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Probiotic and xylitol preparations are useless for sore throats
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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A sore throat often accompanies tonsillitis, flu and other infectious diseases. Doctors say that in 80% of cases the culprits are viruses, and only in 20% - microbes. One of the pieces of advice for a sore throat that can be heard everywhere is the recommendation to drink drugs with probiotics and xylitol. It is believed that such remedies help to cope with microbial invasion faster.
Probiotics are contained in many drugs recommended for restoring high-quality intestinal microflora. Such medications are aimed at normalizing digestive processes, strengthening the immune system, etc. Since probiotics strengthen the immune system, it would seem that they are obliged to slow the spread of pathogenic microorganisms. The same can be said about xylitol. Xylitol is usually used as a sweetener, but it also has antimicrobial properties. At one time, it was proven that xylitol creates a protective film on the mucous tissues of the nasopharynx, preventing the penetration of infection deep into the tissues.
However, as scientists from the University of Southampton have found, both probiotics and xylitol will not help with sore throats. Dr. Michael Moore and his team conducted an experiment in which a large number of volunteers suffering from pharyngitis took part. The participants were offered to take drugs with probiotics, or a "dummy" tablet, and also to use chewing gum with xylitol or sorbitol. Sorbitol also played the role of a "dummy", since its antimicrobial effect was not proven.
Imagine the surprise of the scientists when they discovered that both drugs with probiotics and sweeteners and "dummy" tablets had absolutely no effect on a sore throat. Moreover, no therapeutic effect was observed in cases of viral pharyngitis or diagnosed bacterial disease. Moreover, the experiment lasted for four years, so the specialists had plenty of time to track the probable effect of this or that drug. If probiotics or xylitol had any therapeutic effect, then sooner or later the scientists would have been able to notice it. Therefore, the corresponding conclusions were made: in reality, xylitol does not have an antimicrobial property. As for drugs with probiotics, it is true that they really activate the immune defense. However, this activation is not enough to make the sore throat go away faster.
What conclusion can be drawn from all the above information?
If you have a sore throat, you should not experiment with probiotics and xylitol chewing gum. You need to go to the doctor and undergo adequate complex treatment with antiviral or antimicrobial medications.
Details of the study are published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
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