Probiotics may be helpful to treat osteoporosis

May-2016

Taking probiotics supplements may be helpful to reduce the risk of bone density loss and osteoporosis in elderly women, a pre-clinical study suggests.
 
In the menopause model of experimental animals, the study findings suggest that probiotics use, particularly a mixture of beneficial bacteria can provide lasting effect in post-menopausal women who suffer osteoporosis.
 
Although, the role of immune system has been implicated in the pathogenesis of post-menopausal osteoporosis, no studies could demonstrate the causal or influential role. The study found that the loss of estrogen in post-menopausal state can increase the gut permeability and allows bacterial entry and immune system activation in the intestine.
 
The cascade of pathological events signals the immune cells to break down the bone that leads to bone loss and osteoporosis. Probiotics can tighten the intestinal permeability, prevent bacterial entry into the gut lining, blunt inflammatory signals of the immune cells and prevents osteoporosis.
 
Female experimental animals treated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, twice a week had retained normal bone density while placebo-treated animals had lost 50% of the bone density, the study reported in Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Gut microbes play a vital role in inflammation, modulation of gut permeability and sex steroid depletion, said of the study authors.