People with severe burns who took probiotic supplements survived, while people with similar burns who did not take probiotics died. Burn-unit doctors gave 28 people with severe second- and third-degree burns lactobacillus acidophilus or lactobacillus casei while a second group of 28 people with severe burns took a placebo. Overall, compared to placebo, those who took probiotics survived in greater numbers. Doctors noted in a subgroup of the most-severely burned (41% to 70% of total body surface) there were zero deaths among those who had taken probiotics compared to five deaths in the placebo group.
