Be careful with probiotics: some can lead to a completely opposite effect without found

A Probiotics This is a very interesting food, because they give us many advantages at different levels, but Especially about the digestive systemNevertheless, we usually relate to probiotics the same way, and this can be a bad idea, according to a study that has just been published in Mbio A team of scientists from State University of North Carolina.

They showed that two different strains of bacteria Lactobacillus whose mechanism was considered almost the same generating Radical opposite effects When feeding mice with them. Help fight bacteria Clostridium difficileIt is known for in some cases to cause diarrhea, which in some cases can be very serious. Another, on the other hand, not only does not fight ClostridiumBut he supplies food so that it is plucked more strongly.

It is important to emphasize that the study This was done by the mice. The same does not happen in people, so it is important to continue to explore in this line. However, if something similar is confirmed, it will be demonstrated that probiotics should be selected in good faith, since their effects can be completely counterproductive. No one would cost that.

What are probiotics?

There are probiotics microorganisms that are consumed on a diet And they have a positive effect on our health, especially at the digestive level. They are usually included in our Intestinal microbiota. That is, the population of microorganisms that grow naturally in our digestive system. Eat Microorganisms that can be pathogens, other neutral and other useful ones. It is important that the latter is the most common, since one of its functions is to fight pathogens. But they can also help us perform tasks such as digestion of the food that we eat.

Therefore, probiotics help us in all these feelings. We should not confuse them with prebiotics, as these are substances that receive useful for microbiots that we already haveProbletics field directly add more bacteria to this microbiote.

What was discovered in this study?

The authors of this study checked two strains of different types Lactobacillus: Lactobacillus acidophilus And Lactobacillus Gasseri LG-36Usually bacteria of the genre Lactobacillus They are considered good probiotics, but these scientists have noticed that this is not always the case.

And when feeding mice with L. Gasseri LG-36It was evident that this bacterium uses the same resources for its growth as C. Difficilehence competes with her and eliminates her For your own survival. Instead of, L. acidophilus It decomposes some proteins, releasing amino acids that are useful for C.Difficile. Amino acids are blocks that make up bacteria. L. acidophilus Do not break them in search of some kind of mutual or something like a pathogenic bacteria. He just does this for his own survival. Makes the same as other voltage Lactobacillus. The problem is that someone harms Clostridium For your own survival, and another. Logically, only one is good for the health of mice.

If this also occurs in people, we must stop considering all the bacteria of the genre Lactobacillus Like probiotics. At least one would be more harmful than useful. But we still do not know. In any case, this is a warning that we should not captivate what kind of advertising claims that say about probiotics. Yogurt, kefir and other products rich in probiotics They are very useful. However, sometimes we find unhealthy products to those who add several bacteria to disguise them as useful. They even did it with chocolate and, in the case of prebiotics, with tail soda. Now we know that this may not even be a good requirement. In the end, it can happen that what is considered a probiotic is actually not actually.