At the European Food Safety Authority we have found that certain probiotic

yoghurt manufacturers have been making claims about their products that are
not backed up with scientific evidence.
The manufacturers of probiotic food such as yoghurts or yoghurt drinks claim
that these will make you healthier by improving your digestive system, helping
your body protect itself against disease and reducing allergies. However, in
2010, scientists at the European Food Safety Authority looked at the evidence
for 180 health claims for probiotics. They rejected 10 completely and said that
there was not enough evidence to support the other 170 claims.
Probiotics are thought to help restore the natural balance of your gut bacteria
when it has been disrupted. However, there is little evidence to support most
health claims made for them. There is little to no evidence about these
yoghurts reducing allergies and improving mental health.
The strongest of this evidence surrounds the use of probiotics in the
prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea (AAD). There's also evidence,
albeit weaker, to suggest they may help in treating irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS) and lactose intolerance.
However, until more research is carried out, it's uncertain whether the benefits
stretch any further than that. Generally, it's hard to see how swallowable
bacteria could have an effect on conditions outside of the digestive system.
It should also be noted that there's likely to be a huge difference between the
medicine-grade probiotics that show promise in clinical trials and the
"probiotic" yoghurts and supplements sold in shops, which may not live up to
the advertised claims.
In general, probiotics are regulated as foods, and don’t undergo the
rigorous testing and approval process that medicines do. This means we don’t
know whether a probiotic yoghurt contains the number of "good" bacteria in it
is enough to have a beneficial effect.