What is the Microbiome and Why Does it Matter?
 

Antibiotics & Probiotics:
Restoring Your Gut Health

What is the Microbiome and Why Does it Matter?

Antibiotics are often essential for fighting serious infections — they can be lifesaving. But while they target harmful bacteria, they can also affect the good bacteria that help keep your gut and immune system healthy.

This disruption, called dysbiosis, can sometimes lead to digestive upset, lowered immunity, or even increase the risk of future infections. What many people don’t realise is that the gut can take months — even years — to fully restore itself after a single course of antibiotics.

That’s where probiotics come in!

Microbiome imagery

Why Take Probiotics with Antibiotics?

When antibiotics clear out bacteria, they don’t discriminate between “good” and “bad.” This can leave room for less-friendly bacteria to overgrow.

Did you know? Unfriendly bacteria are not only linked to antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and tummy upsets but can also increase the risk of infections down the track.

Taking the right probiotic during (and after) a course of antibiotics can help restore balance and support your body’s immune system while you recover.

Why Strain Matters (Not All Probiotics Are the Same!)

You’ve probably noticed there are lots of probiotic products on shelves. But here’s the key difference: not all probiotics are backed by clinical research, and not all strains behave the same way.

Think of probiotics like different breeds of dogs — they may all be dogs, but they behave very differently!

Each probiotic strain (identified by its unique code of letters and numbers) has specific, proven benefits. For example, the probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 — originally discovered in breastmilk — is the exact strain studied in humans for its therapeutic effects and the strain is shown with ‘CECT5716’.

In short: look for probiotics with research behind the specific strain, not just the species name and look for probiotics that list the strain (most don’t).

The Qiara Probiotics range - Qiara Pregnancy & Breastfeeding, Qiara Infant, Qiara Kids and Qiara Everyday.

The Science Behind the Qiara Probiotic Strain L. fermentum CECT5716

The probiotic strain used in Qiara - L. fermentum CECT5716 has been shown in research to:
  • Increases the growth of good bacteria
  • Supports healthy digestion and immune function
  • Stimulates a healthy immune system response
  • Maintains and supports a robust microbiome

This makes it an ideal probiotic for use during and after antibiotics, helping restore the balance your body needs to stay healthy.

Restore the balance your body needs and stay healthy.

Join the Qiara Life Club

When you join our free community, you’ll get access to:

  • Expert webinars on the immune system, gut health, probiotics and the microbiome.
  • Helpful resources and practical tips for optimising your gut and immune health.
  • Exclusive offers on Qiara products
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References

  1. Long-term Ecological Impacts of Antibiotic Administration on the Human Intestinal Microbiota. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18043614/
  2. Short-Term Antibiotic Treatment Has Differing Long-Term Impacts on the Human Throat and Gut Microbiome. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0009836
  3. Probiotics to prevent Staphylococcus aureus disease? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC69733132/
  4. Evidence of Probiotic Strain Specificity Makes Extrapolation of Results Impossible From a Strain to Another, Even From the Same Species. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4471/178b88390739ad168c749326e64f1995c961.pdf?_ga=2.203048921.970784682.1590538356-845764324.1590538356
  5. Efficacy of Single-Strain Probiotics Versus Multi-Strain Mixtures: Systematic Review of Strain and Disease Specificity. Efficacy of Single-Strain Probiotics Versus Multi-Strain Mixtures: Systematic Review of Strain and Disease Specificity - PubMed (nih.gov)
  6. Strain-Specificity and Disease-Specificity of Probiotic Efficacy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Strain-Specificity and Disease-Specificity of Probiotic Efficacy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - PMC (nih.gov)
  7. Oral fermentum CECT5716 Prevents Lactational Mastitis Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial. José A. Hurtado et al. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5444431/
  8. Treatment of Infectious Mastitis during Lactation: Antibiotics versus Oral Administration of Lactobacilli Isolated from Breast Milk. Arroyo et al. https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/50/12/1551/303815
  9. Lactobacillus fermentum CECT 5716 Reduces Staphylococcus Load in the Breastmilk of Lactating Mothers Suffering Breast Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Maldonado et al. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/bfm.2015.0070
  10. Probiotics in human milk and probiotic supplementation in infant nutrition: a workshop report British Journal of Nutrition (2014). https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/EBA29A2197CEBDFB90950B2628552309/S0007114514001949a.pdf/probiotics_in_human_milk_and_probiotic_supplementation_in_infant_nutrition_a_workshop_report.pdf
  11. Limosilactobacillus fermentum CECT5716: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Insights Nutrients 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8003974/
  12. Impact of commonly used drugs on the composition and metabolic function of the gut microbiota. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6969170/
  13. Proton pump inhibitors affect the gut microbiome. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4853569