Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (Boulardii) (SB) is quite a mouthful isn’t it? But this Probiotic fits into one mighty capsule, to become a super diarrhoea fighter! A recent update of a meta-analysis that studied 21 trials has shown that SB can prevent antibiotic associated diarrhoea and Clostridium difficile- associated diarrhoea.
A difficult bacteria
As most of us know and may have experienced, antibiotics can disrupt the beneficial bacteria that live in our gut, which can mean we experience diarrhoea while taking antibiotics and that other opportunistic detrimental bacteria such as C. difficile can take hold and may cause diarrhoea and inflammation in the gut (they don’t call it C. difficile for nothing!).
It is quite expensive to treat an infection with C. difficile, so the fact that an inexpensive Probiotic such as SB may be of assistance in treatment is really good news! SB is a beneficial yeast Probiotic which can help to help maintain a balance of good bacteria in your digestive system.
More about the study
The meta-analysis comprised a total of 4780 participants and 21 different randomized controlled trials (of which 16 were new). Those administered SB compared with placebo or no treatment reduced the risk of antibiotic associated diarrhoea in adults from 17.4% to 8.2%.
In children administered antibiotics, SB reduced the risk of diarrhoea from 20.9% to 8.8%. In children, it was also found that treatment with SB reduced the risk of C. difficile – associated diarrhoea, however interestingly this effect was only found to be significant in children.
Dose up!
There were various doses of SB administered throughout the different studies involved in the meta-analysis, with no dose dependant effect discovered. However, the authors of the study concluded the best dose to match those used in the randomised controlled trials was between 250mg-1000mg for adults and between 250-500mg per day of Saccharomyces Boulardii for Children.
Give your gut a hand next time you have to take antibiotics, and try Saccharomyces Boulardii.
