長久以來乳酸菌在發酵食物中廣泛被使用已是很普遍的事實,而且大家認為發酵奶類製品可使人類更健康、與長壽,甚至可用於治療臨床疾病。因此將活菌加入每日的食品中或製成膠囊、錠劑、粉末等劑型,供人類方便使用;這就是現在益生菌的觀念。益生菌於臨床運用上,最常見的便是用於治療腹瀉,尤其是因輪狀病毒所造成的腹瀉;其他如抗生素引起之腹瀉、乳糖不耐症、食物過敏、異位性皮膚炎、發炎性腸道疾病、改善免疫力等,也多有療效。目前坊間充斥著各式各樣的保健食品,不但價格昂貴,且常誇大療效;醫師於臨床上常面臨家屬詢問使用意見,身為第一線臨床醫師應對此有所了解而給予正確的觀念,才能幫助病患正確使用。
For many years the use of probiotics has been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment or control of several diseases. Probiotics are viable nonpathogenic microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on the health or physiology of the host when they are ingested. Currently, Lactobacillus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. have been reported to provide good therapeutic benefits. There exists a potential and significant effect from probiotics on the prevention and treatment of many clinical diseases, such as acute viral gastroenteritis, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, atopic dermatitis, food allergy, lactose intolerance, mucosal immunity etc. Other particular interests include reduction of inflammatory bowel disease, colon cancer, eradication of Helicobacter pylon and improving human health. This paper attempts to review the use of probiotics in different fields.