Probiotic News and Research

Latest Probiotic News and Research

Gut microbes in wasps help overcome pesticides

An intriguing study published in February 2020 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe reports that when wasps are exposed to atrazine, a commonly used pesticide, the gut microbiome undergoes changes that help them overcome the ill-effects of the exposure. In addition, the changes are passed on to the offspring, which means that the next generation will also inherit atrazine resistance even without being exposed to the chemical.

4 Feb 2020

Miracle probiotics? Take claims with a pinch of salt, says study

A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine cautions the public against believing and acting on information on probiotics online because most of the websites offering such information are not dependable and their sources are dubious

15 Jan 2020

Parkinson’s disease could be prevented by gut microbes

One common gut organism that helps us digest food better could also be a powerful instrument in preventing or reversing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a recent study. The changes are due to the ability of this bacterium to delay the build-up of a toxic protein involved in this in the disease condition, or even to eliminate the toxin altogether.

14 Jan 2020

Probiotic drink could offer novel way to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A probiotic drink could become a promising new weapon in the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, after a team of Birmingham scientists engineered and patented a key genetic element that can tackle the genetic basis of resistance.

14 Jan 2020

Gut bacteria could protect against Parkinson’s, research suggests

A common bacteria that boosts digestive health can slow – and even reverse – build-up of a protein associated with Parkinson’s, new research suggests.

14 Jan 2020

Gut disease and gene analysis networks

Gut diseases are difficult to diagnose in many cases, and their underlying dysfunction is hard to understand in many cases. Now, a new study published in the journal Molecular Omics promises to uncover a better insight into how these conditions occur and their mechanisms, by providing a deeper look at how genes interact in complex ways in health and fail to do so in disease.

11 Dec 2019

A network approach to explore the causes of IBD

Diseases of the gut are often notoriously difficult to diagnose, nevermind understand, which is where a network-based approach comes in.

10 Dec 2019

Yeasts derived from food can reduce multi-drug resistant fungal infections

A study by researchers in the United States and India has shown that probiotic yeasts derived from food are able to reduce the virulence of, and even prevent infections by, several types of fungi that are responsible for life-threatening infections in hospitalized and immune-compromised individuals, including the multi-drug resistant Candida auris, which was recently listed as an urgent threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in its 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats report.

10 Dec 2019

Lactobacillus balances intestinal microbiome and ameliorates chronic alcohol-induced liver injury

Researchers demonstrated that Lactobacillus rhamnosus can dose-dependently reestablish a balanced intestinal microbiome and counter the liver-damaging effects of alcohol consumption in mice to reverse the results of chronic alcohol-induced liver injury.

9 Dec 2019

Dead probiotic reduces age-related leaky gut in older mice, study finds

Scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have identified a dead probiotic that reduces age-related leaky gut in older mice. The study is published in the journal GeroScience.

9 Dec 2019

Genetically engineered living hydrogel material facilitates intestinal wound healing

About 1.6 million people in the US alone currently have lifelong and incurable Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and 70,000 new cases are diagnosed in the USA each year.

6 Dec 2019

Drops containing a specific probiotic strain can reduce colic in infants

Probiotics--or "good bacteria"--have been used to treat infant colic with varying success. In a new trial published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, investigators have shown that drops containing a particular probiotic strain (Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12) reduced the duration of daily crying by more than 50% in 80% of the 40 infants who received the probiotic once daily for 28 days.

4 Dec 2019

New study could help prevent fatal infections in babies

Premature infants born before 28-30 weeks of life are at high risk for many complications, among which the chances of dying from an infection starting in the intestine are very great. A new study published in the journal Nature Medicine reports that such infections are very much more likely if something interferes with the normal microbial accumulation in the gut. Adding certain bacterial strains protects against such infections, on the other hand.

3 Dec 2019

New human colon-on-a-chip enables in vitro study of mucus physiology

We have a mutualistic but complicated relationship with the collection of microbes in our gut known as the intestinal microbiome.

3 Dec 2019

New model for late-onset sepsis explores potential treatments for neonatal infection

Extremely premature infants are at risk for life-threatening infections that spread into their bodies from the intestine. Infections after the first three days of life are called late-onset sepsis, or LOS.

3 Dec 2019

Strong beers that contain gut-friendly bacteria may help fight obesity

Drinking a strong type of beer, particularly a Belgian one, can help combat obesity, promote a good night’s sleep, and may help you live longer, a new study found.

2 Dec 2019

Chinese scientists suggest alternative strategy for combating obesity

Overweight and obesity have become a severe public health problem around the world. Current anti-obesity strategies are mainly aimed at restricting calorie intake and absorption. Now, Chinese scientists suggest in a new study that burning energy by activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) might be an alternative strategy for combating obesity.

21 Nov 2019

Researchers evaluate potential of FMT, pre- and probiotics to treat Parkinson's patients

Constipation is a common complaint in patients with Parkinson's disease. Fecal microbiome transplantation and pre- and probiotics are potential options for treating constipation and restoring the microbiome of patients with Parkinson's disease, but scientists warn that clinical data are scarce, and more research is needed before supporting their use.

15 Nov 2019

Caution: blood infections traced to probiotics

Probiotics aren’t harmless, says a new study published on November 7, 2019 in the journal Nature Medicine. In fact, some patients may be put at serious risk by the bacteria in probiotics. Doctors should weigh the risks of probiotics in severely ill or immunocompromised patients before prescribing them, as their benefits may be significantly smaller than the danger in such situations.

13 Nov 2019

New study sounds a note of caution in using probiotics in ICU

It's become common for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), both children and adults, to receive probiotics. Often, they are started at home to counteract diarrhea caused by antibiotics. There is also interest in using probiotics proactively in the ICU. A large multicenter clinical trial in Canada is testing whether probiotics would prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia in adult ICU patients.

12 Nov 2019