A study of 20 volunteers, eight males and twelve females, who were given Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains, either 30 min before breakfast (pre-prandial administration), or 30 min after breakfast (post-prandial administration) found no difference in the levels measured in the stools. Different theories have suggested the higher acidity in the empty stomach or the mixing in with the food might influence the amount of viable bacteria that populate the colon. While only a small number the study suggest take them any time.

The study also found probiotic supplement levels up to 1 month after the end of probiotic oral intake in both groups. It also reported a significant decrease in Firmicutes abundance which has been associated with weight gain and diabetes. The abundance of a particular stain Akkermansia muciniphila was increased compared to samples collected at the beginning of the experiment. This is important as it is the bacteria that increases with the diabetic drug metformin and is associated with breaking down the mucus build-up in the gut and stimulating energy production in the cells (the mitochondria). Yes that is how the drug metformin works. If they inject it directly into the blood it has no benefit at all. Yes the worlds most effective drug is just a prebiotic.

In this study the probiotic supplement showed the ability to modulate the gut microbiota composition, leading to a significant reduction of potentially harmful bacteria and an increase of beneficial ones. The two bacterial strains seemed able to exert a beneficial effect on the bacterial ecology of the gastrointestinal tract, as many significant positive changes in gut microbiota composition have been highlighted.

In the last years, their numerous beneficial properties and positive impact on human health have deeply been described. Nowadays, hundreds of different bacterial strains are available in the global probiotic market and consequently, the choice of the most suitable probiotic product becomes very difficult and fragmented. Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria are the main microorganisms used as probiotics; indeed, numerous species belonging to these genera have been reported as safe and effective in improving the host’s health. Several studies showed that the combination of specific bacterial strains belonging to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species can act in optimal synergy for restoring the intestinal balance.