| " I receive a lot of ads in the mail for Flora Source, a probiotic. Will it do everything the ads claim?" "If our bodies ran by majority rule, we'd all be slaves to bacteria. By some estimates, the average digestive tract contains 750 trillion bacteria ? enough to outnumber the human cells in your entire body by about 7 to 1. Most of those bacteria are on our side: They help us digest our food and build our intestinal immune system, an important defense against not-so-friendly germs. " "Flora Source, distributed by Golden Health Products, is just one of many "probiotic" supplements that promise to improve health by boosting the ranks of healthy bacteria. (A similar product, also called "Flora Source," is distributed by Nutri-Health.) Each capsule of Golden Health's Flora Source reportedly contains 22 billion living bacterial cells representing 15 species, including 10 strains of lactobacillus and four strains of bifidobacteria. "You'd have to eat gallons of yogurt to get that many cells," says Mary Faith Hunt, president of Golden Health Products." "A few health food stores carry Flora Source, but Hunt says almost all her customers order the product over the Internet. A six-month supply costs about $100. " "Like nearly every other probiotic on the market, Flora Source promises to ease digestive troubles such as diarrhea, indigestion and bloating. But the claims don't stop there. According to the Golden Health Products website, Flora Source can "strengthen your immune system," "guard against colon cancer" and "boost energy and vitality." The site also says that Flora Source can "protect against osteoporosis and arthritis," although Hunt says "that's not really the focus."" "Hunt says customers have reported improvements in a wide range of conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, skin allergies and toe fungus. In general, she says, customers can expect to start seeing results in about three months." "Probiotic supplements are generally safe and seem to ease some common digestive troubles, says Dr. Michael Camilleri, a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. After conducting several studies, Camilleri feels that he can "comfortably" recommend probiotic supplements for people with ulcerative colitis, gas and bloating (especially as symptoms of irritable bowel
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