How a Popular Probiotic Benefits Your Gut and Your Health

More and more studies have shown the influence that your gut bacteria can have on your health. Now, scientists are looking at how these microbes can prevent disease and have found that the most well-known of these, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), may help with intestinal problems, respiratory infections and skin disorders.

The researchers studied the effect of LGG on a group of elderly subjects. They tested 12 volunteers who ate LGG twice a day for 28 days. The researchers analyzed gut bacteria before and after this regimen.

In the end, the researchers found that ingesting LGG led to increases in several genes that foster several species of gut bacteria. The microbes had been shown in the past to have a range of benefits in humans, such as the promotion of a health immune system.

"This is a new idea, that some probiotics may work by affecting the overall ecosystem of the gut," said Clair Fraser, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Previously we tended to think that LGG and other probiotics worked directly on the host. I think this finding has many exciting implications."

In fact, there's an innovative method for enumerating gut bacteria. The approach, known as metagenomic analysis, allows for a much more comprehensive view of what microbes are actually doing in a given person's intestines.

 The findings are important for better understanding how our health can be affected by gut bacteria. Not only that, but it may help spawn new therapies for different diseases in the future.

The findings are published in the journal mBio.

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