Yogurt is your friend.

Yogurt is your friend.

Scottsdale – Patients undergoing elective plastic surgery have to use antibiotics for prophylaxis against infection. One well-known side effect of all antibiotics includes antibiotic induced diarrhea. In fact, antibiotic-associated diarrhea is the most common adverse effect of antibiotic therapy. It would be nice to have a means to avoid this uncomfortable and potentially dangerous complication.

Well, some research has demonstrated that eating yogurt before, during and after the episode of antibiotic use could reduce and/or minimize the length of symptoms. A study published in the journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences, included 200 hospitalized patients receiving antibiotics which were randomized to receive or not receive a commercial dietary yogurt supplement, and followed for 8 days.

The research was performed through the Department of Medicine, at Indiana University School of Medicine and the Roudebush VA Medical Center. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of a dietary supplement of yogurt for prevention of antibiotic associated diarrhea.  In the research, the mean age of patients was 70 years and 43% were male. The compliance with the 8-day regiment was 85% and the with the study follow-up, 91%, respectively.

The results demonstrate that patients receiving yogurt reported less frequent diarrhea (12% vs 24%), which is a significant difference. Patients receiving yogurt also demonstrated significantly less total diarrhea] days (23 vs 60). The conclusion of the research demonstrated that dietary supplementation with yogurt is a simple, effective, and safe treatment that decreases the incidence and duration of AAD.

Not everyone agrees with these results, however. Similar research from the UK, demonstrated that probiotic yogurt did not make a difference in reducing diarrhea-related side effects. This research was from a single center and included 369 total patients.

To end the debate, we looked at another study from the Imperial College (Medicine) , London, using a probiotic containing drink. This research was published in the British Medical Journal, and showed that probiotics are effective in reducing the symptoms of antibiotic associated diarrhea.  The researchers concluded that consumption of a probiotic drink containing L. casei, L. bulgaricus, and S. thermophilus can reduce the incidence of antibiotic associated diarrhea and C difficile (the biggest culprit) associated diarrhea. The studies warn that if patients are immunocompromised, then probiotics may not be beneficial and could be dangerous.

Based on this review, it is my opinion that yogurt consumption, in healthy patients, receiving prophylactic antibiotics for elective plastic surgery, is safe and appropriate. We recommend patients begin yogurt 1 week before surgery and complete a 14-day, three yogurts per day regiment to minimize the risks of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

Most yogurt brands will work, but we recommend Dannon’s Activia. For more information of probiotics in this yogurt go to www.dannonprobioticscenter.com.