Acidophilus 40+ Solgar, Capsules x 120

L. acidophilus is a beneficial bacteria found in your intestines that helps protect against various illnesses. To boost levels, consume fermented goods or take supplements.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a type of bacteria found in your intestines.

It’s a member of the Lactobacillus genus of bacteria, and it plays an important role in human health (1Trusted Source).

Its name gives an indication of what it produces — lactic acid. It does this by producing an enzyme called lactase. Lactase breaks down lactose, a sugar found in milk, into lactic acid.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is also sometimes referred to as L. acidophilus or simply acidophilus.

Lactobacilli, particularly L. acidophilus, are often used as probiotics.

The World Health Organization defines probiotics as “live micro-organisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host” 

Unfortunately, food manufacturers have overused the word “probiotic,” applying it to bacteria that haven’t been scientifically proven to have any specific health benefits.

This has led the European Food Safety Authority to ban the word “probiotic” on all foods in the EU.

L. acidophilus has been extensively studied as a probiotic, and evidence has shown that it may provide a number of health benefits. However, there are many different strains of L. acidophilus, and they can each have different effects on your body 

In addition to probiotic supplements, L. acidophilus can be found naturally in a number of fermented foods, including sauerkraut, miso and tempeh.

Also, it’s added to other foods like cheese and yogurt as a probiotic.

Benefits:

High cholesterol levels may increase the risk of heart disease. This is especially true for “bad” LDL cholesterol.

Fortunately, studies suggest that certain probiotics can help reduce cholesterol levels and that L. acidophilus may be more effective than other types of probiotics.

Some of these studies have examined probiotics on their own, while others have used milk drinks fermented by probiotics.

One study found that taking L. acidophilus and another probiotic for six weeks significantly lowered total and LDL cholesterol, but also “good” HDL cholesterol .

A similar six-week study found that L. acidophilus on its own had no effect.

However, there is evidence that combining L. acidophilus with prebiotics, or indigestible carbs that help good bacteria grow, can help increase HDL cholesterol and lower blood sugar.

This has been demonstrated in studies using probiotics and prebiotics, both as supplements and in fermented milk drinks.

Furthermore, a number of other studies have shown that yogurt supplemented with L. acidophilus helped reduce cholesterol levels by up to 7% more than ordinary yogurt .

This suggests that L. acidophilus — not another ingredient in the yogurt — was responsible for the beneficial effect.

Diarrhea affects people for a number of reasons, including bacterial infections.

It can be dangerous if it lasts a long time, as it results in fluid loss and, in some cases, dehydration.

A number of studies have shown that probiotics like L. acidophilus may help prevent and reduce diarrhea that’s associated with various diseases.

Evidence on the ability of L. acidophilus to treat acute diarrhea in children is mixed. Some studies have shown a beneficial effect, while others have shown no effect .

One meta-analysis involving more than 300 children found that L. acidophilus helped reduce diarrhea, but only in hospitalized children.

What’s more, when consumed in combination with another probiotic, L. acidophilus may help reduce diarrhea caused by radiotherapy in adult cancer patients.

Similarly, it may help reduce diarrhea associated with antibiotics and a common infection called Clostridium difficile, or C. diff.

Diarrhea is also common in people who travel to different countries and are exposed to new foods and environments.

A review of 12 studies found that probiotics are effective at preventing traveler’s diarrhea and that Lactobacillus acidophilus, in combination with another probiotic, was most effective at doing so.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects up to one in five people in certain countries. Its symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating and unusual bowel movements.

While little is known about the cause of IBS, some research suggests it might be caused by certain types of bacteria in the intestines.

Therefore, a number of studies have examined whether probiotics can help improve its symptoms.

In a study in 60 people with functional bowel disorders including IBS, taking a combination of L. acidophilus and another probiotic for one to two months improved bloating.

A similar study found that L. acidophilus alone also reduced abdominal pain in IBS patients .

On the other hand, a study that examined a mixture of L. acidophilus and other probiotics found that it had no effect IBS symptoms .

This might be explained by another study suggesting that taking a low dose of single-strain probiotics for a short duration may improve IBS symptoms the most.

Specifically, the study indicates that the best way to take probiotics for IBS is to use single-strain probiotics, rather than a mix, for less than eight weeks, as well as a dose of less than 10 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) per day.

However, it’s important to choose a probiotic supplement that has been scientifically proven to benefit IBS

Vaginosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis are common types of vaginal infections.

There is good evidence that L. acidophilus can help treat and prevent such infections.

Lactobacilli are typically the most common bacteria in the vagina. They produce lactic acid, which prevents the growth of other harmful bacteria.

However, in cases of certain vaginal disorders, other species of bacteria begin to outnumber lactobacilli.

A number of studies have found taking L. acidophilus as a probiotic supplement can prevent and treat vaginal infections by increasing lactobacilli in the vagina.

The bacteria in your intestines help control food digestion and a number of other bodily processes.

Therefore, they influence your weight.

There is some evidence that probiotics may help you lose weight, especially when multiple species are consumed together. However, the evidence on L. acidophilus alone is unclear.

A recent study that combined the results of 17 human studies and over 60 animal studies found that some lactobacilli species led to weight loss, while others may have contributed to weight gain.

It suggested that L. acidophilus was one of the species that led to weight gain. However, most of the studies were conducted in farm animals, not humans.

Furthermore, some of these older studies used probiotics that were originally thought to be L. acidophilus, but have since been identified as different species.

Therefore, the evidence on L. acidophilus affecting weight is unclear, and more rigorous studies are needed.

Allergies are common and can cause symptoms such as a runny nose or itchy eyes.

Fortunately, some evidence suggests that certain probiotics can reduce the symptoms of some allergies.

One study showed that consuming a fermented milk drink containing L. acidophilus improved symptoms of Japanese cedar pollen allergy.

Similarly, taking L. acidophilus for four months reduced nasal swelling and other symptoms in children with perennial allergic rhinitis, a disorder that causes hay fever-like symptoms throughout the year.

A larger study in 47 children found similar results. It showed that taking a combination of L. acidophilus and another probiotic reduced runny nose, nasal blocking and other symptoms of pollen allergy.

Interestingly, the probiotics reduced the amount of an antibody called immunoglobulin A, which is involved in these allergic reactions, in the intestines.