“This yogurt might lead to diarrhea (腹泻),” warned the staff of a yogurt chain store as they handed the store-made cup of yogurt to a customer. 

某酸奶连锁店的工作人员在递给顾客一杯酸奶时提醒道：“这种酸奶可能会导致腹泻。”

Labeled “500 billion (CFU) probiotics (益生菌)”, the yogurt has gained popularity among people seeking to cleanse their digestive systems, especially those trying to manage their weight. CFU (菌落形成单位) is a unit used to measure the number of live bacteria in a probiotic product. According to the yogurt’s ingredient list, it contains five varieties of edible probiotics. 

这款号称每杯含5000亿活性益生菌的酸奶深受减肥人士追捧。成分表显示，该酸奶中含有5种可食用益生菌。

Studies have consistently shown the positive benefits of probiotics on gastrointestinal (胃肠道的) health. However, some consumers shared their unpleasant experiences of suffering from gastroenteritis (肠胃炎) and receiving hospital treatment after consuming the yogurt product that claims to contain “500 billion (CFU) probiotics”. Pu Fangfang, a doctor from the Clinical Nutrition Department of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, said that the factors contributing to their symptoms were multiple.

我们都知道益生菌对胃肠道健康有好处。但最近有一些小伙伴分享了自己的一些不愉快的经历：喝了该款酸奶产品后患上胃肠炎，并去医院接受了治疗。来自四川大学华西医院临床营养科的朴医生表示：造成此类肠胃炎的因素是多方面的。

“Probiotics may cause varied physiological (生理的) responses among individuals,” said Pu. Previous studies have shown that a specific variety of probiotics may help with the treatment of constipation (便秘), as well as diarrhea. 

“益生菌可能会引起的生理反应因人而异。”朴医生说。先前的研究表明，一些特定种类的益生菌可能有助于缓解便秘和腹泻。

The efficacy varies between individuals. What might sit well with you might not sit well with your friend. So there are no specific daily intake recommendations for probiotics. 

益生菌的效果因人而异——适合你的不一定适合你的朋友，每人的益生菌的日摄入量也存在差异。

Moreover, many components on the label are slightly higher than the recommended daily intake. For example, every cup of the “500 billion (CFU) probiotics” yogurt, according to the label, contains between 40.5 to 54 grams of dietary fiber, which is much higher than the 25 to 30 grams daily for adults recommended by the China Nutrition Society. “Taking in such a large amount of dietary fiber in such a short time might lead to bloating (胀气), acid reflux (胃酸返流), and even diarrhea,” said Pu. 

此外，标签上的许多成分均略高于每日推荐摄入量。例如，该款酸奶产品包装显示：每杯酸奶中含有40.5至54克膳食纤维——这远远高于中国营养学会建议的成人每日25-30克的摄入量。“短时间内摄入如此大量的膳食纤维可能会导致腹胀、胃酸反流，甚至腹泻，”朴医生说。

Last but not least, individuals vary significantly in their dietary tolerances. Those with poor digestive health or food allergies as well as other vulnerable people should be cautious with everything they consume, not just yogurt.

每个人对食物的耐受性都不同，消化系统脆弱或容易食物过敏的人应该对食物的挑选更小心。

“For people who want to try this kind of product, sharing a cup with others on your first try might be a good choice,” recommended Pu. Try a small amount and see what happens to your body and then adjust the amount accordingly. It is worth noting that we should not rely on such products for weight management. “While they may facilitate immediate weight loss, the reduction predominantly comprises water and waste rather than fat loss,” said Pu. 

“如果你想尝试这种产品，考虑一下和别人拼一杯吧！第一次尽量只喝一点点，观察一下自己的身体反应。”朴医生说，“我们不应该依赖这些产品来控制体重，它们或许可以让我们快速掉秤，但这减掉的只是身体里的水和需排除的废物物质，并不是脂肪。”