MICROBIOME GENERA SHIFT IN GUT FOLLOWING PROBIOTIC CONSUMPTION

Dietary probiotics have been shown to modulate gut microbiota dysbiosis (an imbalance between a person’s gut microbial population because of impaired health) in individuals with non-communicable diseases. The study cited investigated the impact of probiotic yoghurt with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactic BB-12 (BB-12) on gut microbiome modulation among overweight and obese women.

A blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled intervention study involving eighteen women aged 25–55 years with a body mass index greater than 25 was conducted. For twelve weeks, daily, participants assigned to the intervention group (with probiotic) or the control group (conventional) consumed 100 ml of yoghurt. Microbial DNA extracted from stool samples collected at baseline and post-intervention was subjected to 16S rDNA gene sequencing. Taxonomic composition, diversity, and microbial co-occurrence network dynamics were assessed using bioinformatic and statistical analysis.

Principal component analysis showed that probiotic yoghurt consumption explained 33.5% of the gut microbiome variation. Compared to Control, significant (p < 0.05) enrichment of beneficial genera, including Lachnospiraceae, Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium_2, Leyella, and Holdemanella, was observed, alongside reductions in taxa linked to dysbiosis, such as Succinivibrionaceae_2, Ruminococcaceae, Akkermansia_2 and Incertae Sedis_234. Probiotic yoghurt intake also increased alpha diversity (Chao1, p < 0.05) and PERMANOVA revealed significant beta diversity shifts post-intervention (p < 0.05). In addition, microbial networks in the probiotic group exhibited greater connectivity.

It was concluded that the daily consumption of probiotic yoghurt promoted enrichment of beneficial genera, enhanced microbial connectivity and reduced fragmentation in the gut microbiome among women with a body mass index greater than 25. This strategy may offer a dietary approach to improve gut health and potentially mitigate obesity-associated microbiome dysbiosis.