Probiotics: A Promising Candidate in Cancer Prevention

Highlights:

• Probiotics can reduce the risk of cancer
• Probiotics have the highest success rate in reducing colon cancer followed by breast cancer and cervical cancer
• Probiotics also help with conditions like Parkinsons and autism

In the world of bacterial warfare, the good bacteria paves it’s way to save us from deadly diseases like cancer. Whenever you take your shopping cart through a grocery store, it is obvious to come across products that are labelled as probiotic, these are products that contain the healthy gut bacteria that can aid in keeping your gut healthy.

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Health Benefits of Probiotics

Probiotics are known to have many complex yet valuable actions including bio-transforming the nutrients, fighting toxins and pathogens in the body, they affect the mood and body weight but the most striking observation that was noted is it’s Anti-cancer effects that have now been studied with colon, oral, breast, cervical, and pancreatic cancers.

In One of the largest studies that was recently conducted, has established the missing link between the gut micro-biome and it’s response to cancer immunotherapy therapy for melanoma.

Dr. Karla Lee, clinical researcher at King`s College London and first author of the study, said, “Preliminary studies on a limited number of patients have suggested that the gut micro-biome, as an immune system regulator, plays a role in the response of each patient to cancer immunotherapy, and particularly in the case of melanoma. This new study could have a major impact on oncology and medicine in general.”

The set of microorganisms that live in the intestines, can be altered through dietary changes and wit the use of probiotics that helps in modifying the micro-biome`s action on the immune system.

Currently less than 50% of patients have responded positively to immunotherapy for melanoma but with further researches there is a chance of increasing the positive

In another study that included 75 women with gynecological cancer receiving pelvic radiotherapy, the patients were either given a high or a low dose of the combined probiotic strains HEAL9TMand LP6595 or placebo was conducted.

“When receiving radiotherapy in connection with gynecological cancer, women often experience gastrointestinal problems during and after the therapy. This study showed significantly reduced severity and frequency of both abdominal pain and defecation urgency,” explains Niklas Larsson, Senior Director Scientific Affairs & IP at Probi.

“It is extremely rewarding to see that such a vulnerable group may be helped in a very exposed situation by consuming our probiotic strains. This is completely in line with our vision to provide probiotics for healthier lives by being an innovative front runner,” says Tom Rönnlund, CEO at Probi.

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Probiotic and Cancer

The occurrence of cancer in people younger than age 50, called early-onset cancer, “has dramatically increased around the world, with the rise beginning around 1990,” according to The Harvard Gazette.

But with various researches there is a sight of hope in different types of cancer.

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Effect of Probiotics on Colon Cancer

Colon cancer, or colorectal cancer (CRC), causes nearly 700,000 deaths each year. Due to the localization of probiotics in the intestines, the effect of probiotics on this type of cancer has been particularly studied. “Accumulating evidence indicates that changes in the gut micro environment, such as undesirable changes in the microbiota composition, provide favorable conditions for intestinal inflammation and shaping the tumor growth environment, whereas administration of certain probiotics can reverse this situation to a certain extent,” a 2020 study reads.

Effect of Probiotics on Cervical Cancer

Recent Researches states that “numerous clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of probiotics in preventing cervical cancer, but their dosages, bacterial strains, and duration of therapy are somewhat inconsistent.” A study in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention found that women who took probiotics had a “twice as high (60 percent compared to 31 percent) chance of clearance of their HPV-infection-related cytological abnormality as a control group.”

Effect of Probiotics on Breast Cancer

In a 2020 study in the journal Cancers, researchers wrote: “Several in vivo and in vitro studies show remarkable evidence that diet, probiotics and prebiotics could exert important anticarcinogenic effects in breast cancer. Moreover, gut microbiota have an important role in the metabolism of chemotherapeutic drugs and in the activity of immunogenic chemotherapies since they are a potential dominant mediator in the response to cancer therapy.”

Other Conditions That May Respond to Probiotics

Probiotics may even offer hope with this cancer, according to a 2021 study in the journal Nutrients.

“The link between gut microbiota and pancreatic cancer has been intensively analyzed during the last several years,” the researchers wrote. “Alterations of gut microbiota affect pancreatic cancer. Microbes may affect the cancer pathway. “The supplementation of gut microbiota with methods, such as administration of prebiotics, probiotics, next-generation probiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation may open new therapeutic strategies for pancreatic cancer patients.”

Probiotics also help in prevention of disruption of the gut microbiota when antibiotics are administered. they have shown promising results in patients with parkinsons, autism and arthritis.

Sources of Probiotics

• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Idli
• Cottage Cheese (Paneer)
• Fermented Soybean - Akhuni
• Pickle
• buttermilk
• Miso
• Green Peas
• Tofu
• Kimchi

Even though there are supplements available, it is to be noted that these supplements are not approved by FDA and hence due diligence must be practiced while taking these supplements.

Probiotics have remarkably shown hope to people in preventing cancer and incorporating the natural source of probiotics can bring in more benefits to our health.

Source-Medindia