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Probiotics labelled 'quite useless' (AMP link)
A group of scientists in Israel claim foods that are packed with good bacteria - called probiotics - are almost useless.
[...] The team at the Weizmann Institute of Science made their own probiotic cocktail using 11 common good bacteria including strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. It was given to 25 healthy volunteers for a month. They were then sedated and samples were surgically taken from multiple places in the stomach and small and large intestines.
The researchers were looking to see where bacteria successfully colonised and whether they led to any changes in the activity of the gut. The results in the journal Cell [open, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.041], showed in half of cases the good bacteria went in the mouth and straight out the other end. In the rest, they lingered briefly before being crowded out by our existing microbes.
[...] The research group also looked at the impact of probiotics after a course of antibiotics, which wipe out both good and bad bacteria. Their trial on 46 people, also in the journal Cell [open, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.08.047], showed it led to delays in the normal healthy bacteria re-establishing themselves.
Dr Elinav added: "Contrary to the current dogma that probiotics are harmless and benefit everyone, these results reveal a new potential adverse side effect of probiotic use with antibiotics that might even bring long-term consequences."
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Friday September 07 2018, @02:28PM
Certainly an indicator of something worthy of continued study. Not a conclusion, though, instead two separate studies revealing different things. Therefore confirmation would be in order to overturn them. (And coming from the same organization labeling it "studies" makes it read like settled science which AFAICT this ain't).
And the lead scientist's comment in TFA, "Dr Eran Elinav said it was wrong to expect an off-the-shelf probiotic to work for everyone." I can fully agree with that statement, but there is a long stretch between saying it's not effective for everybody and is completely ineffective for anyone.
The one article says that probiotics don't colonize or last in the system, which appears to ignore that maybe they don't have to colonize to do a job as they pass through akin to some medications which are rapidly excreted. Then there is a suggestion that they can do "long-term consequences"? So which is it? They're useless or they're damaging?
Interesting results and possibly true. But, as usual, initial results not worth the 15 minutes of hype the media mill gives it.
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