Probiotic Yogurts ‘Don’t Actually Do Anything’, Study Finds

British people spend £750m a year on probiotic yogurts - including drinks which supposedly improve gut health.

But there’s one big problem - they don’t actually do anything.

Experts analysed evidence from seven major trials of probiotic products and found that there was no evidence that they are good for your health, a study in Genome Medicine found.

The products may have an effect on people who are seriously ill - but have little or no effect on healthy individuals, the researchers said.

The products are often marketed as containing ‘good’ or ‘friendly’ bacteria.

Professor Oluf Pedersen, from the University of Copenhagen, said: ‘While there is some evidence from previous reviews that probiotic interventions may benefit those with disease-associated imbalances of the gut, there is little evidence of an effect in healthy individuals.

Nadja Buus Kristensen, from the University of Copenhagen, said: ‘No convincing evidence exists for consistent effects of probiotics - despite being consumed to a large extent by the general population.’