BMJ  2007;335:414 (1 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.39317.508079.80

Letters

Probiotics in children

All nutritional supplements should be classified as drugs

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The study by Canani et al concluded that probiotics should be classified as drugs, and doctors should select preparations for which evidence of efficacy, in a given clinical condition, is supported by solid data.¹

All nutritional supplements that are sold on the basis of their health promoting properties should be classified as drugs, and they should have to undergo the same rigorous process as pharmaceutical drugs to establish their efficacy and safety before they are placed on the market. The global market for probiotics and supplements continues to grow, and a growing number of "nutritionists" and nutritional supplements are trying to cash in. Consumers deserve to have accurate information about the efficacy and potential side effects of these products in the same way that they do for other over the counter drugs. If these substances were classified as drugs, doctors could then prescribe them on the NHS for their specific . . . [Full text of this article]

Greater Manchester Health Protection Unit, Manchester M30 0NJ

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Relevant Article

Probiotics for treatment of acute diarrhoea in children: randomised clinical trial of five different preparations

Roberto Berni Canani, Pia Cirillo, Gianluca Terrin, Luisa Cesarano, Maria Immacolata Spagnuolo, Anna De Vincenzo, Fabio Albano, Annalisa Passariello, Giulio De Marco, Francesco Manguso, and Alfredo Guarino
BMJ 2007 335: 340. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]