Grubb, D.S.; Wrigley, S.D.; Freedman, K.E.; Wei, Y.; Vazquez, A.R.; Trotter, R.E.; Wallace, T.C.; Johnson, S.A.; Weir, T.L. PHAGE-2 Study: Supplemental Bacteriophages Extend Bifidobacterium animals subsp. lactis BL04 Benefits on Gut Health and Microbiota in Healthy Adults. Nutrients2020, 12, 2474.
Grubb, D.S.; Wrigley, S.D.; Freedman, K.E.; Wei, Y.; Vazquez, A.R.; Trotter, R.E.; Wallace, T.C.; Johnson, S.A.; Weir, T.L. PHAGE-2 Study: Supplemental Bacteriophages Extend Bifidobacterium animals subsp. lactis BL04 Benefits on Gut Health and Microbiota in Healthy Adults. Nutrients 2020, 12, 2474.
Grubb, D.S.; Wrigley, S.D.; Freedman, K.E.; Wei, Y.; Vazquez, A.R.; Trotter, R.E.; Wallace, T.C.; Johnson, S.A.; Weir, T.L. PHAGE-2 Study: Supplemental Bacteriophages Extend Bifidobacterium animals subsp. lactis BL04 Benefits on Gut Health and Microbiota in Healthy Adults. Nutrients2020, 12, 2474.
Grubb, D.S.; Wrigley, S.D.; Freedman, K.E.; Wei, Y.; Vazquez, A.R.; Trotter, R.E.; Wallace, T.C.; Johnson, S.A.; Weir, T.L. PHAGE-2 Study: Supplemental Bacteriophages Extend Bifidobacterium animals subsp. lactis BL04 Benefits on Gut Health and Microbiota in Healthy Adults. Nutrients 2020, 12, 2474.
Abstract
Probiotics are increasingly used by consumers and practitioners to reduce gastrointestinal (GI) distress and improve gut function. Here, we sought to determine whether addition of supplemental bacteriophages (PreforPro) could enhance the effects of a common probiotic, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (B. lactis) on GI health. We conducted a 4-week, randomized, parallel-arm, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial where primary outcomes included self-assessments of GI health, a daily stool log, and 16s rRNA analysis of gut microbial populations. We observed within group improvements in GI inflammation (p=0.01) and a trending improvement in colon pain (p=0.08) in individuals consuming B. lactis with PreforPro, but not in the group consuming only the probiotic. There was also a larger increase in Lactobacillus and short chain fatty acid-producing microbial taxa detected in stool of participants taking PreforPro with B. lactis compared to the probiotic alone. Overall, these results suggest the addition of PreforPro as a combination therapy may alter gut ecology to extend the GI benefits of consuming B. lactis or other probiotics.
Keywords
bacteriophage; Bifidobacterium; gut microbiota; intestinal health; microbiome; probiotic
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Food Science and Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
