Muhammed Majeed, Kalyanam Nagabhushanam, Lakshmi Mundkur, Shaji Paulose, Hema Divakar, Sudha Rao, Sivakumar Arumugam
Journal: Medicine 2023;102(20):e33751
PMID: 37335737
Several studies have reported the positive effect of probiotics on restoring the gut microbiome in conditions of gut dysbiosis. However, the impact of probiotics on gut microbiome composition in healthy individuals is not very well established. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of B. coagulans MTCC 5856 supplementation on the changes in the composition and abundance of gut microbiota. This study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The subjects (N = 30) were randomised to receive either of the 2 investigational products: probiotic intervention vs palcebo. Results showed that the metagenome analysis revealed no major changes in the gut microbiome composition in individuals supplemented with B. coagulans MTCC 5856. However, minor positive changes were observed in supplemented individuals. Furthermore, the probiotic did not adversely affect abdominal health, stool pattern, or clinical and biochemical parameters. Authors concluded that B. coagulans MTCC 5856 is a safe probiotic, maintains gut health, and general health parameters in the normal range, and does not grossly alter the gut microbiota composition in healthy humans, thereby maintaining the delicate host-microbe relationship in the gut ecosystem.
BACKGROUND
Probiotics are known to rebalance the gut microbiota in dysbiotic individuals, but their impact on the gut microbiome of healthy individuals is seldom studied. The current study is designed to assess the impact and safety of Bacillus coagulans (Weizmannia coagulans) microbial type culture collection 5856 (LactoSpore®) supplementation on microbiota composition in healthy Indian adults.
METHODS
The study participants (N = 30) received either LactoSpore (2 billion colony-forming units/capsule) or placebo for 28 days. The general and digestive health were assessed through questionnaires and safety by monitoring adverse events. Taxonomic profiling of the fecal samples was carried out by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq platform. The bacterial persistence was enumerated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS
Gut health, general health, and blood biochemical parameters remained normal in all the participants. No adverse events were reported during the study. Metataxonomic analysis revealed minimal changes to the gut microbiome of otherwise healthy subjects and balance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes was maintained by LactoSpore. The relative abundance of beneficial bacteria like Prevotella, Faecalibacterium, Blautia, Megasphaera, and Ruminococcus showed an increase in probiotic-supplemented individuals. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed highly variable numbers of B. coagulans in feces before and after the study.
CONCLUSION
The present study results suggest that LactoSpore is safe for consumption and does not alter the gut microbiome of healthy individuals. Minor changes in a few bacterial species may have a beneficial outcome in healthy individuals. The results reiterate the safety of B. coagulans microbial type culture collection 5856 as a dietary supplement and provide a rationale to explore its effect on gut microbiome composition in individuals with dysbiosis.
Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
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