Probiotics Help Protect Microbiome
Although antibiotic drugs are effective treatments for most types of bacterial infections when used judiciously, they are greatly overprescribed for many conditions. In addition to promoting the development of drug-resistant microbes, antibiotics can also throw gut microbiota out of balance, triggering gastrointestinal woes such as bloating and diarrhea.
Previous research suggests that taking probiotic supplements of “friendly” bacteria can help prevent the gastrointestinal side effects of antibiotic drugs. However, it’s less clear whether probiotics can also protect the diversity of gut microbiomes in the face of antibiotics. To learn more, researchers from the School of Medical and Health Sciences at Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of Texas, and Texas Christian University analyzed data from 29 previously published studies on the topic.
They found that taking probiotics at the same time as antibiotics appeared to prevent or reduce some of the detrimental changes to gut microbiome composition associated with antibiotics. Probiotics also helped protect the diversity of the gut microbiome and improved levels of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a type of friendly bacteria that reduce inflammation and maintain a healthy intestinal barrier.
Source
The paper was published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.
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