2020-05-01_Good_Health

intent was not for the women to
keep taking probiotics indefinitely.
“Probiotics don’t colonise, but while
they are being taken they disrupt the
uro-genital microbiota of women with
recurrent infections to help restore their
own health-promoting strains.”
Professor Reid and his team
were instrumental in isolating and
developing two probioticstrains:
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
GR-1 and Lactobacillus
reuteri RC-14, which
have since been proven
in numerous studies,
to play a beneficial
role in women’s
vaginal and urinary
tract health.
“Our understanding
of how this worksisthat
the probiotic strainsinhibit
the uropathogensintheintestineand
perineum, reducingtheirascension

into the bladder. In addition, they

increase the host’s defences and produce

molecules that kill the pathogens and

stop them adhering, multiplying and

spreading,” he says.

Purchasing probiotics

Professor Reid warns that women

needtobecareful when purchasing

probiotics claiming to improve

vaginal health. He explains

that many products use

strains that have not

been validated in

scientific studies.

ProfessorReid

explains:“Some

manufacturersclaim

torelievedigestive

symptomsaswellas

improvevaginalhealth,yet

havenoevidencetosupport

theirurinaryandvaginaleffects.

Yet,theyputmultiplestrainsintheir

product as if somehow that means it will

work better, again with no supporting

human studies.

“We showed in several studies that not

all Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains, for

example, are the same and Lactobacillus

rhamnosus GG used for gut health is not

suitable for urogenital effects.”

In their analysis of 26 studies into

the use of probiotics for vaginal health,

the Australian Department of Health’s

Therapeutic Goods Administration

(TGA) has warned that there is

insufficient evidence to demonstrate

that probiotics, specifically Lactobacillus

rhamnosus,Saccharomycescerevisiae

(Boulardii)andLactobacillus

acidophilusarebeneficialforvaginal

conditions.Theycitepoorstudy

methodsaswellasdosagesinthe

commerciallyavailableprobiotics

notbeingcomparabletothoseused

instudies.

However,ifyouareusingthese

DID YOU

KNOW?

Lactobacillus rhamnosus

GR-1andactobacillus

reuteriRC-14arethetwo

strainsproventopay

abeneficialrole.

Wome  t b carefu
whe purchasin probiotic claimin t mprov
agina
hea