulardii, S. cerevisiae)
and some gram-positive cocci. According to available data, the use of probiotics is
safe, and certain theoretical risks are mainly associated with the use of particular types
of probiotic enterobacteria in immunocompromised patients.
Possible therapeutic indications for probiotic supplementation are numerous,
and their efficiency has been proved for the prevention and treatment of diarrhoea
(especially diarrhoea caused by rotavirus); for alleviating the symptoms of ulcerative
colitis and irritable bowel syndrome; for using them as an adjunctive therapy in H.
pylori eradication; for prevention and alleviating the symptoms of allergic conditions
(especially supplementation of pregnant women and infants to relieve symptoms and
reduce the incidence of atopic dermatitis in infants with a genetic predisposition);
and for the prevention and treatment of vagina! infections. Efficacy of probiotics has
also been investigated for the prevention and treatment of other pathological conditions
such as Crohn's disease, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, constipation, colon
cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, etc., but the current evidence is insufficient to recommend
their use in these indications.
It is important to point our that many of the therapeuric effects of probiotics are
strain - dependent and that, ideally, probiotic dietary supplements should contain
the probiotic strains with proven efficiency in certain indication in larger number of
studies. In addition, in everyday pharmaceutical practice, it is important to pay attention
to the quality of available probiotic supplements (the composition of the preparation,
the number of viable microorganisms in preparation - preferably l-20x109,
the absence of potentially pathogenic microorganisms guaranteed by manufacturer)
and adequate storage conditions. |
