The study authors agreed that there wasn't sufficient evidence to determine if the beneficial effects of probiotics vary by patient population, antibiotic characteristic or probiotic preparation.
"Future studies should assess these factors and explicitly assess the possibility of adverse events to better refine our understanding of the use of probiotics to prevent [antibiotic-associated diarrhea]," Rand and her colleagues concluded.
The study showed only an association between probiotic use and decreased odds for diarrhea; it was not designed to prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
Bernstein said that, as of now, there is not much clarity for consumers in terms of what microbes are included in a particular probiotic product. Probiotics "remain a largely unregulated and diverse class of supplements," he said. "Probiotic preparations are made up of a multitude of types of bacteria."
The study appears in the May 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
More information
The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has more about probiotics.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCES: David Bernstein, M.D., chief, division of hepatology, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, N.Y.; Roshini Rajapaksa, M.D., gastroenterologist, NYU Langone Medical Center, and assistant professor, NYU School of Medicine, New York City; Journal of the American Medical Association, news release, May 8, 2012
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