With the explosion in cases of diabetes (the International Diabetes Federation predicts 1 in 10 worldwide could have diabetes by 2030), complications of this chronic condition will soar.
Diabetic foot ulcer is one which requires vigilance and thoughtful care. Delayed wound healing and higher rates of infection can occur and lead to more serious events.
Researchers from India and the United Arab Emirates have hypothesized that probiotics may one day have a role in treatment.
Because strains of probiotics appear to aid in various infections including the gut, oral and urogenital as well as gastric ulcers, it is possible that probiotics may act on surface wounds.
The researchers wrote in the journal Medical Hypothesis:
“The increasing body of evidence associated with probiotic application in diverse disease states merits its use in wound healing and infection too … Underlying mechanism of the above therapeutic effects of probiotics involves modulation of local and systemic immunity. The hypothesis is based on the concept that mechanism of anti-infective and ulcer healing action of probiotics will be same in peripheral wound ulcers as like it acts on any other part of the body.”