Are Probiotics Necessary for a Healthy Microbiome?

Are probiotics necessary for a healthy microbiome?

Check out this answer from Consensus:

Probiotics are not strictly necessary for maintaining a healthy microbiome in healthy individuals, as they do not cause persistent changes in the overall gut microbiota composition. However, they can provide several health benefits, including transient improvements in gut microbiota, enhanced immune function, and better gut health. Probiotics can also be particularly beneficial in restoring microbiota balance in cases of dysbiosis caused by poor diet or gastrointestinal conditions. Therefore, while not essential, probiotics can be a valuable addition to a healthy diet for promoting overall well-being.

Probiotics, which are live microorganisms that confer health benefits to the host when consumed in adequate amounts, have been widely studied for their potential to improve gut health and overall well-being. This synthesis examines whether probiotics are necessary for maintaining a healthy microbiome, drawing on findings from multiple research papers.

Key Insights

• Probiotics and Gut Microbiota Composition:
  • Probiotics can transiently improve the concentration of specific beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiota of healthy adults, but they do not cause persistent changes in the overall microbiota composition4 8.
  • Probiotics can restore the proportions of beneficial bacteria and reduce pathogenic bacteria in cases of diet-induced microbiota dysbiosis, such as those caused by high-fat or high-sucrose diets7.
• Probiotics and Immune System:
  • Probiotics can enhance the immune system by modulating gut microbiota, which helps in building a healthy intestinal mucosa protective layer and inhibiting the colonization of pathogenic bacteria2 9.
• Probiotics and Gut Health:
  • Probiotics can improve gut health by reducing inflammation, preventing pathogen colonization, and enhancing gut barrier integrity2 3.
  • Probiotics have been shown to alleviate gastrointestinal conditions such as diarrhea and inflammatory bowel diseases by modifying the gut microbiota5.
• Probiotics and Overall Health:
  • Probiotics can promote mental flexibility and alleviate stress in healthy older adults, along with causing changes in gut microbiota1.
  • Probiotics have been associated with various health benefits, including improved immune responses, better stool consistency, and enhanced bowel movements in healthy adults4 6.

Are probiotics necessary for a healthy microbiome?

Robert Rastall has answered Unlikely

An expert from University of Reading in Food Science

Probiotics have a minimal impact on the gut microbiome. They do not permanently colonise the gut – if they did it would be bad news for the industry as you would only ever need to take one product, once. They are transient residents and will be present as long as you keep consuming them. After you stop, they can no longer be isolated from faeces.

We have an imperfect understanding of how probiotics work but it is likely to be largely via interactions with the immune system, large amounts of which are in the gut and can detect incoming cells very effectively. A good example is the ability of probiotics to reduce the severity and duration of the common cold – clearly this must be mediated by immune interactions, not interactions within the microbiome. Some effects of probiotics, for instance production of b-galactosidase to combat lactose intolerance and some of the anti-microbial activities, will need viable cells to be present in the gut but they will only ever be tiny components of the gut microbiome while they are present.

Are probiotics necessary for a healthy microbiome?

Emma Allen-Vercoe has answered Unlikely

An expert from University of Guelph in Microbiology, Microbiome

No.  At this point, scientists are still working to determine what defined a ‘healthy’ microbiome.  There are many factors that contribute to this, including genetics, immune status, diet, activity levels etc., and because each person has a unique microbiome it is hard to know what a healthy gut microbiome really looks like.  But it is clear that there are many healthy people in the world who do not/have never taken probiotics, and so it is unlikely that probiotics are necessary for good health.

Are probiotics necessary for a healthy microbiome?

Mahmood Akhtar has answered Unlikely

An expert from King Fahad Specialist Hospital  in Biology, Molecular Biology, Exercise Physiology

Not really!!! Just eat healthy foods.

Are probiotics necessary for a healthy microbiome?

Jaime Amaya-Farfan has answered Uncertain

An expert from University of Campinas in Food Science, Microbiome, Sports Science, Exercise Physiology

It’s still uncertain primarily because the correct microbiota profile has not been yet established and the commonly known probiotics will not establish themselves in the gut, over the “will” of the rest of the community. 

Microbiota-Probiotics’s interactions are so complex that one cannot predict right off if common probiotic ingestion will remedially correct deviations of the gut microbiota.

Are probiotics necessary for a healthy microbiome?

Mahmoud Ghannoum has answered Unlikely

An expert from Case Western Reserve University in Microbiology, Medicine

This is a very good question. I would say “unlikely’ for most people but probiotics will likely be helpful if a person has imbalance (or dysbiosis) in their microbiome (both bacterial and fungal communities). Using probiotics may help rebalance the microbial communities. However, taking probiotics without addressing lifestyles (e.g. stress, exercise, sleep) issues is not enough. Thus, I recommend that you address these issues and eat a nutritionally balanced diet that is low glycemic, rich in fiber and resistant starch, low in sugar (which will help balancing the fungal community in your gut etc. is important.