Many people are familiar with the concept of eating yogurt when they are given a prescription for antibiotics. The reasoning behind this recommendation is that yogurt contains bacteria that are known to be “friendly” to our digestive systems. These “friendly” bacteria promote a healthier digestive tract.

Antibiotics destroy the natural balance of bacteria in our intestines. This can lead to many unwanted health problems including IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), diarrhea, constipation, allergies, sinus problems, and skin reactions to name just a few. In the long-run, this imbalance can have a negative effect on the immune system. These are not good things.

The decision then moves to whether or not eating yogurt is the best choice when you are given a prescription for antibiotics. There are a couple of problems with eating yogurt as a source of “friendly bacteria”. The first deals with the fact that many people eat yogurt at the same time they take their antibiotic. This could potentially decrease the effectiveness of the antibiotic therapy as a portion of the antibiotic may act upon the live bacteria found in the yogurt. Thus, the beneficial bacteria provided by the yogurt are destroyed and the antibiotic strength could be diminished.

The second problem with taking yogurt is that the amount of beneficial bacterial is limited to one species and is supplied in relatively low amounts (millions of bacteria instead of billions). Newer studies suggest that mixtures of beneficial bacteria may hold the highest benefits for people on antibiotic therapy.

My suggestion to you is that every single time you or anyone in your family has to go on antibiotics you should take a high quality, mixed bacteria supplement. This especially includes infants and children.