Does Activia Help IBS Symptoms?

[Catie]

Hey all,

Anybody suffering with IBS eat Dannon Activia? I'm thinking about bringing some home for Dan to try, but it's expensive so I might skip it if the consensus seems to be that it doesn't do much.

Thanks! 

[Zathras]

I used to get Activia but now Costco has a house brand probiotic yogurt that is less expensive so I am eating that.

The other possibility is to try taking probiotics in a pill form. I tried that but the only one that I could find here was lactobascillus acidolphilus (not sure if either of those is spelled correctly) and I did not see any results from taking it. The yogurt has worked better for me and if I run out of it I really notice it as my stomach quickly begins to act up.

[tojo]

I know that the doc put me on one teaspoon of fiber supplement a day for what he called "lazy gut" because another doc had me on stool softeners for two years. Ever since I have been on the fiber supplement the IBS has been better and I can sure tell when I do not take it. Get a bottle but do not take it according to the label which says three teaspoons a day, found out the HARD way what that causes and do not ever want to do that again. You can get Metamucil or any of them does not have to be brand name just whatever is the cheapest.

Have not tried the yogurt stuff yet as i cannot afford it but with the fiber supplement life is a whole lot better.

[Catie]

It's nice to know Costco has their own version of Activia. Costco is on my list of places to hit in the next few weeks, so I'll get him on it and see what happens!

If no luck, we'll try a Metamucil thing. Only way to know if it works is to try it, right?

Thanks, guys!

[NMDave]

Hi Catie, I found this while doing some research on Livestrong:

Nutritional Content
The nutritional content of any type of yogurt varies with the type of milk and other ingredients used. A 4-oz. serving of Vanilla Activia Light contains 70 calories, 5 g of protein, 7 g of sugar and no fat while Vanilla Activia Parfait Crunch made from reduced-fat milk has 220 calories, 7 g of protein, 29 g of sugar and 3 g of fat, according to the company's website. In contrast, a slightly larger -- 5.3-oz. -- serving of plain Stonyfield Greek yogurt has 80 calories, 15 g of protein, 6 g of sugar and no fat.
Bifidus Regularis
Dannon adds live bacterial cultures of Bifidus Regularis, the trademarked name for an organism found in the human intestines called Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010, to its Activia products. One of a group of beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods such as yogurt and cheese, various strains of Bifidobacteria, including Bifidus Regularis, can be used to treat bowel conditions such as diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome.
Claims
In December 2010, Dannon reached a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission regarding exaggerated claims that one daily serving of Activia relieved temporary bowel irregularity. According to the FTC, consumers would need to eat Activia yogurt three times a day to reach the desired effect. The National Institutes of Health cautions that insufficient evidence exists to support claims that any Bifidobacteria are effective in treating or preventing the common cold, influenza, liver disease, lactose intolerance, cancer, high cholesterol or aging.

You might want to look into a multi probiotic to supplement the yogurt. My son does both and seems to do well with it.

[mloved]

Hi Catie

There are a few organic yogurt brands 24 to 32 oz size, that go on sale regularly that's cheaper than Activia and have the same or more probioics.  The public is sold on the well advertised, adulterated brands and these move fast.

So organics, at reg supermarkets move slow, go on sale regularly because of expiration dates, but yogurts stay good for an amazingly long time.  We get the full fat, no sweetener - if none avail, then touch of maple syrup (for dog and rooster).  Used to eat as vegetarians but now vegan.

We take a "full" range probiotic supplement, taken between meals.  I'm still undecided on enteric coated or not.  You probably have researched on how vital they are to all kinds of body functions, and how antibiotics kill them.  Also chronic stress, lack of sleep upsets the balance where the unfriendly get the upper hand - then watch out!

We take no additive psyllium fiber for diarrhea, constipation, ibs.  It's cheaper than Metamucil, and w/o the sweeteners and fillers.  Either one, to take an hr or 2, before or after meds because it picks up toxins for elimination - so reduces meds effectiveness if taken at the same time.

For immediate relief, it's Imodium.  For calming stomach - fresh grated ginger tea.

[FindingJoy]

Activia helped me.  I haven't been eating it lately though, because I have been trying to eat less sugar, and I don't want to eat the sweetener they use in the light activia.

[Zathras]

You have to avoid anything with Aspartame in it as that stuff can cause you to go into a flare. My sister - who also suffers with FM - told me that and I kind of blew it off. Then I mistakenly picked up a drink that had Aspartame in it and had downed half of it before I noticed my mistake. Figuring that I had already consumed half of it I finished the rest.

The next day I was in a world of pain! The same thing might not happen to you but why take the risk?

[looneylane]

If I eat or drink anything wit aspartame I get severe migraines. When they start my wife autmatically grabs whatever it is and finds the ingredients. So  far btting 1000 I do not get migraines unless it is induced by artificial sweeteners.

[WolfSoul]

I've been wondering about those probiotic yogurts. I didn't like yougurt when I was a kid, but I was thinking of trying it again since they have so many different flavors now.

Also, yeah, I can't use ANY of the artificial sweetners, they all make me sick. So it's nothing but real cane suger in my tea. It does worry me a bit, because I was just told my sugar is at the line for diabetes and I got to be careful now so it does't go over. Ah, life, ain't it grand? (A grand kick in the gonads!)

[BillSS]

I never tried Activia, but I'll tell you what helped me: and it changed my life. I used to get diarrhea once or twice a week. Many times it would wake me up at night. Other times it would happen at unpleasant times, like on an airplane or at the movies. It was always preceded by awful cramps.

My wife saw a health show on TV where they have a person with an undiagnosed medical problem. At the end of the show they figure out what the problem was. A woman had similar symptoms as mine. She saw a gastroenterologist named Dr. Habba in New Jersey. He had seen her problem before with other patients and began doing research. He began calling it Habba Syndrome. He treats the problem with a type of drug that absorbs bile salts. I spoke to my gastro about it and he had not heard of it. He did however me a script for the medication because I was so miserable. It is actually a drug used to supplement high cholesterol drugs called Welchol.

Welchol has no side effects and you can't overdose on it. The drug has changed my life. In the 3 years that I have been on it, I have had diarrhea maybe only 2 or 3 times. Before, if I ate pizza, or went out to eat I, was guaranteed to be sick. Now I basically never get sick. If I eat something that I think will make me sick, I take an extra pill. In fact, I am prescribed to take 2 pills, twice a day but I get by fine on just 1 a day.

By the way, I do not work for Welchol or Dr. Habba. I just take the pill and it works.

[foxgrove]

Wow.. Have to admit I've never heard of the stuff but wow!!  I'm very glad that you found one of "the" things that fits you like a glove.  Once I've done my research, sounds like I'm may be talking to doc about this one.  Sounds fabulous.

Thanks for the information.  Do you have any good information for Habba Syndrome information.. I can likely get the general links through google but I imagine you've done your own due diligence.  Any really good resources out there for this?

[foxgrove]

OK.. Did a wee bit of surfing and came up with the following relevant information:

"Habba Syndrome is an association between a dysfunctional, intact gallbladder and chronic diarrhea. Patients with the disorder have chronic diarrhea, meaning they have three or more loose bowel movements per day." http://digitaljournal.com/article/288286#ixzz2SnaSTDrd

There are some side effects listed at http://www.drugs.com/sfx/cholestyramine-side-effects.html which you would want to keep an eye on, especially as muscle/joint pain and dizziness are two of them.  I don't think the itchy bum thing will phase most folks around here.  We're used to dealing with pains in the ass.. 

Basically, you've got a defective gallbladder that pumps out too much bile.  Nice part is, they can definitively diagnose Habba Syndrome by checking "gallbladder function by using a nuclear medicine x-ray study known as a DISIDA scan, with CCK injection to evaluate the ejection fraction of the gallbladder. This indicates if the gallbladder is working properly." http://www.badgut.org/information-centre/habba-syndrome-1.html

If this fits you, please talk to your doctor about what testing may be required.  A colonoscopy, blood, and stool tests are standard but you may also require further testing to rule out other gut problems and the possibility of cancer.

I'm very glad that this one got brought up.  If we can save one person from what must be the IBS from hell, that would be fabulous!! 

[Lucky1]

   Hi     Regarding price, if you do not need the tiny serving size, the large containers are 1/3 of the price.

[db]

While Activia and some other probiotic yogurts help me with my IBS, I found the capsules of bacteria "probiotics"  work better and are far cheaper.  You can get 100 tablets for about $10.  I got some older expiring ones for $1.  You have to be careful with the capsules though because they can bind you up.   You just have to try to be patient and find the right dose. 

I ran out of mine last week and so far haven't needed them yet.  Maybe I'm better?    

Also, they may not be good if the IBS makes you constipated.  Mine never did.  

db