14/12/2020
LET'S GO DEEP SCIENCE (by our R&D Team): PROBIOTICS
In his 2016 book entitled "I Contain Multitudes", The Atlantic science writer Ed Yong revealed that we, indeed, are never alone. Buried deep in our guts, unseen by the naked eye, are our invisible residents: our gut microbiome.
Composed of different strains of bacteria, our gut microbiome is a complex ecosystem of bacteria that not only reside in our bodies but also affect our overall health and well-being. As they release signaling molecules and chemical compounds in our guts, these natural companions of ours - what we nowadays call our "good bacteria" - help our cells and organs to function well. There are even early research indicating compounds released by these bacteria shape our mental health as well [1].
However, stress, inflammation, and even antibiotic use can decrease the population of good bacteria and give way to an increase in the population of unwanted bacteria and pathogens. Thus, probiotic research in recent years have skyrocketed to help address this problem and improve our well-being.
In a Nature journal article published in 2019, it was concluded that although the field need continuous research, early adoption of gut mircobiome intervention can help in certain cases:
"The body of research suggests that these interventions can not only improve symptomology, but also have a meaningful effect on reducing pathology and even saving lives. The prevention of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis in infants provides compelling examples. These findings demonstrate effective translation of human microbiome research. Such clinical impact has changed practices in many health-care environments; however, many constituencies have yet to embrace the concept through critically considering the strengths and weaknesses of existing data [2]."
References:
[1] Yong, E. (2016). I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life (1st ed.). HarperCollins.
[2] Sanders, M.E., Merenstein, D.J., Reid, G. et al. Probiotics and prebiotics in intestinal health and disease: from biology to the clinic. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 16, 605–616 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-019-0173-3
