Researchers have begun extracting probiotics from the feces of infants in the hopes of treating gut diseases in adults. Buzz60’s Tony Spitz has the details:
Could the key to better gut health reside in a probiotic cocktail brewed from the contents of an infant’s dirty diaper?
That’s the question driving a new line of research investigating the power of baby poop as a potential source of microbes that could contribute to healthier digestion. And experiments recently showed that certain types of bacteria extracted from baby feces could promote the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in mice, and in a medium simulating the human gut.
SCFA molecules are a subset of fatty acids that are churned out by some types of gut microbes during the fermentation of fiber. They’re associated with maintaining gut health and protecting against disease, so a probiotic containing baby-poop microbes could provide health benefits by boosting SCFA production in a compromised digestive system, researchers reported in the new study.
“Short-chain fatty acids are a key component of good gut health,” lead study author Hariom Yadav, an assistant professor of molecular medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, said in a statement. “People with diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disorders and cancers frequently have fewer short-chain fatty acids. Increasing them may be helpful in maintaining or even restoring a normal gut environment, and hopefully, improving health,” Yadav said.
Video by Buzz60/Tony Spitz[/vc_message]
