Probiotics are relatively safe and beneficial

doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7576.0-c

BMJ 2006;333 (11 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7576.0-c

This week in the BMJ

Probiotics are relatively safe and beneficial

The benefits of probiotic bacteria such as Lactobacillusand Bifidobacterium seem to outweigh any potential danger ofsepsis say Hammerman and colleagues in their review of randomisedtrials, Cochrane controlled trials, and case reports (10.1136/bmj.39010.630799.BE).While anecdotes of Lactobacillus sepsis exist, retrospectivereviews suggest no greater risk of systemic infection from thesebacteria than from endogenous commensals. Prospective studieshave reported that probiotic therapy is clinically useful andsafe in immunocompromised adults and premature infants, althoughsafety is relative not absolute.