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Enteral Tube Feeding, Diarrhea and ProbioticsWhether taking probiotics can help with the diarrhea caused by enteral tube feeding has not been studied much, according to this 2007 report.
There has been one study using Saccharomyces boulardii with critically ill tube fed patients and this did reduce the amount of diarrhea from 18.9% to 14.2%.1 The 64 patients in the trial were given 500mg Saccharomyces boulardii four times a day and the other 64 patients received a placebo. When additional risk factors such as fever and presence of an infection site were taken in to account the result was even more significant. The conclusion was that "S boulardii prevents diarrhea in critically ill tube-fed patients, especially in patients with risk factors for diarrhea."1 S boulardii is a yeast and more current thinking (the above trial was in 1997) is that it should not be taken by immunosuppressed people. It is popular in Europe and South America and has a well documented history against diarrhea in general after being "discovered" in a popular anti-diarrhea medicine brewed up by local Indochinese using lychee fruit. Saccharomyces boulardii is available in a number of supplements including this online source of Florastor. Another trial using Lactobacillus acidophilus plus Lactobacillus delbrückii ssp bulgaricus had no effect on whether people developed diarrhea or if they did, how often.2 Lactobacillus delbrückii ssp bulgaricus is one of the standard "starter" bacteria used in yogurt making. The information on using probiotics to prevent diarrhea amongst enteral tube-fed people is very limited at present and the scientists reviewing these two trials from the 1990's said "at the moment there is not enough evidence from clinical trials to recommend the use of probiotics in the prevention of diarrhea in tube-fed patients."3 REFERENCES 1. Bleichner G, Blehaut H, Mentec H, Moyse D. Saccharomyces boulardii prevents diarrhea in critically ill tube-fed patients. A multicenter, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Intensive Care Med. 1997;23:517?23. 2. Heimburger DC, Sockwell DG, Geels WJ. Diarrhea with enteral feeding: prospective reappraisal of putative causes. Nutrition. 1994;10:392?6. 3. Michael de Vrese3, Philippe R. Marteau. Probiotics and Prebiotics: Effects on Diarrhea. The American Society for Nutrition J. Nutr. 137:803S-811S, March 2007 Looking for info on probiotics?TOP of Enteral Tube Feeding
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Looking for infoabout a specific probiotic product or bacteria? Use the site search box at the bottom of this page.  Platinum Package from Santa - $ 49.99 Retail Price: 59.99 You Save: $10.00 GoodBug Says
Remember - A true probiotic will always have the strain specified. So the wording on the label will be the bacteria name, eg Lactobacillus plantarum, followed by the strain, eg 299v. It's those few letters or numbers at the end that make all the difference. GoodBug is the copyright creation of Joachim Angeltun - Fotolia.com Eat More ProbioticsOn the Raw Food Diet Weight Loss blueprint. More vitamins, more fiber, more lactic acid bacteria, more probiotics - less weight! |
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The information presented here is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or medical professional. |
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