3 ms·
> Probiotic bacteria readily colonised the gut of everyone in the second group after antibiotics had cleared the way. However, the researchers were surprised to
by jv22222 8y ago
> Probiotic bacteria readily colonised the gut of everyone in the second group after antibiotics had cleared the way. However, the researchers were surprised to find that this prevented the return of the person’s normal microbiome for up to six months. “The probiotics very potently and persistently prevented the original microbiome returning to its original situation,” says Elinav. “This was very surprising and alarming to us. This adverse effect has not been described to date.”
That was the part I found interesting.
- hnzix 8y agoDisrupting the gut microbiome can be a desirable outcome. There is a link between the biome and mental health[0], with experiments even transplanting faeces to introduce "healthier" flora.[1] Shrinks are sometimes prescribing probiotics for anxiety conditions. [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641835/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641835/ [1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201309/gut-bacteria-transplant-new-treatment-anxiety https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/reading-between-the-...
- jmpz 8y agoI think you meant to say psychologists.
- apendleton 8y agoI'm not sure what you were getting at with this correction, but at least in most states in the US, psychologists don't prescribe -- they're not MDs. I suppose probiotics are available over the counter so psychologists could recommend that a patient take them, but if it's "prescribing" in the sense of "writing a prescription," psychiatrists would be the ones to do it.
- jmpz 8y agoI was meaning shrink is derogatory for a mental health professional.
- hnzix 8y agoShrink is not derogatory, it's colloquial. Eg "I'm going to see my shrink today". Like calling a general practitioner "doc", as opposed to quack. I use it because I can never remember the difference between psychologists and psychiatrists.
- ifoundthetao 8y agoI think you meant to say psychiatrists.
- darkpicnic 8y agoInteresting indeed. The article's assumption is that an individual's current microbiome is the optimal state and that preventing it from returning to that state is "potentially harmful". I think this is where I take issue. The last ten years of data shows that the Western diet has completely reconfigured our gut bacteria and that most people's stomachs are probably out of whack to some degree. Preventing it from returning to that state is probably a good thing. That being said, I do find it interesting that probiotics use is more or a less an unquantifiable shot in the dark. What's the right amount to take of each kind of bacteria? Do some people need more of a certain kind, less of another? I feel like we treat it like a panacea when it obviously is not.