Just like in a real city, the gut microbiome is always active. While factors like genetics shape your microbiome, so too do your lifestyle choices, from your diet to where you live. Instead of humans, the inhabitants of the gut microbiome are microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Most of these microorganisms are harmless and help the body function. Among these bacteria are probiotics, Ajami explains.
“Probiotics can be considered good residents,” he says.
Probiotics help support your microbiome, which plays a key role in your overall health. A balanced microbiome affects not only digestion, but also the function of the immune system, organs, and tissues throughout the body. Because of these far-reaching effects, changes in the microbiome have been linked to chronic diseases, including cancer. At PRIME-TR, researchers are studying how the microbiome influences cancer risk and how this influences an individual’s response to cancer treatments, including immunotherapy.
Types of Probiotic Supplements
Although your gut probiotics are shaped by your diet and lifestyle, many people use supplements as an alternative way to influence their microbiome. With so many options to choose from, the world of probiotic supplements can seem as dense as the microbiome itself.
“Probiotic supplements really vary depending on whether you just buy an off-the-shelf supplement at the drugstore for no reason or if your doctor recommends you take a specific probiotic for a specific condition,” says Daniel-MacDougall, a nutritional epidemiologist who studies diet and the microbiome.
Within the probiotic supplements category, you can find over-the-counter supplements and live biotherapeutics. Here’s a closer look at the differences between these groups.
Over-the-counter probiotic supplements:
Biotherapeutics:
- Designed for medical use.
- need a prescription
- treatment of certain diseases
- It goes through the same FDA regulations as any other drug.
It is better to get probiotics from food rather than supplements. Here’s why:
Both experts recommend that healthy individuals get probiotics from food rather than regular supplements.
Examples of probiotic foods include:
- yogurt
- kefir
- sauerkraut
- fermented fruits and vegetables
“We don’t recommend that patients, or really anyone, go looking for a solution in the supplement section of the store,” Ajami says. “Whole foods can help you get what you need.”
Here’s why:
It’s difficult to know exactly what you’re getting in supplements.
The quality and ingredients of supplements can vary greatly from product to product.
“Most of the products you find in store aisles are unregulated, which means it’s very difficult to know if what’s on the label is actually what’s on the bottle,” says Ajami. “It is very difficult to say whether the claims on that label are actually supported by science and rigorous clinical trials.”
Daniel-MacDougall shares Ajami’s concerns about over-the-counter probiotic supplements. These supplements may have limitations, she notes, including whether they contain live bacteria, the variety of probiotics they contain, and their ability to reach the intestines where they can be used.
Taking unnecessary probiotic supplements may cause more harm than good.
Everyone’s microbiome is different and a delicate balance. A probiotic supplement that helps one person may not help you.
“Just as you avoid taking medications you don’t need or aren’t designed for your problem, probiotics can work the same way,” says Daniel-MacDougall.
Conversely, she notes, probiotic supplements can disrupt or displace some of the good bacteria you already have. This may cause stomach upset, digestive issues, or a feeling of bloating.
“It can be dangerous to take a cocktail of bacteria without knowing what you need or what the effects will be. It may not work, it may have GI side effects, it may potentially have benefits. You just don’t know,” she says.
Probiotic foods provide additional nutrients.
When you eat probiotic foods, you don’t just get probiotics. You can also consume various other nutrients.
So while over-the-counter probiotic supplements may contain some probiotics, yogurt provides probiotics. plus Fatty acids and amino acids (proteins). MacDougall explains that all of these nutrients work together to stimulate the microbiome.
“Dietary supplements are rarely an effective replacement for food,” she says.
What Cancer Patients Need to Know About Probiotic Supplements
Our experts do not recommend taking over-the-counter probiotics during cancer treatment.
Over-the-counter probiotic supplements may seem like an easy way to help your body respond to cancer treatment, but they may have the opposite effect. This is because probiotics in over-the-counter supplements can compete with the bacteria already living in your body, Ajami says.
for example, 2021 studyMelanoma patients taking immune checkpoint inhibitors who ate a low-fiber diet and took over-the-counter probiotic supplements had worse outcomes than patients who consumed enough fiber and did not take over-the-counter probiotic supplements.
It is well known that the composition of the microbiome can affect how the body responds to cancer treatment. However, Ajami notes that microbiome modulation is used to: MD Anderson This is very different from taking an over-the-counter probiotic supplement.
“This is not DIY. It is done under clinical supervision, during trials, under the supervision and supervision of a clinical team,” he says.
When to Talk to Your Doctor About Probiotic Supplements
Any challenge to your gut microbiome (think antibiotics, gut prep, or foodborne illness after) can cause gastrointestinal issues and make you feel like you need a probiotic supplement, says Daniel-MacDougall.
If this is the case, consult your doctor for personalized advice on how to proceed.
“Doctors who administer a particular antibiotic can better understand how it works in their patients,” she says. “It’s not yet as accurate and personalized as we all would like, but there is some clinical knowledge.”
Additionally, in some cases, probiotics in food or supplements may be helpful for individuals with irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, or other health problems. However, it can also be potentially harmful if used improperly or with other medications.
Ultimately, trying to fix an unknown gut problem with a probiotic supplement may serve as food for the bad bacteria in your gut, making the problem worse. That’s why it’s important to address the underlying problem before adding supplements, says Daniel-MacDougall.
Support your gut microbiome with healthy habits
You may see advertisements claiming that probiotics can help with constipation, irregular bowel movements, and bloating. In these cases, should you look to probiotic supplements for a possible solution?
“If you see someone who is bloated and has poor bowel habits, I don’t think you need to immediately fix their microbiome. I think you need to fix the habits that are disrupting your microbiome,” says Daniel-MacDougall.
Instead of looking for a solution at the drugstore, try these tips:
move your body
To help lower your cancer risk, aim to get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week.
Eat healthy food
Eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water.
Along with probiotic foods, other foods that promote gut health include foods rich in fiber. Fiber is a prebiotic that can be digested and used by beneficial bacteria in the gut, explains Ajami.
So focus on eating a variety of healthy foods, including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds. The more colorful the better.
The diversity of the gut microbiome helps the gut environment respond to a variety of conditions. It is very similar to a garden. If you only grow roses, problems like pests or freezes can ruin your entire garden. However, if you have a variety of plants, there is a better chance that some of your garden will survive. The same goes for the gut microbiome, he explains.
“If you eat a lot of different types of food, a very colorful plate, you generally have a colorful gut in terms of bacterial composition, which is generally a good thing,” he says.
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