Probiotics contain live microorganisms that can interact with the microbial community already living in your gut.
But taking a probiotic does not simply mean adding “good bacteria” to your microbiome.
What can probiotics do?
Different probiotics can affect the intestinal environment in different ways.
They may interact with microorganisms already present in the gut and influence microbial activity. Some probiotic interventions have also been associated with changes in health-related measures.
The effect depends on the probiotic used and can vary between people.
Can probiotics create a healthier microbiome?
There is no single gut microbiome that defines good health for everyone. For the same reason, there is no universal probiotic that can create an ideal microbiome.
A change in the amount of one microorganism also does not necessarily mean that the whole microbiome has become healthier.
What matters is how the microbial community functions and how changes in that community relate to the health of the individual.
What does this mean for healthy ageing?
The gut microbiome changes throughout life and can also be modified. This makes it an interesting target for healthy ageing.
Probiotics are one possible way of influencing the microbiome. Diet, prebiotics and other microbiome-directed approaches can also affect the intestinal environment.
The aim is not simply to add more bacteria. It is to understand which changes in the microbiome may support health and which interventions can produce those changes.
