According to recent studies, there could be an apparent benefit to adding certain types of viruses to the bacteria found in probiotic supplements, where those viruses serve the same end as a prebiotic ingredient.
 
Deerland Probiotics and Enzymes recently announced that PreforPro, a prebiotic ingredient containing a blend of bacteriophages, was able to beneficially augment the effect that a probiotic supplement had on benefitting gastrointestinal function. Bacteriophages are viruses that replicate within a bacterial cell.
 
The goal of the parallel-arm study was to investigate whether the bacteriophages, would enhance or provide additional benefits to gastrointestinal function, compared to the probiotic by itself, and the results suggest a synergistic capability.
 
The study, which was published in Nutrients, analyzed the bacteriophages’ effect on Bifidobacterium animalis lactis BL04, and enrolled 66 participants who were assigned to one of three groups: probiotic and prebiotic supplementation, probiotic supplementation alone, or placebo.
 
Participants consumed one capsule daily for 4 weeks, and  GI function was assessed through a number of metrics at both baseline and the completion of the trial. Participants in the trial had to complete a digestive health questionnaire at baseline and after 4 weeks on treatment to assess perceived effects on GI symptoms, which assessed both the severity and frequency of their symptoms. Additionally, participants were asked to record all bowel movements, and rank them according to the Bristol Stool Chart. Fecal samples were used to determine phage enumeration, and assess the microbiota content.
 
It was found that the group consuming PreforPro experienced significant differences in improvements in self-reported GI inflammation symptoms, a reduction in colonic cramp discomfort, a greater increase in the presence of Lactobacillus vs. placebo, decrease in the strains Citrobacter and Desulfovibrio (which are associated with gut inflammation and GI disorders, and a reduction in E. Coli. There were no additional significant improvements, and no significant worsening of symptoms, which indicates that both treatments at the levels administered were tolerable. Additionally, researchers indicated that the effect B. lactis alone had on colon pain was negligible, but for the probiotic with the bacteriophages, these improvements were significant.
 
“There is a growing interest in the incorporation of phages with probiotic dietary supplements. Phages can target specific pro-inflammatory or pathogenic organisms in the gut and potentially enhance the GI benefits of the probiotics, although evidence for these effects in human trials is currently lacking,” the authors of the study said, highlighting a few clinical trials on bacteriophages with prebiotic function with similarly positive results. “The beneficial effect of supplementation with B. lactis BL04 appeared restricted to improvements in symptoms related to gastric function and stool consistency in 52% of participants. Participants who consumed B. lactis BL04 and PreforPro showed improvements in digestive symptoms related to GI inflammation and colon pain and had the highest percentage of individuals reporting overall reduced symptom severity[…] in conclusion, the present study demonstrates that oral supplementation of B. lactis BL04 over the course of 4 weeks has the potential to improve stool consistency, and B. lactis BL04 with PreforPro can significantly improve some GI symptoms.”
 
“In addition, a lack of global changes to the microbiota (dysbiosis) in combination with specific modulation of certain taxa, like Lactobacillus, suggests that PreforPro displays prebiotic-like effects and may extend the GI benefits of consuming B. lactis or other probiotics,” John Deaton, vice president of science and technology for Deerland Probiotics and Enzymes, said.