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Does the effect of probiotics depend on gender?

Do probiotics have a positive or negative effect on your condition?

  • Total voters
    21
justy

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
I cant vote because [robiotics have no effect positive or negative on my M.E or Lyme etc, but due to MCAS I cant take them as they increase histamine. A trial of Vivomixx 4 weeks ago led to a nasty and long lasting exacerbation of my MCAS symptoms, especially continual all over body itching. So I no longer take them.
 
G

Gijs

Senior Member
Messages
691
If you want to know if probiotics are helpfull or not, you need to know which specific bacteria patiënts have been taken. So this poll isn't helpfull.
 
M

msf

Senior Member
Messages
3,650
Gijs said:
If you want to know if probiotics are helpfull or not, you need to know which specific bacteria patiënts have been taken. So this poll isn't helpfull.
Click to expand...

Did you read my opening post?

Aside from the fact that I encouraged people to say how they voted and what probiotics they took, if you look at the paper in the other thread you will notice that percentage of Lactobacilli correlated with worse symptoms in men, but not in women, whilst percentage of Bifidobacteria correlated with improved symptoms in women, but not in men. Since most brands of probiotics predominantly consist of these two genera of bacteria, I thought that the effect of a few people taking probiotics containing other genera would not affect the results greatly. I tried to allow for the possibility that people might surprise me in their probiotic choices by asking people to provide more detail.
 
Last edited:
M

msf

Senior Member
Messages
3,650
PennyIA said:
I did vote negative and I am a female. I've tried 5 different kinds and had serious issues with each attempt.

But I think the question is probably moot. Because honestly?

  • I think it helps if it's what you need
  • It's harmful if it's the LAST thing your body needs and triggers problems
  • No impact just means that you didn't need it and it didn't worsen your condition

Until we know how to diagnose the ROOT problems, it's just another shot in the dark and it's likely to help some, harm others and leave others scratching their heads as it doesn't seem to matter.
Click to expand...

But according to the paper mentioned in the other thread, what you ´need´ will vary depending on your gender, as well as other factors.
 
M

msf

Senior Member
Messages
3,650
justy said:
I cant vote because [robiotics have no effect positive or negative on my M.E or Lyme etc, but due to MCAS I cant take them as they increase histamine. A trial of Vivomixx 4 weeks ago led to a nasty and long lasting exacerbation of my MCAS symptoms, especially continual all over body itching. So I no longer take them.
Click to expand...

I added an ´no effect´ option. I don´t know if MCAS is more common in females, although I suspect it might be, but if it is then that might affect the results of the poll, which I set up to see what effect probiotics have on general ME symptoms (like the ones in the paper), and whether there is a gender difference. I think since itching wasn´t included in the paper, it´s best if those with MCAS disregard it when it comes to voting, although I´m sure MCAS affects other symptoms too.
 
MeSci

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
sarah darwins

sarah darwins

Senior Member
Messages
2,508
Location
Cornwall, UK
MeSci said:
They are on mice. Not likely to produce info relevant to humans.
Click to expand...
A saw that, and was disappointed (I share a lot of your views on this stuff). Given how easy and cheap it is to do metagenomic stool analysis of human gut flora, you'd think human testing wouldn't be so hard. I'm just interested in the link between fibre and flora.
 
alex3619

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
TigerLilea said:
You need a "made no noticeable difference" vote.
Click to expand...

I understood no difference to be no noticeable difference. If it had an impact I did not see it. I have not taken probiotics aside from yoghurt in cooking for more than a decade.

Similarly a yes or no answer is potentially biased due to recall issues and not being really sure about causation. A poll is just to find out if there might be something worth deeper consideration.

I am not sure this really tests the issues raised in the paper though. I have yet to read the full paper, that is on my todo list.
 
MeSci

MeSci

ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
Messages
8,231
Location
Cornwall, UK
sarah darwins said:
A saw that, and was disappointed (I share a lot of your views on this stuff). Given how easy and cheap it is to do metagenomic stool analysis of human gut flora, you'd think human testing wouldn't be so hard. I'm just interested in the link between fibre and flora.
Click to expand...
Have you seen this thread on the different microbiomes of men and women with ME/CFS?
 
M

msf

Senior Member
Messages
3,650
alex3619 said:
I understood no difference to be no noticeable difference. If it had an impact I did not see it. I have not taken probiotics aside from yoghurt in cooking for more than a decade.

Similarly a yes or no answer is potentially biased due to recall issues and not being really sure about causation. A poll is just to find out if there might be something worth deeper consideration.

I am not sure this really tests the issues raised in the paper though. I have yet to read the full paper, that is on my todo list.
Click to expand...

I never thought it did test the issues raised in the paper. The thought just occurred to me whilst reading the paper that there might be gender differences in the response to probiotics in ME. This, if it exists, could be due to countless factors, one of which is suggested in the paper - other explanations for any difference could be men and women taking different probiotics, taking them at different stages of the illness, taking them with/without antibiotics, and so on.
 
Clerner

Clerner

Senior Member
Messages
249
Location
Sarasota Florida
Mij said:
Well, the sauerkraut says, "various strains of lactobacillus"

Kefir doesn't say.

I didn't vote but they really help.
Click to expand...
Just started taking both of these. Found a lactose free kefir with 10 different strains. And of course naturally fermented sauerkraut with No vinegar just salt. I add whole flax seeds to kefir. So hoping this heals my gut, and reduces IBS-c, yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. We shall see...
 
TigerLilea

TigerLilea

Senior Member
Messages
1,147
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia
alex3619 said:
I understood no difference to be no noticeable difference. If it had an impact I did not see it. I have not taken probiotics aside from yoghurt in cooking for more than a decade.

Similarly a yes or no answer is potentially biased due to recall issues and not being really sure about causation. A poll is just to find out if there might be something worth deeper consideration.

I am not sure this really tests the issues raised in the paper though. I have yet to read the full paper, that is on my todo list.
Click to expand...
The last two voting options for "no difference" were just added. When I first went to vote they weren't there. :)
 
TigerLilea

TigerLilea

Senior Member
Messages
1,147
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia
Clerner said:
Just started taking both of these. Found a lactose free kefir with 10 different strains. And of course naturally fermented sauerkraut with No vinegar just salt. I add whole flax seeds to kefir. So hoping this heals my gut, and reduces IBS-c, yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis. We shall see...
Click to expand...
Kefir is lactose free as the fermentation process burns off the lactose. :)
 
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