Six weeks of supplementation with the probiotic-enzyme blend led to 150- and 175-fold decreases in potential pathogens Bacillus thuringiensis and Macrococcus caseolyticus, reported scientists from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
“The increase in S. cerevisiae abundance following probiotic-amylase blend supplementation is a robust proof of concept that oral probiotic consumption results in long-lasting changes in the microbial composition of the gut microbiota,” they wrote in the journal Life.
“The potential health benefits of consuming S. cerevisiae var. boulardii […] include modulating intestinal inflammation as well as improving host immune response. S. cerevisiae is a versatile fungal organism with wide-ranging scientific and beneficial health implications.”
The study was co-funded by Cleveland-based Biohm Health and the National Institute of Allergy and infectious Diseases. Lead author Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, director of medical mycology at Case Western Reserve University, is also co-founder of Biohm Health.
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Commenting on the research, Sam Schatz, CEO of Biohm Health, said: "This is what happens when you use powerful data, a strong hypothesis on the underlying mechanism of action and world-class science to develop a next generation probiotic ingredient.
"Our unique AI Symbiont platform will accelerate and enhance the formulation and discovery process, leveraging our unique and proprietary data and our pioneering team of dietitians, bioinformaticians, scientists and product developers. Exciting times ahead!"
Study details
The new clinical study investigated the impact of the probiotic-amylase blend that was formulated with Bifidobacterium breve 19bx (1.3 billion CFUs), Lactobacillus acidophilus 16axg (12.8 billion CFUs), Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus 18fx (12.8 billion CFUs), and Saccharomyces boulardii 16mxg (3 billion CFUs) and alpha amylase. The placebo was composed of rice oligodextrin.
Data from the 52 study participants revealed that the prevalence of S. cerevisiae increased between 20% and 60%, while its abundance increased 200-fold.
In addition, seven bacterial and two fungal species—potential pathogens and beneficial organisms—were significantly associated (negatively or positively) with changes in 32 clinical features, the researchers noted.
“Modulation of the gut microbiota following probiotic consumption suggests that it may be possible to adjust probiotics blends that augment host microbial composition and may show efficacy as primary or adjuvant therapies for gastrointestinal diseases such as IBS, CD or obesity,” Dr. Ghannoum and his co-workers wrote. “Indeed, modulating the microbiota via rational design of probiotics may benefit numerous clinical outcomes influenced by the gut microbiota, including potential immune modulation.”
They concluded: “The significant increase in S. cerevisiae calls for further clinical studies examining the potential to modulate human health by augmenting beneficial commensal organisms such as S. cerevisiae through the use of targeted probiotics. Follow-up studies should include robust clinical trials with increased subject numbers and in vitro mechanism of action studies to explore the polymicrobial interactions between species.”
Source: Life
2024, 14(7), 824; doi: 10.3390/life14070824
“A Probiotic Amylase Blend Positively Impacts Gut Microbiota Modulation in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Study”
Authors: M.A. Ghannoum et al.
