Yoghurt a key to fighting bacteria
A humble tub of yoghurt could contain the cure for certain types of antibiotic-resistant bowel bacteria, according to recent research.
Overuse of antibiotics has led to colonisation of the bowel with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), which are responsible for persistent and transmissible infections.
Probiotics, found in some commercial yoghurts, may have a beneficial effect on human gut health by helping to restore the normal gut organisms.
Karen Manley, renal dietitian at Austin Health, Melbourne, and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether eating yoghurt could help clear VRE from the bowel. Their study, published in the latest issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, suggests this could be so.
