Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2016 Jun 2;14(1):82.
doi: 10.1186/s12916-016-0629-z.

Probiotics and microbiota composition

Mary Ellen Sanders  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Probiotics and microbiota composition

Mary Ellen Sanders. BMC Med. .

Abstract

Accumulated evidence, corroborated by a new systematic review by Kristensen et al. (Genome Med 8:52, 2016), suggests that probiotics do not significantly impact the fecal microbiota composition of healthy subjects. Nevertheless, physiological benefits have been associated with probiotic consumption by healthy people. Some studies have suggested that probiotics may impact the function of colonizing microbes, although this needs to be further studied. An alternative hypothesis is that probiotics may promote homeostasis of the gut microbiota, rather than change its composition. This hypothesis warrants investigation as a possible mechanism for how probiotics may benefit healthy people.Please see related article: http://genomemedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13073-016-0300-5 .

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Homeostasis; Lactobacillus; Metagenomics; Probiotic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The concept of homeostasis as expressed by reducing the magnitude or duration of the impact of a stress on the microbiota. Modified from Sanders et al. [12], no permission required
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment on

References

    1. Lau CS, Chamberlain RS. Probiotic administration can prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants: a meta-analysis. J Pediatr Surg. 2015;50(8):1405–12. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2015.05.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Harb T, Matsuyama M, David M, Hill RJ. Infant colic-what works: a systematic review of interventions for breast-fed infants. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2016;62(5):668–86. doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000001075. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Szajewska H, Skorka A, Ruszczynski M, Gieruszczak-Bialek D. Meta-analysis: Lactobacillus GG for treating acute gastroenteritis in children--updated analysis of randomised controlled trials. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2013;38(5):467–76. doi: 10.1111/apt.12403. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Didari T, Mozaffari S, Nikfar S, Abdollahi M. Effectiveness of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome: updated systematic review with meta-analysis. World J Gastroenterol. 2015;21(10):3072–84. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i10.3072. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Goldenberg JZ, Lytvyn L, Steurich J, Parkin P, Mahant S, Johnston BC. Probiotics for the prevention of pediatric antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;12:CD004827. - PubMed