There's evidence for eating germs

You’ve heard of antibiotics, but how about probiotics? They are naturally occurring microbes that can live in the human gut and help fight disease.

Don’t be surprised if someone -- say that friend who knows all the latest natural remedies -- suggests you eat germs in order to stay healthy. Yogurt, with its live lactic acid bacteria, is just the beginning. A growing number of companies are marketing edible germs in powder, tablet and liquid form.

And there is actually some reliable research supporting the use of probiotic preparations for fighting diarrhea. A review of 23 research trials by the Cochrane Collaboration concludes that probiotic preparations based on lactic acid bacteria or some yeasts are moderately effective in easing infectious diarrhea. You can read a summary of the research here.

Researchers also are experimenting with other disease-fighting germs, according to the July 22nd issue of The Scientist. But the article included a cautionary note about how the probiotics industry may be getting ahead what the research actually says.

"There does seem to be lots of potential there, but it's a very complicated area," nutritionist Rosemary Stanton, in Sydney, Australia, told The Scientist. "I think it sounds good and I want to be a believer. But when you read the studies they don't match the headlines. The food industry is pushing to be able to make more health claims for these products, but, based on what we know so far, I think it would be foolish to allow that."