Health benefits of probiotics: are mixtures more effective than single strains?

Chapman, C. M. C., Gibson, G. R. and Rowland, I. (2011) Health benefits of probiotics: are mixtures more effective than single strains? European Journal of Nutrition, 50 (1). pp. 1-17. ISSN 1436-6207 doi: 10.1007/s00394-010-0166-z

Abstract/Summary

Probiotic mixtures appear to be effective against a wide range of end points. Based on a limited number of studies, multi-strain probiotics appear to show greater efficacy than single strains, including strains that are components of the mixtures themselves. However, whether this is due to synergistic interactions between strains or a consequence of the higher probiotic dose used in some studies is at present unclear.