Probiotics have been advocated for the prevention and treatment of a wide range of
diseases, and there is strong evidence for their efficacy in some clinical scenarios. Probiotics
are now widely used in many countries by consumers and in clinical practice. Given the
increasingly widespread use of probiotics, a thorough understanding of their risks and
benefits is imperative. In this article we review the safety of probiotics and discuss areas of
uncertainty regarding their use. Although probiotics have an excellent overall safety record …