New knowledge Probiotics can also harm our intestinal flora

Experts are investigating the intake of probiotics

An investigation showed that the intake of probiotics seems not to be recommended for all people. Actually, probiotics are often touted as a remedy for various types of digestive problems, but experts claim that probiotics associated with antibiotics can also cause very serious intestinal disorders.

The researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science found in their current study that probiotics, together with the use of antibiotics, can lead to serious disorders of the intestinal health. The physicians published the results of two different studies in the English-language journal "Cell".

Foods such as natural yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, lactic acid-based vegetables and fermented soy products are easily digested and contain many probiotics. (Image: sewcream / fotolia.com)

Should antibiotics and probiotics be taken together?

Probiotics are often used to combat various types of indigestion. Many family doctors even recommend taking probiotics with antibiotics. However, in a recent study, physicians noted that taking probiotics with antibiotics is not as beneficial to gut health as previously thought.

What is the intestinal microbiome??

The so-called intestinal microbiome is the sum of all microorganisms that live in a person's intestine. The intestinal microbiome plays an important role in human health. New research has shown that probiotics, which are normally found in dietary supplements or in foods such as yoghurt, kimchi or kefir, can prevent patients' intestinal microbiome from normalizing when they take antibiotics.

Microbiomas were severely disturbed by antibiotics

In the first of two research papers published in the journal Cell, researchers performed endoscopies and colonoscopies to examine the intestinal microbiome of people who had taken antibiotics before and after probiotic consumption. The experts found that the microbiome of those who had taken the probiotics had suffered a very severe disorder. Once the probiotics had colonized the colon, they completely inhibited the return of the original microbiome, which was disrupted during antibiotic treatment, says study author Eran Elinav from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Gene expression, the process by which gene DNA is transformed into a functional gene product such as protein or RNA, was also disturbed in the guts of the people who took the probiotics. The harmful effects lasted six months.

What happens when people get their original microbiome back??

However, these adverse effects were not observed in a group of individuals who were given the original microbiome taken before using antibiotics. The microbiome normalized in these individuals within just a few days, says Elinav. But reintroducing the original microbiome after using antibiotics is unlikely to be a solution for anyone taking antibiotics, the expert warned.

Are stool samples for examination of intestinal health?

The scientists also compared the intestinal microbiome of the intestinal tract of 25 volunteers with those of their stool. They found that faecal bacteria only partially correlated with the microbiome functioning in the body. The fact that researchers rely almost exclusively on stool in microbiome research may therefore not be a reliable method to study the health of the gut microbiome, says Elinav.

Act probiotics in all people the same?

In a second research, the experts then examined the colonization and the influence of probiotics on 15 persons by sampling in the gastrointestinal tract. They divided the individuals into two groups: one group received a preparation of eleven strains of very commonly used probiotics and the other subjects received a placebo.

Participants who received probiotics could be divided into two groups: a group that resisted probiotic colonization and a group where probiotics colonized the colon and altered the composition of the gut microbiota and genes. This suggests that the paradigm of universal probiotic preparation and treatment currently used should be replaced by a tailored therapy based on science, measurements and technology, study author Elinav explains. Probiotics have a greater chance of improving health with such a tailor-made approach. (As)