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   What are Probiotics? by Sarah Hull

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Makers of yoghurt and milk drinks made up the word "probiotic". Probiotic sounds like an important scientific term. In fact, probiotic has no scientific meaning. It is a word that makes you think something is actively working to benefit your health.  In reality, the word probiotic is used to help sell certain kinds of food.

Most yoghurts and many milk drinks have bacteria in them. The bacteria are part of what turns milk into yoghurt. Yoghurt makers discovered that people did not like the idea that they were eating bacteria. So some yoghurt makers started to say their yoghurt contained only "good" bacteria and not "bad" bacteria. These yoghurt makers used the idea to say that some bacteria help you digest your food. They said this kind of yoghurt was good for your whole body. Eventually, most yoghurt makers started to call this probiotic yoghurt.

Probiotic yoghurt and milk products make up a multi-million dollar industry across the world. The largest market for these kinds of products is Japan. In the UK, shoppers spend about £200m a year on probiotic dairy foods. However, food inspectors say that there is no evidence that "probiotic bacteria" is good for you. Many food scientists refuse to use the word probiotic at all.

 


 
GLOSSARY
  • Bacteria - very small living things, some of which cause diseases.
  • Digest - when your stomach changes the food you eat into substances your body can absorb and use.


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