yogurt/everyone should see this

This is interesting!Daily Yogurt Cuts Incidence ofAntibiotic-Associated Diarrhea by Half PHOENIX, Oct 20 (Reuters Health) - Just two 8-ounceservings of yogurt a day reduced the rate ofantibiotic-associated diarrhea by half in a study of 202hospitalized patients, according to a presentation here Mondayat the 64th annual scientific meeting of the American College ofGastroenterology.Dr. Ripudaman S. Beniwal and colleagues, of the University ofPittsburgh Medical Center-McKeesport Hospital inPennsylvania, compared the incidence of diarrhea among 105patients given a yogurt with lunch and supper with theincidence among 97 patients who received no yogurtsupplement.The patients were given commercially available vanilla yogurtfor 8 days. Forty-three percent of the patients were men and themean age was 70 years, with a range of 19 to 94 years.Dr. Beniwal reported that the rate of diarrhea among patients inthe yogurt group was 12%, while in the control group 24% ofpatients experienced diarrhea, which the research team definedas 2 or more loose bowel movements a day."Additionally, in the control group the total number of diarrheadays, meaning the days patients reported diarrhea times thenumber of patients reporting, was 60 days, while in the yogurtgroup there were 23 diarrhea days," Dr. Beniwal said. Patientstaking yogurt also had less frequent bowel movements and lessbloating, he added. Dr. Beniwal would advise patients that "...3% to 29% ofpatients taking antibiotics develop diarrhea but patients whotake yogurt while on an antibiotic cut their risk of diarrhea inhalf." He cautioned that among patients who develop diarrheawhile taking an antibiotic, about one third progress to colitis.In a comment to Reuters Health, Dr. Beniwal, now at theUniversity of Indiana, Indianapolis, said that there is a longhistory of "...anecdotal reports that yogurt can reduceantibiotic-associated diarrhea, but it has never beenquantified."------------------ http://webpotential.com/ericibs/index.htm