The nuts and bolts of active cultures

The latest trend in food manufacturing seems to be adding active cultures to dairy foods like yogurt and cheese. You know how it is... you see a celebrity touting "bifidus regularus" in a certain yogurt, and though you've never, ever heard of bifidus regu-what-is, all of a sudden you've got to have it.

So what exactly are active cultures and do they really help? AOL Body clears up the confusion about cultures.

Micro flora that live in our digestive tract are essential for immunity and proper digestion. Yogurt, cheese, and fermented dairy products contain probiotics -- forms of this beneficial bacteria. Many new products are showing up on grocery store shelves claiming their probiotic content. Like most marketable items, the food industry has its trends and this is a current trend. To make sure the product you're considering purchasing actually has additional probiotics, check the label for the probiotic strains and the amounts.