Antibiotics kill off pathogens, saving untold numbers of lives every year. Unfortunately, the 20th century wonder drugs also destroy a lot of beneficial bacteria along the way. The ensuing disturbances in gut microbiota communities can lead to diarrhea and other displays of dysbiosis. Antibiotics disrupt gut microbiota When antibiotics are administered, dysbiosis may occur rapidly, […]
antibiotics
Diversity Matters in Microbiota
Diversity enriches our global ecosystems. It appears to be no different for many sites of the human body hosting microbial populations — albeit with at least one striking exception. For example, vaginal microbiota is distinct in that greater bacterial diversity is seen in women with bacterial vaginosis, which goes against the assumption that higher diversity […]
New Paper Takes on Probiotic Swipes
Are Probiotics Money Down the Toilet? Or Worse? Albeit with a provocative title destined to be click-bait, this January 2019 article in Journal of American Medical Association looks seriously at the science. It dissects the two recent studies from Israel which raised questions about probiotic use. Author Jennifer Abbasi does a good job of teasing out implications of the work published […]
Dr. Erika Isolauri Talks Child Health at Harvard Probiotics Symposium
“For child health, I have learned, the mother is the person to treat. The healthier the mother, the better the child’s well-being.” Dr. Erika Isolauri, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics at University of Turku has researched the microbiota from her lab in Finland for long enough to earn the soundbite. With over 440 scientific publications […]
Probiotics Reduce Behavioral Changes from Early Antibiotic Use
Antibiotics save lives. The bad news is they obliterate the good microbes in their wake which can lead to long-term immune and metabolic changes. And now researchers find that behavior and brain chemistry can also suffer. Much evidence exists from both rodent and human studies showing microbial effect in brain and behavioral changes. Germ-free models […]