Not Everyone Needs Probiotics, Suggests Study of Hunter-Gatherer Guts

After taking an antibiotic or catching an intestinal bug, many of us belt down probiotic drinks to restore the “natural balance” of organisms in our intestines. Probiotics are one of the fastest growing products in the food industry, now added to yogurts, drinks, and baby food. Yet, not everyone needs them to stay healthy. A new study of the gut bacteria of hunter-gatherers in Africa has found that they completely lack a bacterium that is a key ingredient in most probiotic foods and considered healthy. What’s more, the Hadza don’t suffer from colon cancer, colitis, Crohn’s, or other diseases of the colon that are found in humans eating modern diets in Western nations.

The new study is the first to report on the gut bacteria of hunter-gatherers, who hunt and forage for most of their foods, just as our ancestors did before the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago. Until now, studies of gut bacteria have focused on people who live in industrialized nations, many of whom eat diets high in sugar, salt, and fat. These diets have shifted the type of bacteria in our guts, known as the microbiome. Gut bacteria respond rapidly to changes in their host’s diet, and humans who live in rural areas and eat fewer processed foods have more diverse microbiomes. Conversely, researchers also have found an association between less diversity in the microbiome and diseases of the colon, such as Crohn’s disease and colon cancer.

http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/04/not-everyone-needs-probiotics-suggests-study-hunter-gatherer-guts?rss=1

I often think all these "extras" we stick in our bodies, like probiotic crap and multi-vitamins etc, are all a crock of crap.
We get, if we eat a varied enough diet, everything we need from our food.

Some,people are obsessed with shoving stuff into their bodies.
Fruit, veg, healthy carbs, protein and water, and the occasional treat.
That's all we need.

probiotics make me very very ill i would end up in hospital .

VOD(original) wrote:probiotics make me very very ill i would end up in hospital .

Really? Why Vod?
Hi btw x

eddie wrote:I often think all these "extras" we stick in our bodies, like probiotic crap and multi-vitamins etc, are all a crock of crap.
We get, if we eat a varied enough diet, everything we need from our food.

Some,people are obsessed with shoving stuff into their bodies.
Fruit, veg, healthy carbs, protein and water, and the occasional treat.
That's all we need.

I agree, any benefit from a lot of the 'health' products is really just getting nutrients that your not getting in your normal diet. personally i know i don't eat enough fruit and veg so buy the good fruit juice.

eddie wrote:I often think all these "extras" we stick in our bodies, like probiotic crap and multi-vitamins etc, are all a crock of crap.
We get, if we eat a varied enough diet, everything we need from our food.

Some,people are obsessed with shoving stuff into their bodies.
Fruit, veg, healthy carbs, protein and water, and the occasional treat.
That's all we need.

I agree, if you eat a balanced diet there isn't any need for these artificial things.

Except.. I refuse to drink water, water is for plants. Or for maybe sticking a drop in whisky if you have run out of coke