Ulcerative Colitis and Dairy

Health experts urge Ulcerative Colitis patients who don't tolerate dairy to find alternate sources of calcium and vitamin D—crucial nutrients.

Things like fortified soy milk, even fortified juices, yogurt is a fermented product— it has very little in terms of lactose because the sugar is already broken down in yogurt into its component sugars.

Some yogurts may even be fortified with probiotics. This so-called "good bacteria" is thought to promote good digestion and boost immune function.

Probiotics help to maintain a homeostasis or a balance of bacteria that promotes health and wellness in general.

We know that bacteria in the gut is a factor that, in many patients—in many cases, does mediate the activity of the disease.

And while patients in an acute flare should consult their doctor before starting any supplement, probiotics may be offered to complement other forms of treatment.

Many patients with IBD also take antibiotics. Antibiotics are not selective in terms of killing off bacteria,--they kill the good and the bad. So, you need to make sure you're replacing that good bacteria and probiotics are a tremendous part of doing that.

We talk about bad bacteria being a trigger for the disease and good bacteria restoring normalcy to the gut and maybe health in the gut as well. So the idea of using probiotics is theoretical but there are many cases, many patients who say they have done better with probiotics.

For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.