You might think that vitamin and mineral supplements are only beneficial for a bit of a wellness boost against the common cold, but laboratory studies have found that a natural probiotic supplement can help build healthy bones, which could make a significant difference to the wellbeing of osteoporosis patients.
The scientists at Michigan State University, who published their work in the Journal of Cellular Physiology, found that when they fed male mice an anti-inflammatory probiotic supplement, known as Lactobacillus reuteri, the animals produced healthier bones, though the same effect was not exhibited by female mice. However, the researchers report that further studies could explain the gender difference.
According to lead researcher Laura McCabe, a professor in MSU’s Departments of Physiology and Radiology, ‘We know that inflammation in the gut can cause bone loss, though it’s unclear exactly why. The neat thing we found is that a probiotic can enhance bone density.’ The authors say that further research could refine their understanding, and the results could pave the way for new natural treatments for osteoporosis, or even ways to prevent the bone disease.
Probiotics are microorganisms that have been linked to a host of health benefits, but they’re mostly known for helping to balance your immune system. Co-researcher Robert Britton, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, explained, ‘Through food fermentation, we’ve been eating bacteria that we classify as probiotics for thousands of years. There’s evidence that this bacterium as species has co-evolved with humans. It’s indigenous to our intestinal tracts and is something that, if missing, might cause problems.’
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, roughly one in two women and one in four men will break a bone due to osteoporosis, and though there are drugs to treat the disease, they can produce side effects and disrupt the natural growth of your bone tissue. Both McCabe and Britton said they’re hopeful their research, which was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, could point the way toward osteoporosis treatments that don’t carry side effects.
McCabe concluded, ‘People tend to think of osteoporosis as just affecting post-menopausal women, but what they don’t realize is that it can occur with other conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and type 1 diabetes. You don’t want to put your child on medications that reduce bone remodelling for the rest of their life, so something natural could be useful for long-term treatment of bone loss that begins at childhood.’
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