Can Probiotics Also Fight Colds?

Stress is associated with getting the flu or a cold. So researchers conducted a double-blind study to see if probiotics could prevent people under stress from getting a cold or flu . . . .

This large double-blind, placebo controlled study gave 581 undergraduate students experiencing academic stress either a placebo or a probiotic supplement for six weeks. 

The students taking the probiotic had more healthy days during the study. Signicantly fewer of the students in the probiotic group experienced one or more days with a cold or flu compared to the students in the placbeo group.

This is not the first study to suggest that probiotics–better known for candida and digestive problems–can help prevent colds. At least two previous studies have shown that probiotics can prevent colds in younger children (Pediatrics 2009; Ther Adv Respir Dis 2010).

British Journal of Nutrition 2015;113:426-34