Probiotic drink beats infections

PEOPLE taking antibiotics, especially those being treated in hospitals should take a daily probiotic drink, according to a report released today.

Antibiotics have many benefits, but they can also destroy many of the normal bacteria that live in the gut, making it easier for "bad" bacteria to build up.

In hospitals, between 5 and 30 per cent of patients on antibiotic treatment develop antibiotic- associated diarrhoeal infections such as Clostridium difficile.

C difficile, a common side- effect of broad-spectrum antibiotics, can lead to ulceration of the colon, and caused twice as many deaths as MRSA in 2005.

Ian Rowland, a professor of human nutrition research at the University of Reading, who chaired the panel of eight leading health experts said: "There is a growing bank of evidence to support the positive effects that probiotics have on antibiotic- associated diarrhoea."

Prof Rowland added: "By studying this evidence as well as various patient case studies, the expert group were led to conclude that patients should take probiotics during and after their hospital stay to reduce the risk of acquiring antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, or if required, to limit its severity and duration."