And you thought I was done with my probiotics/fermentation manifesto.  Check out this great post on probiotics, from the Natural Standard, a website that I’ve only recently become acquainted with (the blog part of the site is free; the rest requires registration).  It doesn’t endorse any specific products, and it is a clearinghouse for unbiased information about new evidence-based research on nutrition and alternative medicine.  Excellent.

The post on probiotics gives a high-level overview on new research from China on kids who were given probiotics mixed into their daily milk.  Check it:

These beneficial effects were even more noticeable in those who received [a] combination of probiotics. These children developed 72 percent fewer fevers, 62 percent fewer cough episodes and 59 percent fewer runny noses. The average duration of illness was also shortened by 48 percent compared to the placebo group. These children were also 84 percent less likely to use antibiotics and 32 percent less likely to miss school than those in the placebo group.

Anecdotally, my best friend CJ has been taking acidophilus for quite some time and she reports that she gets sick much less often than she used to.  Read the entire entry  here.  (via Cookus Interruptus)