Kefir, a Probiotic-Rich Drink, May Benefit Specific Groups o...( MORTON GROVE Ill. A...),Health

MORTON GROVE, Ill., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Results from a new Georgetown University Medical Center study find Kefir, a probiotic-rich drink, may have a positive effect on reducing antibiotic-induced diarrhea in certain children experiencing health problems. In the study, the sickest children got the most potential benefit from drinking Kefir.

"We are happy to see that the 10 strains of good bacteria in our Probug product may help certain sick kids have less antibiotic-induced diarrhea. This is just one more study that adds to the pool of emerging research that Kefir may help kids stay healthy," says Julie Smolyansky, CEO of Lifeway Foods.

Many antibiotics have the unpleasant side effect of causing diarrhea and this can be particularly unpleasant for children. Thus, a study was designed to determine if Kefir, rich in probiotics, could benefit children who were being affected.

125 children, ages 1-5, being treated with antibiotics, were given either active Kefir to use with their antibiotic tablet each day for ten days or a placebo drink, in which the probiotics were previously destroyed by heat (placebo). Neither the study coordinators, the children, nor their parents, knew which Kefir was given to which participant until the study ended.

The findings revealed that in the children whose health was poorer when they entered the study, 23% developed diarrhea in the group that received the active Kefir, compared with 31% in the group that got the placebo or inactive Kefir.

In another recent study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, "friendly" probiotic bacteria were linked to helping kids have fewer cold symptoms such as fevers, coughs, and runny noses. "Kefir is rich in protein and calcium and may be a secret weapon to help kids prevent colds and flu, since it is chock full of good bacteria. This is so
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