Probiotics in baby poo could help lose weight, boost health

While it may sound bizarre, it turns out that baby poo is actually good for health.

People who suffer from bloating or poor digestion have often been told to take probiotics. Probiotics is present in a lot of foods, from yoghurt to pickles and even bread.

And now it turns out that the less savoury baby poo to contains the beneficial bacteria.

According to a report in The Sun, scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have developed a probiotic "cocktail", made from gut bacteria strains found in baby poo - which they say might help in the fight against weight gain and poor gut health.

Speaking about it, study’s lead author Hariom Yadav, assistant professor of molecular medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine said, “Short-chain fatty acids are a key component of good gut health,” adding, “People with diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disorders and cancers frequently have fewer short-chain fatty acids. Increasing them may be helpful in maintaining or even restoring a normal gut environment, and hopefully, improving health.”

The study, published in the Nature journal, examines the effects of probiotic strains derived from baby poo.

However, it turns out that this isn't the first time that experts have claimed the health benefits found in poo.

According to experts, poo transplants already exist and are said to show promising signs of offering new cures for obesity, diabetes and autism.

In the latest study, the team collected poo sample from the nappies of 34 babies and following a lengthy safety check of baby gut-born Lactobacillus and Enterococcus probiotic-rich strains, they then selected the 10 best out of the 321 analysed.

A single dose was given to mice, followed by five shots of the 10-strain probiotic cocktail. And then the same was done to human faeces.

The scientists found that both the single and five-dose shots enhanced the number of short-chain fatty acids in both mouse gut and human poo.