Probiotics 'may help when on antibiotics' study says

People who are on antibiotics may benefit from taking probiotics at the same time, a review of evidence shows.

Scientists at the Cochrane Collaboration say taking the supplements could prevent diarrhoea - a common side-effect of many antibiotics.

They looked specifically at cases of diarrhoea caused by the potentially dangerous Clostridium difficile bug.

Experts say probiotics could be a "pre-emptive strike" to ensure a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut.

Antibiotics can disturb the ecosystem of organisms normally present in the digestive system, allowing bacteria such as C. difficile to overwhelm the gut.

And people infected with the bug can suffer from diarrhoea, an inflamed and painful bowel or even death.

Researchers worldwide have been investigating whether probiotics - cocktails of micro-organisms - can keep gut bacteria in check by competing with more harmful bugs.