Probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease

The rationale for using probiotics in IBD is based on convincing evidence that implicates intestinal bacteria in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Probiotics are "living organisms, which upon ingestion in certain numbers, exert health benefits beyond inherent basic nutrition. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for the action of probiotics. VSL#3, a highly concentrated cocktail of probiotics has been shown to be effective in the prevention of pouchitis onset and relapses. Results on the use of probiotics in UC are promising, both in terms of the prevention of relapses and the treatment of mild-to-moderate attacks. Results in Crohn's disease are not yet clear because of conflicting data and the limited number of well-performed studies.