Published review and related articles

“The range of information available regarding the use of probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) presents the healthcare professional with a dilemma: how do we ensure that patients have access to information that is accurate and yet comprehensible? Probiotics for Crohn’s & Colitis by Peter Cartwright provides a perfect solution……I would confidently recommend this book to patients with IBD, even those who just require an explanation of the pathology of the disease itself.”

Dr Kevin Whelan, Lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College London

The Journal (Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada) – Summer 2004: p 14

“Peter Cartwright has written an excellent book demystifying the concept of pro and prebiotics. Written in clear and plain English, the book is highly entertaining and easy to read……this is an accurate and balanced assessment of the state of knowledge regarding probiotics. This book would be of great interest to patients, their families, physicians, dieticians, and anyone interested in this field.”

Dr Karen Madsen, Associate Professor, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Alberta, Canada

“As someone with a mind open to complementary treatments for Crohn’s and colitis, I read this book with interest. The subject of probiotics – beneficial bacteria – is vast, yet Peter Cartwright has condensed this information into one reader-friendly book. The impressive testimonials in the foreword give credibility to what follows and I like the quotes from people with experience of probiotics, given at the start of each chapter.

The format is straightforward and the structure is described in the introduction, so you know what to expect. The chapter on the history of probiotics is particularly interesting and I was surprised to read that the concept of using bacteria to improve health has been around for over a century. The following chapter covers IBD, bacteria and inflammation, and evidence for the benefits of probiotics for IBD. The various strains and species of probiotics are discussed, followed by two chapters on prebiotics. There seems a lot to digest, but the terminology gradually becomes less daunting. It becomes obvious, the further you get into the book, what extensive research has gone into it. I would recommend reading it twice to thoroughly absorb its contents. It is a valuable source of information for both IBD patients and medical professionals and encourages the reader to open his/her mind to the possibility of another weapon in the fight against IBD.”

“This book fulfils a major requirement as there is so much interest in probiotics. In an immensely readable compact volume, packed full of information, the reader is given a feel for the promise of probiotics as well as the limitations of our knowledge. The book is very well researched and written in plain, but entertaining English. Numerous anecdotes illustrate how probiotics have managed to become so ‘fashionable’ after being discredited for many years. Discussion of the links between intestinal bacteria and the development of IBD is followed by analysis of the evidence of benefit in different forms of IBD and pouchitis. The book also devotes a chapter to other conditions which may benefit from probiotics. 

Patients, the general public, nurses and doctors can all benefit from reading this book and to be able to appeal to such a wide ranging readership is a testimony to the skill with which the book is put together. I have little doubt that this is a must read for all NACC members as well as medical advisors.”

Professor Subrata Ghosh

“This slim paperback of just over 100 pages is a very successful attempt at summarising a topic that, although still in its infancy, has suddenly been thrust into the spotlight by food companies, alternative therapists and scientists. 

The use of ‘beneficial bacteria’ in the maintenance of a healthy gut is slowly becoming part of mainstream gastroenterology as research work focuses on the way in which gut bacteria can cause inflammation in IBD. As with many alternative therapies, probiotics have been credited with miraculous properties, many of which are never substantiated. This text seeks to review only the available hard evidence and how this may impact on the management of IBD. The book is written for adults with IBD, and as most studies on probiotics have been done in adults, that evidence needs to be interpreted with caution for use in children.

Nonetheless, the book is an excellent mixture of fact and anecdote. Whilst the chapters focus on published evidence and make these results accessible to the lay reader, each chapter is prefaced by an anecdote from a patient who has found probiotics to be helpful. Although these anecdotes are of no scientific value themselves, they do give the reader a much better feeling of what might be expected from this therapy if it worked for them.

A chapter on the history of probiotics gives a nice insight into how medical theories, no matter how strongly they may be held, can often be proven wrong over time.

The background to IBD and gut bacteria is concise and clearly written, preparing the reader for some of the more complex evidence reported in later chapters. Evidence in medicine is often conflicting because of different study designs and methods. The well-summarised evidence may therefore leave some readers a little bewildered, with no obvious conclusions or clear-cut advice available in the end.

There are several chapters going into more detail on probiotics and the non-absorbable sugars, prebiotics, that may be used to selectively enhance certain strains of probiotics. A short chapter discusses other beneficial effects that probiotics may have on the body and then a final chapter of questions and answers effectively deals with some of the questions that may have been raised while reading the book. Two appendices give further detail on the body’s immune system and on the safety of probiotics.

This book can be recommended to anyone interested in an overview of the evidence emerging in this field. The writing is clear and the style makes it easy to read. It is an ideal introduction to the topic, but will not leave families with clear instructions on how best to use probiotics in their children. It does however provide the necessary background with which to make a more informed choice on how to make the gut microflora ‘work’ for your child.”