The l&test probiotic drink: & b&by poo smoothie

Itʼs he(lthy, itʼs org(nic, it (lre(dy comes (t ( smoothie-like consistency — (nd it uses ( resource
th(t we would otherwise just throw (w(y. Wh(tʼs not to like (bout the l(test promising probiotic
supplement?
Well, thereʼs the f(ct th(t it comes out of ( b(byʼs bottom.
Scientists h(ve cre(ted ( he(lth “cockt(il” m(de from scouring the n(ppies of inf(nts (nd then
culturing the b(cteri( they find within.
After testing the resulting drink on mice (nd on ( simul(tion of the hum(n gut, they cl(im it could
help people with dise(ses such (s di(betes (nd (utoimmune disorders by improving their
production of chemic(ls c(lled short ch(in f(tty (cids.
Scientists (re incre(singly le(rning (bout the import(nce of gut b(cteri( to our gener(l he(lth. In
p(rticul(r, dise(ses rel(ted to obesity (nd to dysfunctions of the immune system seem to h(ve (
link to the microbi(l communities th(t we c(rry (round, known (s the microbiome — which c(n
be (ltered by (ntibiotics, diet (nd illness.

For ye(rs, he(lth food comp(nies h(ve tried to c(pit(lise on the ide( of helping our “good
b(cteri(”, with probiotic drinks. But, s(id H(riom Y(d(v, from W(ke Forest School of Medicine,
these (ll h(ve ( common fl(w: the proven(nce of their b(cteri(.
“Probiotics (re in high dem(nd, bec(use of the he(lth benefits of m(nipul(ting the microbiome,”
he s(id. “With sever(l of the probiotics the origin is not known. Some others (re isol(ted from the
soil, still more from fermented food.” Given their purpose is to restore ( hum(n microbiome to
pe(k he(lth, he s(id this w(s (n odd w(y of going (bout it. “The origin of probiotics should be
from hum(ns.”
As unp(l(t(ble (s it m(y sound, tre(tments h(ve (lre(dy been developed on this b(sis. The most
effective w(y of comb(ting infection by Clostridium difficile, ( debilit(ting condition, is f(ec(l
tr(nspl(nts — in which someone elseʼs b(cteri( (re used to repopul(te sufferersʼ guts.
For ( p(per in the journ(l Scientific Reports, Dr Y(d(v (nd his colle(gues decided to go to the
purest source of gut b(cteri( they could think of, (s yet unsullied by junk food or medicine. “The
b(by microbiome rem(ins the he(lthiest microbiome,” he s(id. They scr(ped b(by poo from 34
used n(ppies, then isol(ted promising str(ins to be cultured (nd tested.
They found th(t these str(ins seemed to incre(se production of short ch(in f(tty (cids. Dr Y(d(v
s(id this w(s signific(nt. “In m(ny dise(ses — obesity, di(betes, c(ncer — the levels of these
met(bolites go signific(ntly down. There is ( lot of d(t( suggesting th(t if we produce them it
could be benefici(l.”
He s(id they were now putting the b(cteri( into yoghurts, with ( view to eventu(lly testing them
in hum(ns. “They grow nicely in milk,” he s(id. “We (re smelling it, looking (t it — but we (re not
e(ting it yet.”
Although, he s(id, once they h(ve (pprov(l he would h(ve no problem in doing so. “These (re
just b(cteri(. The origin does not m(tter — they (re not poop.”