Are Probiotics Money Down the Toilet? Or Worse?

With interest growing in natural therapies, the popularity of probiotics is on the rise. In 2012, almost 4 million US adults reported using probiotics or prebiotics—4 times more than in 2007. Probiotics were used in more than 50 000 hospitalizations in 139 US hospitals in 2012. And last year alone, US consumers spent an estimated $2.4 billion on the supplements.