What is Bifidus Regularis?

Judging from how old these posts are I feel a bit dim for not catching onto the whole BR stuff until today. It bugs the hell out of me when marketers use those kinds of gimmicks, and copyrighting a sub-strain of bacteria is going too far. I set up a Facebook group call Bifidus Regularis is BS — I hope you’ll all join it and let your friends know. http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=35507246#/pages/Bifidus-Regularis-is-BS/247059954509

Posted by Mike on 12th January 2010

“Each serving of Activia® contains over 1 billion live, active BLTM bacteria.” (taken from the activia website)
Live eh? Really, lets take this into consideration. By the time the yogurt is manufactured, shipped to its location, actually put on the shelves, and then spending up to two weeks in someone’s fridge you want me to believe that all the cultures of bacteria are still living? And besides all of that, the bacteria in ANY yogurt is used to ferment the milk products.
“It is the only yogurt to contain exclusive BL RegularisTM specifically selected by Danone researchers.”
Just that sentence there puts up red flags in my mind. If it is the only yogurt to use it, then it must be some type of additive with a fancy patented name so no one else CAN call it “BL Regularis” at least without going through court. And seeing how the information on it is extremely slim, its an easy guess to say that its just an addition sugar or something to “hook” its customers on.
Either way, I don’t really give a damn, I’ll just continue buying the yogurt that’s on sale each week at the supermarket.

Posted by Walker on 6th December 2009

Reading the comments below, I was amazed at the effectiveness of Dannon’s marketing campaigns for its yogurt products. Even in comments complaining of illnesses or other adverse reactions believed to have been caused by the products, the writers perpetuate the myth that Dannon products have a beneficial medicinal value – exactly what Dannon sought when it began this marketing campaign. Despite any scientific proof, Dannon was apparently able to convince the general public it was selling a medicine or drug. Don’t believe they were?? Read the comments. Note how many times writers use the word “take” (as in take a pill) versus “eat” (as in eat a sandwich). Pretty powerful product programming, er I mean marketing.

Posted by Lane Lowe on 22nd September 2009

Eating this yogurt has made me very ill, constant bloating and stomach pain. Be very careful

Posted by Frosty on 21st August 2009

I’ve had diahrrea for my entire adult life along with gas, blotting, stomach cramps, weakness and exhaustion that dramatically affected my life and career as a nurse. I started eating, Activia, on a daily basis 4 days ago and all of these symptoms are gone. In the past I used prescription and OTC medications to get some relief; with little success. The difference is a 180 degree change. I have it with my breakfast and can go about my day without any worries. I work in ICU which requires my undivided attention. You can’t run to the restroom when there is patient care to be done.

Posted by mike pachuta on 3rd August 2009

Contrary to the marketing blitz, it is best to remember that yogurt is FOOD, not MEDICINE.

In otherwise healthy people, dehydration commonly causes constipation, as does lack of fiber in the diet, so if you suffer constipation the first thing to do is to drink more water and eat more whole-grain products. Yogurt won’t replace those.

If you are lactose intolerant, you should probably avoid ALL dairy products, including yogurt, especially if it gives you gas & diarrhea. If eating yogurt or any other food gives you diarrhea or otherwise makes you sick, then STOP EATING IT.

Any yogurt or other “active culture” milk product will provide the same effects as expensive highly marketed products. Just because one brand claims to have some “special” bacteria doesn’t mean its the only one that has it, or that that is the only brand that will help re-colonize the beneficial bacteria that you need to maintain digestion.

I eat yogurt because I like it. I also make a point to eat it after using antibiotics in order to avoid vaginal yeast infections and to restore my intestinal flora. The beneficial bacteria in yogurt & other “active culture” milk products are good for re-populating the beneficial natural bacteria that antibiotics also kill.

Posted by Sue on 2nd August 2009

okay, simple question….

is it yogurt or yoghurt?

Or is it just the case that Americans find foreign words hard to say and spell?

Color / Colour
Center / Centre
Canceled / Cancelled
Program / Programme
American derieves from English which is a mixture of German, French latin etc.

Posted by Colin on 29th July 2009

Anyone want to make your own culture, check this link or isntructions below

http://www.bio-medicine.org/biology-technology/Bifidobacterium-animalis-540-1/

Multiporator / Electroporator 2510 Transformation Protocol Protocol No. 4308 915.538 04/2002 Microorganism bifidobacterium animalis Cell type Bacteria, gram positive Molecules injected Plasmid DNA Growth medium MRS broth with 0.05% cysteine.HCl and 0.5 M sucrose (final concentrations) Washing solution 0.5 M sucrose Electroporation solution 0.5 M sucrose, 1 mM ammonium citrate, pH 6 Outgrowth medium MRS broth with 0.05% cysteine.HCl and 0.5 M sucrose (final concentrations) Cuvette 1 mm gap width Reference Argnani, A. et al 1996 Microbiology 142 109-114 Making electrocompetent cells:

1. Cultivate cells by using an overnight culture to inoculate fresh medium. Grow cells overnight at 37 C. Dilute this culture 1:25 in fresh medium and cultivate at 37 C until an O.D.695 of 0.2. Chill bacteria on ice. 2. Harvest by centrifugation. 3. Wash twice with 0.5 M sucrose 4. Resuspend in about 1/250 of the original culture volume

Posted by Jamie Ross on 18th June 2009

This heavy handed way of dealing with a clear case of false advertising is typical these days where big business has more money than the people who take offence to this and cannot fight them. An example of this is how Danone can take a website away from someone without compensation. I have searched many sites about this Activia claim and all have basically said that what Danone is claiming as a unique product is in fact found in virtually every yoghurt on the market. So it does not matter which you eat.

One only has to watch some of the makeup and facial cream advertisements to see more exqamples of fictitious, scientific and impressive sounding names that actually do not mean a damn. problem is, who out there has money to take these people to court for false and misleading advertising.

Posted by Jamie Ross on 18th June 2009

i have been having digestive problems (slow to no movment) for quit some time (year to year and ahalf) i’m approx. 5 days into eating dannon’s active yogart and has had more movement in the last 2 days than i have had in quit some time . I would just like to say THANK GOD.

Posted by j stone on 13th June 2009

The first time I saw the Dannon commercials, I KNEW they made the names up!

Perhaps they should change the bacterial name to Bifidus Dannonitis!

Posted by burgerbytes on 23rd May 2009

I live in Asia, and will be returning at the end of July. Is there any way I could get some kind of yogurt starter granules that mimics what the bacteria in Activa are supposed to do?

Posted by Bob Wetmore on 18th May 2009

My daughter and I have to laugh every time we see a Dannon ad that talks about “Bifidus Regularis”. Oh my gosh. Yogurt can make you regular. Wow. Who know? Their “made up word” is amusing. Oh by the way, there are other yogurts on the market that have better quality ingrediants and more natural that are healthlier for you than Dannon. Horizon is organic and High Mountain has a higher more natural source of “good” bacteria as a culture.

Posted by Sharon Black on 4th May 2009

I dont rely on tv ads to purchase something but I tried it since i have digestive problems and I am lactose intolerant yet when i eat this up to 3 times a day i noticed i go about once a day. THis may sound gross but they are easy to pass and a healthy color. The thing is in this day and age you can find nasty reviews and glowing reviews on anything on the market. Wether they are disgruntled workers, someone looking for something for free in this day in age or somewhere in between. It really does not matter. If it works yeah, if it doesnt dont buy it again. It is the same with someone who recommends a restaurant and you think it is awful. You know what they say “Everyone has an opionion and it stinks” (That is the polite version)!

Posted by Kristine on 21st April 2009

basta, basta con la pubblicità ingannevole e stucchevole, he si inventa perfino il nome dei bacteri e che fa colpo su noi donne. ribelliamoci e smettiamo di comprare le cose propagandate. ci siamo già dimenticate del CACAO MERAVIGLIAO?

Posted by delia on 22nd March 2009

I’ve been taking activia for about a week now. The first few days I became incredibly ill starting off with increasingly awful stomach pains that resulted to 14 hour ‘naps’. I normally don’t sleep for longer than 8 hours so this was extremely abnormal. Now at one week in I get minor stomach cramps and some times have bad experiences on the toliet. I guess i’ll try it for another week or two and see if anything gets better.

Posted by Brian on 10th February 2009

As a colon therapist for over 25 years, I’ve recently been hunting for multi-bug probiotics to help a patient with Crohn’s. Looking also for a source of B infantis, which isn’t a made up term, either in a capsule or in a yogurt starter. Found Align, which has made up their own word for infantis, and Eugalan Forte, which are both fairly expensive but which I’ll try adding to my yogurt culture, since most yogurt starters only contain 3 or 4, rarely 5 strains.. For my easy yogurt method, visit http://www.quackcenter.com/yogurt.html.

I truly appreciate your exposing Dannon’s blatant introduction of non-words to turn a buck, how despicable, especially since there are already 1000 known strains of the friendly flora so who for God’s sake needs to add more silly names.

Wearing my professional hat I add that if a person is in trouble in the gut, it will take a lot more than a few ounces of yogurt for two weeks to set them right.

Keep up the good work.

Posted by Nancy Adams, LMT, LCT on 28th January 2009

i love all the comments on here that are obviously by dannon haha
“susan” must get paid to post once a month?
“OMG dannon changed my life!! my BM’s are heaven and smell like rainbows!!”
come on dannon.. no one believed your BS Marketing and no one will believe these BS comments
ANY “LIVE” Yogurt will help your system

Posted by matt on 25th January 2009

I clicked on an advert for Activia and was taken through to their website promoting the product, lured in by the ‘chance to win free membership to a gymnasium’. I wanted to know exactly what ‘Bifidus Actiregularis’ was and each time l clicked on an image that said ‘want to know exactly how Activia work’s?’ l was just taken around and around in circles, from pages asking me the same question but never actually giving me the answer!!!
‘Bifidus Actiregularis’ that doesn’t sound like a latin name to me, l thought! So, seems that l couldn’t get the answer from Activia’s own website, l Googled the name and low and behold was given this website telling me all about the made up names used purely for marketing purposes! As l first suspected! It doesn’t take a genius to work that one out, but then there are a lot of gullible people out there keeping Danone rich in pocket. Im sure that there have been some people that have benefitted from this product, but l should suspect that the percentage rate is quite low.
I shall not be trying this product as l eat a healthy diet daily and personally don’t need it, l was just curious in seeing exactly what it was.
Exercise is good, going for a brisk walk after a meal is a good way to shift that bloated feeling. Acidophalis is a friendly bacteria that can be purchased from a health shop, this can be taken to help aid the digestive system especially when antibiotics and such like, have been taken and the friendly bacteria has been killed off. This is just my suggestion.

Posted by Eve Arnold on 25th January 2009

I started Activia 10 days ago and I have noticed a HUGE difference in my bm. Prior to the last 10 days I suffered from cronic constipation. I had a bm every 5-7 days and was usually accomponied by stomach pains & cramping. I watch my fiber intake and getting the right amount does increase my bm to 2-3 days apart but the stomach pains & cramps are still there.
I don’t watch tv so I never saw the ads but I saw the package in the store with the money back guarantee, I was actually in the section buying yogurt for my kids and did not intend to get any for myself but I figured I would send in the rebate and get it for “free”. I have had one container each day for the last 10 days and on day 3 and every day since I have had a pain-free bm.
I did a seach on the “bifidis regualris” to try to find out what it is and why it’s helping me and I found this site. It makes sense to me that if this product is adding this type of bacteria to the body (whatever type that is) it will effect everyone differently. Those that lack the bacteria (Like me, probably) will benefit from it, those that have enough won’t notice a change and should search for a different solution their bm problem, and those that have too much may react adversly. Just my thoughts, I am thankful for the product and hope it stays around.

Posted by Amanda on 14th January 2009

After reading many of the comments on Danone’ Activia it would seem that the majority are condemnatory of the product. This may be due mainly to the fact that most of those who are satisfied with it would have little reason to be looking at this website in any case. I began using Activia after hearing claims for probiotics in general, not because of any bowel problems I had been experiencing myself. I was simply interested to see what difference this particular, much advertised, one would make. I have been having 2-3 pots of Activia each day for several months now and have not experienced any of the detrimental effects described by many of the correspondents. My bm frequency has not changed and still miss the occasional daily one as I had done before. I simply enjoy the product as a tasty ‘after’ for the main course of the meal. It would be interesting to see the results of a properly organised scientific study which took into account all the variables (stomach and colon condition, diet, content of the probiotic product, etc) for those using probiotics on a regular basis. Incidentally, I am in my 81st year so perhaps my digestive tract has learned to take whatever I throw at it without complaining!

Posted by Nil Problema on 21st November 2008

Well, really interesting stuff. Marketing is a pretty F-upped business but I ain’t gonna knock it, it takes a ton of effort and talent to pull the wool over people’s eyes. You have to know how how to manipulate the ignorant. And yes, I understand most the world thinks that Americans are somehow ‘dumber’ than the rest of the world but their idiosyncrasies are just as complex as the rest of the world. It’s enfuriating in a lot of ways but that may be one of reasons we have some of the greatest higher education in the world. Alas, I digress.

Dannon, yes, it is most certainly doing some questionable marketing, the kind of thing I commend you for being fervent against. They are sewing irrational thought and skirt the lines of what I think is moral.

I guess that’s my peace on this issue. I like all the marketing posts on this site, fairly hilarious. Oh, and I found this trying to find what Bifidus does to my poop. I love the internet. Good luck to you and please be kind to my E-Mail.

Posted by Collin on 20th November 2008

Are you really going to use wikipedia for a source? Anybody can post a definition on wikipedia it isn’t regulated! you could at least use dictionary.com or go to the library! I was going to use this for a paper but now i cant because it dosn’t have trustworthy sources.

Posted by Celia on 16th November 2008

The truth is that if you eat any yogurt it will somewhat help with digestion, however, do not substitute this with yuor Rx medication. All that Dannon did was find out what it was good for and marketed that way. The truth is that any yogurt will work. Don’t waste your money and these pricy names any generic type will do. Come on what is Bifus Regularis, Regularis really, does sound very scientific.

Posted by Maria D. Ruiz on 13th November 2008

If you suffer from frequent cold sores, you may want to give Dan Active a try. It changed my life, and also the life of an acquaintance who was able to get off her antiviral medicine because of it. With no other dietary changes except for this, I went from having major cold sore outbreaks about four times a year to having pretty much none. To be exact, in three years I have had only one outbreak now. I do understand now that you can obtain this same strain of probiotic from other sources, and that’s fine with me. I will probably even switch myself when I can locate a source that’s healthier and cheaper. But I would be remiss if I did not publicly praise Dan Active for the remarkable change I experienced. And I do praise them every chance I get, because maybe my story will help someone else.

Posted by Susan on 5th November 2008

i found this site after wondering about the ingredients. glad i did, the yougurt seems to have had any effect on me or my dodgy digestion, the links to the satiricle videos are well worth seeing, and the idea that people think adverts use real scientific names to sell products to the average joe is hillarious. you’ll be telling me next there really is such a thing as a pentopeptide. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Posted by MeLen on 24th October 2008

I don’t understand all the hoopla. It says it’s yogurt right on the container.

Posted by Angela on 15th October 2008

I am not one to complain about most products, I typically just never buy them again. But Activia was differant. When a product causes me a day in the bathroom, I have to comment. I have a bm probably every 2 to 3 days and thought that was a bit too long, and that is why I tried it. I never expected it would regulate me with in one hour and leave me in stuck on the John. I hate deceptive advertising because it’s insulting to the consumer, but what I hate worse is a product which doesn’t tell you the possible side affects on the product itself. And because they haven’t done so I will never buy it again. I already know I can get the same stuff in pill form at the health store and it won’t cause me so much grief. Had I known I would have done that first, but I fell for the commercial and paid the price.

Posted by Susan on 12th October 2008

I’m 56 years old and suffered from digestive problems all my life. I also don’t believe in corporate misuse of advertising. However after trying every product on the market, seeing specialists,and ordering probiotics on line, using Activa for one week, I too became regular. For all of you beating this product in the ground, ‘get a life’ and for those who have been helped, good for you. PS Anyone that thinks this entry is BS please leave your name and address and I will be happy to mail you a beautiful specimen of my morning BM.

Posted by Robert T on 7th October 2008

This is the worst product in history! This should be removed fom the market! If anyone knows of a class lawsuit..PLEASE POST IT! Dannon actually called me after I left a comment on their website! GET THIS…..THEY OFFERED ME COUPONS……lolol… ARE YOU KIDDING…I WILL NEVER BUY THIS OR ANY DANNON PRODUCT AGAIN!!!! TAKE THIS ‘CRAP’ OFF THE MARKET!!

Posted by Anonymous on 4th October 2008

I have had constipation problems my entire life. Fiber products(psylium)actually made the problem worse. Laxatives worked but who wants to be dependent on that! After trying many other natural time products that were suppose to help with constipation that didn’t work for me I tried Activia. After 4 days of eating 1 per day I started having bowel movements. I now have one almost every day. I know those that have never had chronic constipation do not understand how important being regular is or what a difference it makes in someone’s general well being. I don’t know why Activia works for me when everything else didn’t but it has. I’m greatful to finally not be using laxatives.

Posted by Lisa on 3rd October 2008

I hate that they are allowed to make up words that, to most people, sound scientific. However, I have always realised that they were marketing words, purely to sell to the ill informed. Why do people buy this stuff? It adds very little, if at all to your digestive system. Things that work are better left alone; the body has it’s ways of keeping everything in order. They also supposedly have had it clinically proven, but I don’t see how they could claim this without having done a study. I wonder how few people they used, and how clinical their study was. Another point is that it HAS to be ‘enjoyed’ as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. In their clinical study, did they change the diets of these people? Surely that would have a marked effect on peoples’ digestive systems.

Posted by Nathan on 27th September 2008

I’ve been drinking DanActive everyday for 9 days without any effects whatsoever, good or bad. I intend to continue and will report if I have any ill side effects.

Posted by Fonda on 25th September 2008

What a load of assholes we have in our sad society if they buy products with Latin/scientific sounding names! SADDOS!!!!

Posted by Sel on 18th September 2008

I’ve never had regular bm’s and would always feel bloated, sometimes to the point of actual constipation. When Activia came along, I thought I’d give it a try. I absolutely love this product. I have one every night. I never feel bloated and haven’t been constipated. I don’t have a bm every day, but I’m way more regular than I’ve ever been. It may not work for everybody, but it has made a difference in my life.

Posted by Lily on 14th September 2008

I have a real issue with Activia, a week ago I ate one in the morning, within an hour I thought I was bloated, the most severe stomach ache I ever had (I think having children was easier)I could hardly sit, lay down, I was in so much pain I could not sleep that evening. The next day I went ahead and ate the 2nd activia, within an hour the same thing happened. If only I had checked this web site out before I ate it. It has been a week and my insides are still so tender and swollen that I feel I went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson. Maybe it has helped some but for me I feel just like the person who said she felt she was hit by a 2×4. The most interesting thing is when I phoned my complaint to the company they told me that no one else ever had any issues with their product.Don’t you all think that is interesting. So this morning I decided because I still am sick in my stomach I wanted to see if Bifidus R. made others sick. I thought maybe I was allergic to the B/R but come to find out I am not the only one who has had issues. Thank the good Lord that he sent me to see that I am not so crazy after all. Please, Please before you try anything advertised that says it works go to the internet and do some research and make sure you are protected. I wish I had.

Posted by So Sick on 8th September 2008

It sounds like bifidusballoney to me. It’s a yoghurt just like all the rest.

Posted by KJ on 6th September 2008

I’ve had been irregular all my life and after eating Activia for one week, I have seen a pattern in bm’s – explosive, watery and about 7-10 per day. I decided to look up Activia on the internet to see whether it is a laxative and after reading the blogs and research, I’ve decided there is something in Activia that reacts as a laxative for me. Too bad, cause it tastes good – but I’d rather take Citricel or Metamucil than deal with the runs and gas.

Posted by M. Libs on 2nd September 2008

If you can’t handle a lot of extra fiber, look out for inulin in plain old yoghurt. It has become distressingly common. Activa seems to differ a bit from lot to lot, or it may have to do with storage. I used to buy big packs at Costco, where (when our local Costco was new, and not yet full of shoppers) the activa tended to be close to its expiration date, and caused no problems for me, though the friends I shared the ‘big pack’ with later told me they had dumped it because their toddler’s diapers were a terrible mess. Later I tried buying it from the supermarket near me, just because it’s very nice tasting, and of course I picked some that was nice and fresh, not near the expiration date. The digestive results ranged from rumbly (Activa along with other foods) to…a bit extreme (Two Activa for breakfast, no other food, plenty of liquid, long bike ride). I had to beg my way into a random bar’s bathroom to deal with it, and lost a pair of underwear to a dumpster. Not a nice experience. I suppose the answer is, believe the subtext of the adverts. If you are chronically constipated, this stuff will clean you out. If you have no such problem, it will clean you out even harder. (Well, duh, on further reflection.) Eat it with some white toast, not juice and fruit and fiber. I laughed at the complaint of BM smelling like crap (as opposed to, say roses?) but I also noticed a distinctive yellow color and intense smell. I will add that the smell it causes, when it makes troubles, is not entirely unlike a clostridium dificile infection, which is distinctively stenchy and very dangerous indeed… but unlikely to establish unless you are on strong antibiotics. I have no idea if a similar smell is a function of the Bifidus, or if they have sporadic contamination problems. If you are ‘irregular’ due to heavy antibiotic use, especially if you are immunosuppressed, some batches of Activa might be actively unhealthy. If you are fond of the stuff, and need the intentional laxative effects, one answer might be to have a healthy friend eat one from a large batch, and if they suffer no transient ill effects, then consider it safe. Again, this has been one of my favorites in terms of flavor (not too sweet, good ‘cultured’ taste) so I’m letting it go very regretfully. P.S. on douching with yoghurt–should be obvious, if you do it, it ought to be unsweetened yoghurt, or else you are feeding your vaginal yeast. If it works for you, it may do so by changing the pH (acidity) rather than the action of the cultures–you can try the experiment by using a killed-culture yoghurt one time, and a live culture yoghurt the next.

Posted by Joy on 1st September 2008

Like others, I stumbled upon this site while researching the product Activia. I was not familiar with it other than commercials I paid no attention to. I was not having intestinal problems and had normal bms daily when I purchased this product, but was drawn to it by the new prune flavor. I love prunes but everyone knows what they can do to your system. So I thought perhaps the ‘flavor’ would satisfy. I was also bored with all the other flavors and brands so this seemed a good idea. After eating them two days in a row, I noticed a severe bloating – looked like I was pregnant and I felt like I would explode. My bms were normal so I didn’t know what was up. I thought ‘maybe the prunes’, so I switched back to regular yogurt. My stomach pain became so severe and I stopped having daily bms and started getting heartburn and nausea. I felt like someone had beaten my abdomen with a 2×4. Everything I ate made me nauseas. After three days I became concerned and was ready to call my doctor, but then I did explode and what came out was like buckets of filthy rainfilled river water. After doing this for three days I chalked it up to flu. Everything went back to normal and I began eating the activia again, but then I noticed my urine was extreme bright florescent yellow for a couple of days. My issues reduced to the bloating and watery stools but it was not so severe, mild enough to live with daily. I was still eating the activia including their other flavors just for s&g’s and suddenly I noticed a pattern with activia and my stomach issues. So I stopped eating it for about 3 weeks and went back to the ‘boring’ stuff. The tainted urine became clear again but the bowel issues were nagging me now with slight nausea, heartburn, and bloating. My stools returned to their daily pattern with no issues. A couple of days ago, I began craving the prune flavor again and decided to give activia another chance. Well, lo and behold my problems are back. I was up all night last night passing tons of watery stools. I had absolutely no warning this time other than being awakened in the middle of the night with an ‘uh-oh’ feeling. Incidentally, I am really pissed off because I LOVED the prune flavor yogurt so if anyone knows where I can get normal yogurt that tastes like prunes, please post it! I don’t want to end up like a junkie to this damn product! I will keep you posted.

Posted by Annieomynous on 29th August 2008

Anyone with moderate intelligence should have realised that these Activia additives were made up to look like scientifically tested ingredients that would be ‘good for your health’. If you want regular bowel movements all you need to do (in most cases)is eat a regular diet including fruit and fibre from natural sources. There are millions of these Activia and similar yogurts and the like sold every day as a direct result of strong advertising which in most cases is designed to fool people into believing that these products are good for you.Maybe for some but for the vast majority they are just a waste of money.

Posted by Stevo on 25th August 2008

I’ve seen and laughed at these made up names for quite a while, but I recently decided to buy some. I didn’t bank on such a large corporation selling a totally bunk product under the impression that it was something more effective than standard live yogurts. I bought it because I’ve been on antibiotics for over a week, and I didn’t want to let the harmful bacteria take root while the good guys were catching friendly fire. Anyway, I haven’t had any negative side effects, but the results haven’t really been positive either. The name is pretty hilarious though. I don’t care so much that they’re allowed to name it that, because it’s just a name. If you’re ignorant enough to think it’s a real name with major significance, you really deserve what’s coming to you; however, bold-faced lies about what products do aren’t acceptable in my book. Some very harsh penalties should be imposed for behavior like this.

Posted by Daniel on 25th August 2008

I am drinking Yakult from Japan for the last two weeks after anti-biotics abuse for my sinus problem, which killed me from Dec 2007 – July 2008. I improved a lot, feeling energetic, my nasal blockages gone. Now I am adding Activa during breakfast and having bloating regularly. Now I have to stop with Yakult alone.

Posted by Shajith on 21st August 2008

I’ve always thought the long words used in the Danone ads were bogus and made up. It’s amazing how gullible people are when they hear ‘scientific’ names used as ingredients in food, etc. This type of advertising makes people not believe things about legitimate supplements etc.

Posted by Aloe Vera on 20th August 2008

I CAME TO THIS SITE BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED THAT I AM SUFFERING SIDE EFFECTS OF THE USE OF DANNON’S ACTIVIA. I BEGAN USING THE PRODUCT ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO. SINCE USING THS PRODUCT, I HAVE HAD TWO BACERIAL INFECTIONS; LIKE NOTHING I HAVE EVER HAD BEFORE. I’VE BEEN UNDER THE DOCTOR’S CARE AND HAVE HAD TO TAKE ANTIBIOTICS. IT IS VERY DISTRUBING. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE.

Posted by AYANNA on 12th August 2008

Debster – I had a cronic indigestion problem for years which I overcame by drinking 1.5 litres of water per day. Don’t actually need to eat any made up products by the likes of Danone.

Posted by Rose on 12th August 2008

Guess I have a thing about trusting what I see/hear regarding why we need to buy something so, like others here, I looked up L. casei defensis. What a surprise to find all the info about yogurt (never mind the horrible Danone people)! If it tastes good or feels good or makes you sleep better, and doesn’t harm you, do it – but don’t stake a claim on an ad! That’s why we tape a lot of shows – so we can skip the commercials. I will eat yogurt for the taste, cherry is the best. I’ve never tried Danone and certainly won’t after reading all this. Many thanks.

Posted by L.C. on 10th August 2008

Since ‘Bifidus Regularis’ is a patented lifeform, owned by Dannon, i would be very interested to know what they did to the bacterium to make it unique. How is it different from the bifidobacterium found in nature? Does anybody know? As a side note, i was recommended this product by a doctor, and i have found it to be beneficial. I’d still like to know what kind of bioengineering i’m consuming.

Posted by Marlow on 7th August 2008

What a bunch of crybabies. Nothing is for everybody. Some of us are experiencing genuine relief from Activia and do not agree with your thoughts at all. For me, it has totally cured a chronic heartburn condition that even had me taking prescription medication longterm. I couldn’t see taking chemicals for life for what should be a naturally curable problem and sought out various alternative treatments. This one worked. Since the third day of eating one Activia yogurt, I have experienced complete heartburn relief, among other great improvements digestive system-wise. Some of you need to read up on doing a detox program rather than condemning something which is clearly indicating that you have other digestive problems. A lot of times, it is just a really clogged and nasty colon. Check with a good holistic practitioner for advice.

Posted by Debster on 4th August 2008

Steph, I couldn’t have said it better my self ‘does not mean that Danon has not done something artificial to it to make it behave as a laxative.’ -Steph This is the only kind behavior that comes to mind when I see their commercial, with their silly name, and decide to go look up their patent. And then you find the reason the bacteria has been patented doesn’t really even relate to their advertising and seems under tested. I wouldn’t be surprised if these ‘new’ probiotic cultures are like biologically mutated. I haven’t and won’t try this stuff, the product and everything to do with it just seem too deceptive.

Posted by Girb on 1st August 2008