Without the use of probiotics or other measures to limit their impact, antibiotics may reduce the levels of good bacteria in the digestive tract for up to several weeks, according to a new study.

New research suggests that gut bacteria in the small intestine may be part of the cause of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, but dairy-based probiotics or other supplements may help to regulate those levels.

Industry groups regularly schedule presentations on interesting topics that will engage their membership, and doctors from Harvard and Yale recently spoke about the value of probiotics in a symposium at the annual conference of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Women who become pregnant may be able to fight one kind of obesity if they take probiotic supplements, Finnish researchers say.

While the H1N1 swine flu virus is currently going off the radar in some circles after the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Health and Human Services said closing schools with reported cases was unnecessary, probiotics may help protect against other more common strains which afflict millions of Americans every year.

New research has linked a probiotic supplement to a reduced level of anxiety among patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue symptoms.

Patients who require lengthy hospitalizations and take antibiotics may be at risk for an infection that is resistant to antibiotic treatment.

Probiotics have been studied for their effect on the immune system, and now a new study of the “good” bacteria may mean taking the sting out of vaccination.

A study published in the March issue of Postgraduate Medicine suggests that a strain of probiotic bacteria, GanedenBC30, increases the body’s immune response to viruses that cause common viral respiratory tract infections such as colds and flu.

Probiotics may be one of the biggest health trends of the year, but what people may not realize is that certain conditions call for certain types of the live bacteria.