Lactobacillus reuteri, sometimes known as L. reuteri, L. reuteri Protectis, or just reuteri, is one of the most studies strains of probiotics that are available on the market today. Lactobacillus reuteri has been proven to be effective for a number of different applications, from helping babies with colic to cry less to helping infants to avoid eczema. While there are other probiotics that can do some of the things that Lactobacillus reuteri does, very few of these have been tested quite as widely, or have seen as dramatic results, as Lactobacillus reuteri.

Like some other probiotics, Lactobacillus reuteri is thought to help with a variety of gastrointestinal disorders. For example, Lactobacillus reuteri is known to help the functioning of the intestines, just like the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalus. Lactobacillus reuteri is also thought to help with diarrhea, just like Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and some of the other strains of Lactobacillus bacteria, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus. In this regard, Lactobacillus is still unique in that most of the available probiotics aren’t necessarily able to deal with multiple issues, or at least haven’t yet been proven in clinical trials to be able to help with multiple issues.

Another issue that makes Lactobacillus reuteri different from other probiotics is the use of Lactobacillus reuteri in infants. This is especially true of using Lactobacillus reuteri to help babies with colic to cry less. Lactobacillus reuteri even proved to be more effective at treating colic than the common anti-gas medication, simethicone, which is often used in Europe for babies with colic. In addition, studies have been done on Lactobacillus reuteri that show that Lactobacillus reuteri can even help to delay the onset of eczema, when it is given to infants. Very few probiotics have undergone the sheer volume of studies that Lactobacillus reuteri has, in terms of their beneficial effects on children.

While there may be some applications that other probiotics have that have not yet been proven to be helped by Lactobacillus reuteri, there is a solid body of evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of Lactobacillus reuteri for a good number of other applications.