Does Taking Probiotics Daily Have Health Benefits for Healthy People?

The health benefits of daily probiotic consumption for healthy individuals

Check out this answer from Consensus:

Daily probiotic consumption can offer several health benefits for healthy individuals, including improvements in gut health, immune function, cognitive function, mood, cardiovascular health, and female reproductive health. While the evidence is promising, further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects and optimal strains and dosages of probiotics. As with any supplement, it is important for individuals to consult with healthcare professionals before starting probiotic supplementation.

Probiotics, defined as live microorganisms that confer health benefits to the host when consumed in adequate amounts, have garnered significant attention in recent years. While much of the research has focused on individuals with specific health conditions, there is growing interest in understanding the potential benefits of probiotics for healthy individuals. This article explores the various health benefits of daily probiotic consumption for healthy people, drawing on findings from multiple research studies.

Gut Health and Microbiota

One of the most well-documented benefits of probiotics is their positive impact on gut health. Probiotics can lead to transient improvements in the concentration of beneficial gut bacteria, which can enhance overall gut health. Studies have shown that probiotics can improve stool consistency and bowel movements, contributing to better gastrointestinal comfort1 6 7. However, it is important to note that these changes are often transient and may not lead to long-term alterations in gut microbiota composition1.

Immune System Enhancement

Probiotics have been shown to modulate the immune system, potentially leading to improved immune responses. Research indicates that probiotics can increase the levels of natural killer cells, lymphocytes, and monocytes, while also reducing proinflammatory cytokine concentrations3 7 8. These immune-modulating effects suggest that probiotics can help maintain a robust immune system in healthy individuals, potentially reducing the risk of infections and other immune-related conditions.

Cognitive Function and Mood

Emerging research suggests that probiotics may also have benefits for cognitive function and mood. A study involving healthy older adults found that probiotic supplementation improved mental flexibility and reduced stress levels2. The study also observed changes in gut microbiota composition, which were correlated with increased serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein associated with cognitive health2. These findings highlight the potential of probiotics to support mental well-being through the gut-brain axis.

Cardiovascular Health

Probiotics may also offer cardiovascular benefits by influencing factors such as cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Some studies have reported that probiotics can lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and improve the LDL/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio, as well as reduce blood pressure and inflammatory markers1 8 9. However, the evidence is not yet conclusive, and further research is needed to establish the specific strains and dosages that are most effective for cardiovascular health.

Female Reproductive Health

Probiotics have been found to improve vaginal lactobacilli concentration, which can enhance female reproductive health. This is particularly relevant for maintaining a healthy vaginal microbiota and preventing infections1. While the evidence is still emerging, these findings suggest that probiotics could play a role in supporting reproductive health in healthy women.

Safety Considerations

Probiotics are generally considered safe for consumption, with a long history of use in various foods and supplements. However, there are some theoretical concerns regarding the potential for probiotics to cause infections or transfer antibiotic resistance genes5. Despite these concerns, the majority of clinical trials have demonstrated the safe use of probiotics, with rare cases of adverse effects5.

 

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Hannah Wardill has answered Unlikely

An expert from University of Adelaide in Gastroenterology, Microbiome

Great question that deserves some honest discussion! The push for probiotic supplements has been huge one the past months to years. Whether it be in your supermarket, chemist or health food shop, there is an overwhelming abundance fo probiotics all making various claims to boost immunity, improve gut health and alleviate symptoms of IBS/IBD. While there is some evidence suggesting probiotics can support people with various gut diseases, their efficacy in healthy people remains unclear. In fact, the European Food Safety Agency recently quashed over 500 claims made by probiotic companies, reporting they were unsubstantiated.

Luckily for us, recent work published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition investigated the effects of probiotics (naturally occurring e.g. yoghurt, and capsules) in healthy people. Unsurprisingly, they reported higher levels of “good bacteria” in the participants’ guts, but this was not associated with any tangible health benefit. They also showed that as soon as these people stopped taking the probiotics, their guts returned to “normal”.

Other research recently published in Cell has shown that if you give healthy people antibiotics, their gut bacteria suffer… again not surprising. Often probiotics are recommended to people after they have antibiotics to help restore their gut flora, but this study actually showed that probiotics slowed down or delayed restoration of their gut bacteria! What they did show was that an autologous faecal transplant (essentially made from poo collected from before their antibiotics, which is them re-adminstered to them), was far superior at helping restore their normal gut bacteria!

So based on this evidence, I think we are still a long way off finding the ultimate probiotic, and I would certainly think twice before introducing probiotics into your normal health regime. My suggestion is to maintain a healthy balanced diet, full of fresh fruits and vegetables to nourish your own gut bacteria!

If you’re interested in reading a more detailed summary of the data out there, please head along to: https://www.pooisnottaboo.com/single-post/2018/08/21/WHY-YOU-SHOULD-WAIT-BEFORE-ORDERING-THAT-PROBIOTIC-BEER-NEXT-TIME-YOU’RE-AT-THE-PUB-The-bottom-line-on-probiotic-supplements-in-healthy-people

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Catherine Burke has answered Uncertain

An expert from University of Technology, Sydney in Microbiology, Microbiome, Bioinformatics

One of the problems with probiotics is that there are so many different kinds of them, but they get treated as though they are all the same “medicine”. This makes it hard to assess the evidence; we should be judging each probiotic on it’s own merits, but often the details of particular strains are not reported, and meta-analyses often lump many probiotics together and find limited evidence for the benefits of probiotics as a whole. There is certainly evidence that particular probiotics can be beneficial for things like infectious diarrhea, and there is emerging evidence that some probiotics may be beneficial for mental health – but most of this evidence is from animal models, and many more studies are needed to establish a positive benefit in humans. Some evidence suggests probiotics can have beneficial effects in the gut like reducing inflammation, but it’s not clear whether this would occur in healthy individuals. One thing that is clear is that probiotics do not easily colonise your gut, so to benefit from any potential health effects you need to keep taking them. There’s lots of evidence to suggest that probiotics have the potential to have positive health benefits, but because there is a lack of randomised clinical trials in healthy populations, it’s currently unclear whether taking daily probiotics will have health benefits in healthy people. Personally I think eating lots of fruit and veg will a bigger impact on your health than probiotics.

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Caitlin Cowan has answered Unlikely

An expert from University College Cork in Neuroscience, Psychology, Microbiome

There’s lots of exciting research being done with probiotics at the moment and we’re always finding out new things about when probiotics are useful and how they work. However, it’s becoming clear that most probiotics are helpful only under specific circumstances, and most of the research on probiotics’ usefulness to people is in relation to treatments for particular gastrointestinal disorders (so, for people who are unwell). At the moment, there’s not much evidence to support the idea that probiotics can make a healthy person even healthier. An exception to this is the case where probiotics might be taken by healthy people as a preventative measure to ward off illness. For example, taking Saccharomyces boulardii or Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG seems to protect against traveller’s diarrhoea and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. Please note that even these findings are preliminary because they’ve only been tested in a limited number of people and there have been some studies that didn’t find a beneficial effect so more trials are still needed to confirm the results.

It’s also important to note that scientists who study probiotics have strict definitions about what can be called a probiotic. We wouldn’t label anything a probiotic unless it has a proven health benefit, and even then the minimum dose must be specified. However, these strict scientific guidelines aren’t always adopted by the media or in product marketing (different countries have different rules about this) – so please be aware of this when thinking about buying a commercial probiotic.

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Mark W Davies has answered Unlikely

An expert from University of Queensland in Neonatology

I am unaware of any evidence for benefit of probiotics in healthy people.

In my area of expertise, neonatology, we do know that if we give very low birthweight infants (those born weighing <1500 g) probiotics in the first few weeks of life that more of them survive and less of them get necrotising enterocolitis.

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Mansel William Griffiths has answered Likely

An expert from University of Guelph in Food Science, Microbiology

This is an extremely difficult question to answer as there is no ready outcome that can be monitored to ascertain the benefit of regular probiotic consumption on healthy individuals except by doing extensive epidemiological studies over a long time. However, our research has indicated that probiotics produce bioactive peptides, which we have termed proteobiotics, that interfere with bacterial cell-cell communication and result in virulence genes being switched off in a variety of pathogens . In trials with pigs, we have shown that the administration of proteobiotics protect against E. coli infection (see Nordeste et al. BMC Vet Res. 2017; 13: 335) and similar studies in mice by my group and collaborators have shown that these molecules, as well as the probiotics that produce these molecules, can reduce the likelihood of infection by Salmonella serovars and C. difficile. This research has been commercialised by MicroSintesis and several trials on commercial pig farms have verified the efficacy of these bioactives. Pigs are not humans but they ha

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Ger T Rijkers has answered Likely

An expert from University College Roosevelt in Immunology

(As a scientist I don’t like the term ” real science”, because it suggests that there are also other forms of science, such as fake science. That’s not science. Science is science).

I tend to say: Likely. But it depends on what definition you use for ” healthy”. The traditional definition of the WHO states that health is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Well, is you are only healthy is you fulfill all those criteria, then there is nothing to improve. However, in the modern definition of health, which has a more dynamic component in it: the ability to adapt, then YES. Probiotics have been proven to reduce the incidence and severity of a number of gastrointestinal diseases and conditions. Other experts may refer to all negative opinions by EFSA, but there I disagree. The reason for the negative opinions of EFSA is that they refuse to take into consideration all evidence from studies in patients.

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Bruno Pot has answered Likely

An expert from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Microbiology

The answer is indeed complicated. First, the answer is indeed negative if the question is ‘do we need probiotics’ (just as we need vitamins). That is clear: not taking probiotics, but otherwise maintaining a healthy lifestyle, will not make you sick.

The answer to the question ‘can healthy people benefit from probiotics’, however, is surely YES. Just as healthy people will benefit from moderate sporting or from a healthy diet, rich in antioxidants and fibers, low in animal fat or processed meat. While most of the people will think these nutrition consults are logical, very few of these statements are backed-up by double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trials, that would make it through the filter of EFSA… Why then are people convinced about the health benefits of these food compounds (and maybe less about probiotics)? Most of the supporting science comes from epidemiological observations (e.g. the Mediterranean diet; Japanese diet, …) and, importantly assumptions about the mode of action (MOA). In the case of probiotics, as suggested above, there are some ‘diseases’ where probiotics have shown positive signals (IBS, bacterial and viral infections, constipation, …), and these have revealed several types of mechanisms by which probiotics can exert their effects. The production of antibacterial compounds was mentioned (bacteriocins, short chain fatty acids, hydrogen peroxide, ….) but there are reports on strengthening of the intestinal barrier, stimulation of the immune system, microbiological effects (competition with potential pathogens), physiological benefits (production of short chain fatty acids or enzymes that degrade lactose, …) etc. The reason of the specific confusion for probiotics is that 1. there are indeed MANY possible MOAs, and some may benefit only part of the population (e.g. a probiotic supplement with Bifidobacterium may benefit people that are low in bifidobacteria, but not those that already have high bifidus counts), 2. some of these mechanisms are depending on the probiotic strain (see also https://www.nature.com/articles/nrgastro.2014.66 for further considerations on this), so choose the strain that is supported by good science, 3. the general health condition and the risks at a certain point might have an influence as well. Traveling, a change of diet, stress (for instance before an examination), winter periods, etc. may, even for healthy people, induce changes in the immune system, the microbiota composition or the host metabolism, for which (specific) probiotics can offer support. EFSA did approve the health claim, as an example, that the intake of yoghurt is able to reduce the symptoms of lactose intolerance. The MOA is that the bacteria will produce lactase, the enzyme that is able to degrade lactose in the small bowel. Doing so, no lactose will reach the large intestine, where it normally causes problems for people which are lactose intolerant. Are lactose intolerant people unhealthy? Not really. Are probiotics having a health benefit for them. I think so.

In conclusion, can healthy people benefit from probiotics: yes they can, but choose your strains/foods well and check the literature for the scientific documentation of the strains concerned.

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Arthur C Ouwehand has answered Likely

An expert from DuPont Nutrition and Health in Microbiology

Healthy people may benefit from probiotics by reducing their risk for certain diseases such as upper respiratory tract infection and community acquired diarrhoea. While regulatory agencyies such as the European Food Safety Authority may not have approved health claims for probiotics, this does not mean there are no documented health benefits. This discrepancy has to do with regulation. EFSA requires to look at risk factors for disease, not the actual health out come (because then you would be dealing with a drug). Other regulatory agencies, such as Health Canada have approved health claims for probiotics.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30189723

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24780623

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21901706

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Keith J Barrington has answered Unlikely

An expert from CHU Sainte-Justine in Neonatology

Most healthy adults have an intestinal microbiome which is balanced. There is no evidence that those people need probiotics. If you need antibiotice for some reason, or if you need to be admitted to hospital, then probiotic supplmentation of the diet may well be a really good idea,

 

Does taking probiotics daily have health benefits for healthy people?

Ravinder Nagpal has answered Unlikely

An expert from Wake Forest School of Medicine  in Microbiome

Not really! As long as the host is already healthy and the gut microbiota is already in a homeostatic state, there’s no need as such to introduce a foreign bacterium (even if it has been found to be beneficial for some people) into your already healthy gut.

Nevertheless, given the plethora of studies on different probiotic strains in different health and disease milieus, regular intake of probiotics may still have preventative effect against predisposition to situations wherein a gut dysbiosis occurs such as antibiotic regimen, a pathogenic infection, etc. However, it can never be answered which probiotic strain is best for a particular person or a particular health state. Therefore, esp. considering that all probiotic effects vary from strain to strain and also from person to person meaning that a given strain may be beneficial to one person but not for another person and also that each strain works differently even in a single person, the best bet is to include a diversity of probiotics in one’s routine (e.g., keep switching the type(s) of probiotic product every now and then) to ensure that no single strain starts overpopulating the gut and that at least some (or one) of these strains would be able to exert some benefit on the host.

Nonetheless, in a healthy state, regular intake of prebiotics should be given more consideration because the gut is already healthy and the person’s native probiotics are already there in the gut and therefore the consumption of healthy balanced diet is going to be much more important in maintaing and sustaining a healthy gut health than relying on one or few probiotic strains which are otherwise largely under-studied (and also comes with placebo effects and not actual effect in many cases) may or may not have any effect on the host.