Probiotics: The Basics
Let’s start with a question: what are probiotics? Well, they are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for your health, especially your digestive system.
We usually think of bacteria as something harmful, but your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are the “good” bacteria because they keep your gut healthy.
The Buzz Around Probiotics
Probiotics are gaining popularity for their health benefits, and new types keep showing up on the market.
More and more, doctors recommend probiotics to people who need them, not just to those who are generally healthy. Because of this, it’s important to keep a close eye on the safety of probiotics.
A Review on Probiotic Safety
A group of experts recently conducted a review on probiotic safety, published in the journal Gut Microbes. These experts specialize in different fields like microbiology, food science, pediatrics, and family medicine.
They were brought together by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) to provide guidance on how to assess the safety of probiotics.
This is particularly important for new strains that don’t have a history of safe use.
Understanding the Safety of Probiotics
The lead author of the review, Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, explains that while traditional probiotics have a good safety record, not all uses of probiotics are equally safe.
This means that when probiotics are given to people who are at risk, such as those with specific health conditions, it may require extra safety checks.
The experts also noticed that more and more studies on probiotics are reporting on how they affect the microbiome – the community of microbes that live in our bodies.
Some of these studies suggest that certain probiotics might negatively affect the microbiome, either by reducing its diversity or slowing its recovery after antibiotic use.
However, the experts concluded that these findings don’t pose any serious safety concerns as they do not seem to impact our health.
Assessing Probiotic Risks
The authors of the review also provided recommendations on how to address possible risks related to probiotics.
These include risks specific to certain strains of probiotics, the quality of how they are made, and the way they are administered. They considered both the short-term and long-term safety of probiotics.
Professor Daniel Merenstein, the first author of the paper, explains that while probiotics have been shown to be effective for several health conditions, there is always a chance of harm.
He emphasizes the importance of human trials to properly assess these risks. He adds that probiotics have a good safety record in the short term, but their long-term impact needs more study.
Safety Checks for New Probiotics
For new types of probiotics, the experts recommend analyzing the entire genetic makeup of the microorganism as a key step in assessing its safety.
This allows them to identify the strain accurately and to find any concerning genes that may make it toxic, disease-causing, or resistant to antibiotics.
Moving Forward
The review serves as a reminder for healthcare professionals who recommend probiotics to their patients to be mindful of their safety.
It’s a call to action for scientists to continue paying attention to the safety of probiotics in their future research.
So, if you’re considering probiotics, it’s always a good idea to discuss it with your healthcare provider to make sure it’s safe and right for you.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about how to protect your kidneys from diabetes, and drinking coffee could help reduce risk of kidney injury.
For more information about kidney health, please see recent studies about foods that may prevent recurrence of kidney stones, and eating nuts linked to lower risk of chronic kidney disease and death.
The study was published in Gut Microbes.
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