Probiotics Could be Effective in Preventing Respiratory Infections in Obese People

Probiotics Could be Effective in Preventing Respiratory Infections in Obese People

Probiotics may be effective in preventing respiratory infections in obese people. A recent study from Imperial College London shows that regular probiotics might help overweight people avoid upper respiratory infections. The therapy had the greatest impact on obese people and those over 45.

Dr Benjamin Mullish of Imperial College London’s Division of Digestive Diseases said the findings show probiotics may be a beneficial new way to prevent respiratory infections in these fragile patients.

As Dr Mullish said in his remark, the gut–lung axis is characterised as the relationship between gut microbiota and respiratory immune responses. Probiotics have been shown to reduce upper respiratory tract infections in otherwise healthy adults and children. However, they lack data on vulnerable categories like the aged, overweight, and obese. They wanted to see whether probiotics might protect obese and elderly patients from respiratory infections by inhibiting pathogen development in their stomachs.

The researchers used patient-reported data from the PROMAGEN study, which assessed daily probiotic administration for weight loss in a randomised trial. For six months, individuals (aged 30–65; BMI 25–35 kg/m2) were randomly allocated to either a placebo or a common daily probiotic including Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria (lab4P).

Coughs, sore throats, headaches, muscle stiffness, and wheezing were among the symptoms participants documented every day in their diaries. Respiratory symptoms increased in frequency with age (P = 0.0071) and BMI (P = 0.0393).

 Dr Mullish and his colleagues discovered that patients taking probiotics had lower BMI (P 0.0001) and dropped an average of 1.3 kg (P 0.0001).

As well as improving weight and metabolism, these probiotics seem to reduce symptoms of upper respiratory infections, especially in the elderly and obese. Their current research, they believe, adds to the evidence that the gut microbiota interacts with multiple organ symptoms, potentially affecting crucial aspects of human health. In this way, probiotics may have a more specific role in the prevention or reduction of upper respiratory infections in high-risk adult groups.

Dr Mullish feels that future research should address the possible impact of probiotics on the immune system as well as the mechanisms that underpin the reduction in participants’ respiratory symptoms.

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