Probiotics 'not as beneficial for gut health as previously thought'

Research finds probiotics caused 'very severe disturbance' in gut when taken in conjunction with antibiotics

Probiotics, hailed by some as a cure for all kinds of digestive ailments and recommended by many GPs alongside antibiotics, may not be as universally beneficial for gut health as previously thought.

The gut microbiome is the sum total of all the micro-organisms living in a person's gut, and has been shown to play a huge role in human health. New research has found probiotics - usually taken as supplements or in foods such as yoghurt, kimchi or kefir - can hinder a patient's gut microbiome from returning to normal after a course of antibiotics, and that different people respond to probiotics in dramatically different ways.