A study financed by the U.S pharmaceutical company Biocodex, investigated the effects of Saccharomyces boulardii (a probiotic yeast), and a commonly prescribed antibiotic Am***cillin/Clavulanate, on the microbiome of the healthy human digestive tract.
Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic yeast, found naturally on the skin of lychee fruits
The particular substrain used in this study was Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM 1-745. The study carried out by Dr Kelly, a Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Kabbani a gastroenterology fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center concluded that; commonly prescribed antibiotics, such as Am***cillin, indiscriminately wipe out both friendly and unfriendly bacteria from the gut, and have a negative impact on the microbiome and therefore our health.
However, when patients were given Saccharomyces boulardii alongside a course of antibiotics, the study showed that the populations of good and bad bacteria in the GI tract were kept in a healthy balance.
The Executive Vice President of Biocodex, Marc Rohman, stated that: ‘These findings demonstrate that this probiotic yeast, now proven to preserve gut flora balance, even when an antibiotic is on board, can significantly contribute to preventative health care’.
For further reading about antibiotics, you may be interested in:
Probiotics Vs Antibiotics? You're asking the wrong question!
Antibiotics linked to childhood obesity
Can probiotics help to prevent antibiotic resistance?
