Probiotics, the necessary bacteria that live in our digestive tract, are widely used to heal gastroenteritis or" gastric flu", inflammation of the stomach and intestinal tract, usually caused by a microbe or bacteria. But a randomized clinical trial showed that the actual healing was ineffective.

Scientists have investigated 971 babies aged 3 months to 4 years who benefit in emergency support branches with the usual signs of gastroenteritis — nausea, vomiting, liquid diarrhea and dehydration, bored tummy ache and cramps. They were randomly assigned to a five-day course of Lactobacillus rhamnosus, usually a probiotic or placebo.

Scientists tracked down the duration and burden of signs in the direction of 2 months. Episodes of vomiting and diarrhea decreased day by day at a similar rate in both groups, yet almost all have not recovered.

The study was featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, on a par with a study showing similar findings with a different probiotic composition in a clinical study in Canada.