Probiotic Bacteria Induce a Glow of Health

    January 2013 in “ PLOS ONE ”
    Tatiana Levkovich, Theofilos Poutahidis, Christopher Smillie, Bernard J. Varian, Yassin M. Ibrahim, Jessica R. Lakritz, Eric J. Alm, Susan E. Erdman
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    TLDR Probiotic bacteria improved skin and hair health in aged mice.
    In the 2013 study, researchers found that feeding aged mice with probiotic bacteria, specifically Lactobacillus reuteri, led to improved skin and hair health, including thicker skin, more anagen-phase hairs, and shinier fur. These effects were dependent on the anti-inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-10 (Il-10), as mice lacking Il-10 did not exhibit the same benefits. The study, which included 10-20 mice per group with each experiment replicated twice, suggests that probiotics can promote hair growth and skin health through an immune-mediated mechanism, potentially offering new strategies for enhancing integumentary health. The findings also imply that probiotics may signal reproductive fitness and vitality, which could have implications for human hair growth and skin health, though further research is needed.
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