Plus: Probiotics Can Help, NSAIDs Maybe Not So Much
Three recent research findings caught our attention since the start of the year, each one of which provides important insights into the health and well-being of our microbiome.
Don’t be put off by the scientific jargon, we’ll break this all down for you:
Research Piece #1
Title
Impact of carbohydrate substrate complexity on the diversity of the human colonic microbiota
Source
FEMS Microbiology Ecology, Volume 95, Issue 1, 1 January 2019
Type
In Vitro. Experiments were conducted in vessels designed to recreate the environment inside the human colon.
Findings
Microbial diversity is increased when those microbes are fed a diverse diet of prebiotic carbohydrates (fiber).
When fed a single prebiotic, overall microbial diversity decreased.
Some specific microbial species thrive on a single prebiotic, while others do better with a mix suggesting there are interactions between and among the microbes and their food that we don’t entirely understand.
Limitations
This was an in vitro study, in which chambers were created to mimic the human colon. While useful for controlling variables, conditions and interactions could very well be different inside an actual human colon.
Important Takeaways
Assuming a diversity of microbes in your gut is a desirable thing, and there is research to support that contention, then consuming a diet with diverse sources of prebiotic fibers appears to be one way to achieve that.
Likewise, consuming only one prebiotic fiber, can in fact reduce diversity by benefiting certain specific species over others.
Actionable Information
Adding Inulin alone reduced microbial diversity by the greatest amount. Inulin is a very popular prebiotic and is found as the sole ingredient in many supplements. This does not make inulin bad, only that over-supplementing with inulin alone, particularly in large quantities, might be counterproductive.
If you are interested in increasing the microbial diversity of your gut, ingesting a variety of prebiotics is a potential strategy.
Research Piece #2
Title
Probiotic Medilac-S® for the induction of clinical remission in a Chinese population with ulcerative colitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Source
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
Type
In vivo Human. The research was a meta study of existing related studies that had used human subjects.
Findings
A specific, proprietary probiotic was found to be effective against ulcerative colitis.
Limitations
This is a meta analysis of numerous other studies, not a study designed from the ground up to explore this question.
Some of the researchers are paid employees of a business-to-business probiotic company.
Only one proprietary probiotic was examined.
Important Takeaway
The notion that probiotics of any kind can be useful in treating medical conditions remains controversial among many in the medical community. While this was an extremely narrow study conducted on a single probiotic, any finding that suggests probiotics can be effective is instructive.
Actionable Information
If you suffer from ulcerative colitis, this could be a very important finding worth exploring with your doctor.
Research Piece #3
Title
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs Alter the Microbiota and Exacerbate Clostridium difficile Colitis while Dysregulating the Inflammatory Response
Source
American Society for Microbiology
Type
In vivo, mice. The research was conducted using laboratory mice.
Findings
The introduction of an NSAID pain reliever increased the severity of Clostridium difficile Colitis (C. diff).
Limitations
The study was conducted using mice only.
Only one NSAID was examined, the prescription-only indomethacin.
The mechanism by which the indomethacin increases the severity of C. diff is not understood.
Important Takeaway
Great care should be taken with indomethacin for anyone susceptible to C. diff or who already suffers from it, but always consult with your doctor before taking any action or changing any medication he or she recommends or prescribes.
Actionable Information
There is prior research suggesting that NSAIDs (Advil (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen) being two popular OTC products) can in general negatively affect your microbiome. Whether or not you take NSAIDs has to be a personal decision for you, or, if you take them under the recommendation of your doctor, between the two of you.
My personal approach is to take as little medication as possible for as short a time as possible. That’s not always a realistic option, so even I break down and take the occasional ibuprofen, but as a general rule, I will suffer with minor aches and pains so as to spare my body, and my microbiome, from the side effects of NSAIDs.
Thank you for reading. You thoughts and comments are welcome and encouraged.
Take care!
Jon
It seems like a very complicated and interesting topic at the same time. I like how you put the Actionable bowl subheadings in there so that I can have some takeaways in there to apply to myself. This is an epidemic that resulted in the need for products that combat these problems. Also appreciate how the mouse were used and no other animals.
Thanks, Andrew, I appreciate the comments! It is a vast topic, that’s for sure.
I must say some of this scientif stuff is just too far out there for me. However I will say that probiotics do work wonders. I have been using various probiotics for a while now and I can tell you overall my body just plain feels better. The use of nsaids are way to overused now days there are so many different natural remedies for to use for anti inflammation.
Hi, Cathy, thanks for dropping by, and yes, I’ve got some reviews coming up (plus the MicrobioME Project) where I plan to discuss probiotics in depth, but my preliminary take is similar to yours. As a matter of general wellness there very well may be something to them.
Hi.
Your site is so unique. Like a science blog. It’s fascinating you are guinea pigging yourself like this. Your commitment and dedication is commendable. Your site is a bit all over the place on mobile devices. Not sure what I would change though in it’s presentation. Your subject matter is also fascinating. I’m interested in gut health and always found gut flora of interest. Good luck on your journey!
Thank you, Pippa! And thanks for the heads up on the mobile devices. It appears as expected on my iPhone, but there are so many different screen dimensions these days I imagine it can look a mess on some.
I am very interested in health, and I know that taking probiotics daily is important for gut health, but I had a little trouble following the article, it was just a bit technical for me, but I think I got the gist of it and found out that I should definitely limit my NSAID intake. I do take NSAIDs for headache and body ache, but maybe I should think twice before taking too many. Do you have alternative ideas for pain relief that would be more friendly to the system?
Hi, Babsie, thanks for taking the time to check out the piece.
To be honest, my alternative to pain relief is to not relieve my pain. As I mentioned, I do break down and take the occasional ibuprofen, but otherwise I just tolerate it. For those who really have no choice, there are other habits you can develop that can help protect your gut. Those are things I’ll be getting to in the future but will include things like diet, supplements and even exercise and getting a good night’s sleep.
Not every single thing you do has to be kind to your microbiome. We all have to strike a balance in life!
I love the ease science has brought to our lives especially illness management. However, I’m also of the school of thought that believes drugs should be taken as minimally as possible. Occasionally everyone would have to take a drug or too but I think this should be done with a doctor’s prescription. I sure would appreciate this blog more if you can tell me exactly how this drugs affect my body in a simple language.
Thanks for writing
Thanks for the comment, and I agree the fewer drugs the better, unless of course you really need one, in which case we can all be grateful they exist.
I hear you regarding trying to explain these concepts in simple language. I’m threading a needle, trying to do justice to the science while still trying to make it intelligible. I will endeavor to improve on that!
That is so interesting!
I have a biotechnology background myself and I love this little biochemical universe that rules our lives.
Once I saw one amazing seminar exactly on this topic, the professor discussed what kind of bacteria or micro biome we were cultivating inside of us, even without knowing.
So he introduced some basic biochemistry + microbiology concepts and end up convincing us that what you give is what you get in a really bad way (if your food is not cultivating the right type = burguers, pizza, pasta etc).
It really made us all feel guilty!
Cheers, keep up the good work, I will be following the site!
Thanks so much for sharing that, brought a smile to my face.
One of the personal experiments I’m planning as part of our “MicrobioME Project” is to eat a diet like that for a week and see what impact it has on my microbiome. I’m expecting something along the lines of “bad.”
But we’ll see!
I don’t take probiotics regularly but I do when my stomach is unsettled and they tend to help. I appreciate you musrvhsve a scientific background from the language and terminology you use. It’s very interesting to read.
I’ve tried Naproxen before and it made me ill and I presume the reason being was the effect it had on my microbiomes?
Hi, Darren, naproxen is known to cause stomach upset particularly if taken for more than a week. (I have experienced the ill effects of Naproxen myself!) I’ve not seen any research tying that stomach upset directly to damage to the microbiome, but it’s certainly possible that it’s a contributing factor.
Thanks, great question!
Hi! Thank you very much for sharing the results of these 3 researches with us. I appreciate you have done it in a way that is very easy to understand, explaining all the scientific jargon.
Using a variety of prebiotics is the way to go. I really didn’t know that only using one prebiotic (and the results confirm that this is especially true for Inulin) it might be counterproductive. Thank you very much!
Thanks, Henry, glad you found it helpful. The research is still really new in this field, so we’ll try to keep on top of it. Inulin is generally well-regarded as a prebiotic, and arguably should be a part of any blend, but I’ll be watching the research closely on that one.
Hello Jon,
I read your article with increasing interest, even though I wasn’t sure what I was reading about. I know a little about probiotics, I even took some for awhile. I really didn’t see much of a difference in how I felt, so I stopped taking them. Of course I have heard of ulcerative colitis- and if probiotics can be helpful in treating the condition, I’m sure those who suffer from it would be grateful.
NSAIDs I do know about. Having suffered from arthritis since my young adult years, and going through 4 operations for joint replacement, I know a lot about NSAIDs. I practically lived on Tylenol in my early years, because no one would believe I suffered from pain. After each operation, I was thrilled by the release of pain, and I agree with you: “take as little medications as possible for as short of time as possible.” My doctor prescribes Tylenol with codeine for me-up to four a day as needed. I only take as needed- usually only one a day. I live with pain-and it has to be really bad before I take anything. NSAIDs can be bad for your liver as well as possibly increasing the severity of ulcerative colitis.
I found your article easy to read and enlightening on the products out there that are supposed to be good, or not so good, for our gut. Thank you for your research.
Hi, Barbara, thank you so much for your thoughtful comment.
And I totally agree. There are cases where you have to take medication, that’s just life, there are plenty of other ways to care for your microbiome without suffering in pain every day. I think You are approaching it exactly the right way.
Take care and stay well.