Probiotics are so called good micro organisms which are present in the bowel. Prebiotics are natural plant based oligosaccharides which help probiotics to grow.

A Meta analysis was published in the Journal of the Current Opinions in Infectious Disease in 2005. This was a review of studies conducted by the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom. The review of studies related to the use of high quality vitamins and probiotics in the treatment of a variety of gastrointestinal illnesses found that probiotics were effective in preventing and ameliorating a variety of diarrhea in adults and children. Specifically, probiotics were found to protect against diarrhea related to antibiotic usage as well as necrotizing enterocolitis in the newborns. In order to enhance the effect of probiotics and restore normalization of bowel, researchers are looking at combining probiotics and prebiotics.

Another review of probiotics has been published in the Journal of American Dietary Association in 2001. This research has supported claims that usage of probiotics improves intestinal tract health and enhances immune system as well as improves and enhances synthesis of certain nutrients. So if you buy vitamins that include probiotics - you may be sure that they also reduce the symptoms of lactose intolerance and may reduce the prevalence of allergy and risk of certain type of cancers. The probable mechanism of probiotics is related to altering pH in the gut as well as directly antagonizing pathogenic micro organisms by producing antibacterial and anti-fungal natural compounds. Probiotics are also competing for pathogen binding and receptor size as well as for nutrients and growth factors. Probiotics stimulate immune cells and assist in production of lactase which is an enzyme needed for proper digestion of the dairy products.

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