Could Probiotics Protect Bone Health?

A study published in Immunity suggests probiotics might be a safe and effective tool for combating bone loss that leads to osteoporosis, reports Medical News Today . The investigators administered oral Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG supplementation to a group of mice over a four-week period. The probiotic was found to stimulate the growth of gut bacteria that produce a particular metabolite called butyrate, which subsequently spurred T cells in bone marrow to produce the protein Wnt10b, which is essential for bone growth. "Because their mechanism of action in bone is unknown, probiotics are regarded as some kind of alternative, esoteric, unproven treatment," notes Emory University's Roberto Pacifici. He not only believes the study's results indicate that probiotics can have a beneficial effect on bone structure, but also that the number of bacteria contained in the probiotics may be as vital as the probiotic that is used. Pacifici says the validation of these findings by human studies could clear the way for an inexpensive and well-tolerated treatment to help optimize skeletal development in young people and perhaps help prevent osteoporosis in older men and women.