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The intestinal stimulating industry has seen strong growth in recent years with yogurt, kombuchas, cereals and over-the-counter probiotics, touting that they promote good intestinal bacteria.
But according to new research from the Israeli Institute of Science Weizmann, these "miracle products" may not have any impact.
Two studies published recently in the journal Cell examined the extent to which over-the-counter probiotics filled a healthy gut and how well they helped the bowels recover after taking antibiotics.
The bottom line: Scientists have found that there is no "one size fits all" approach to probiotics to balance each other's bacteria.
In the first study, two groups received either a commercial probiotic or a placebo. Before their intestinal bacterium was studied by upper endoscopy and colonoscopy.
Professor Eran Elinav, author of both studies, said the researchers were surprised to see participants taking probiotics in two groups.
In one group, which researchers have called "resistant people," the bacteria simply moved from one end to the other without ever getting attached to the intestine – so basically you do not pay anything.
"They did nothing to the human host, they just could not colonize," said Professor Elinav.
The other group saw changes on their microbiome, so the researchers called them "persistent." And the researchers discovered that they could predict whether a person would be a remnant or a patient by examining the steps taken before the probiotics were administered.
The second study examined how probiotics can help people find a normal intestinal microbiome after taking antibiotics.
To test this, three groups received antibiotics. Then one group received commercial probiotics, another received a transplant of its own intestinal bacteria before taking antibiotics and the third group received no other treatment.
Compared to the first study, commercial probiotics were much more effective at colonizing the bowel after taking antibiotics. But Professor Elinav and his team also discovered that probiotics now prevent the original microbiome from returning to its healthy initial state.
"It was worse than doing nothing, it was very serious and persistent," he said.
In contrast, those who received samples of their own intestinal bacteria returned to a normal microbiome within a few days.
Professor Elinav thinks that this tells us that, rather than "relying on a single approach, we must move to a new paradigm: a well-adapted personal microbiome or combinations of signatures tailored to each individual".
"People have given a lot of support to probiotics, even though the literature underlying their understanding is very controversial," he added.
"We wanted to determine if probiotics such as those you buy at the supermarket colonize the GI tract as they are supposed to do, and then whether these probiotics have an impact on the human host.
"Surprisingly, we saw that many healthy volunteers were really resistant in that probiotics could not colonize their gastrointestinal tract.
"This suggests that probiotics should not be universally given as a" single "supplement. Instead, they could be adapted to the needs of each individual. "
The lesson: talk to a health professional before you start probiotics.
While we are on the subject, here are 6 signs that your bowel health is out of balance, as well as the balance tips that this nutritionist swears by.
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