Physician-scientist John Haran, MD, is pro probiotics.
Dr. Haran, assistant professor of emergency medicine, an attending physician in the UMass Memorial Medical Center Emergency Department and a member of the UMass Center for Microbiome Research, recommends probiotics to his patients for the beneficial effect that they have on their gut microbiome.
“A lot of people do see a benefit from trying different types [of probiotics],” said Haran. “In my practice, I do give out prescriptions for Lactobacillus GG especially to my patients taking antibiotics to help prevent complications.”
Culturelle is one of the most widely-sold brands of Lactobacillus GG, which is often used to prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea. He specifically recommends Lactobacillus GG because it’s been around for a relatively long time and a significant amount of research has been conducted on its effectiveness.
“I recommend the Lactobacillus GG because I know the research behind it—not to say that the others can’t work, there’s just not the evidence behind it yet to actually prove that,” he said. “The hurdle that we have to overcome from a research and health standpoint, is trying to find the right amount of which [probiotic is effective] and standardizing that,” said Haran.
Learn more in this Expert’s Corner video.
Related links on UMassMedNow:
Sequencing the intestinal microbiome to target therapies
Solving the complex problem of recurrent C. diff with a simple solution
Searching the microbiome for clues to managing inflammatory bowel disease
