Can probiotics prevent Coronavirus?

COVID-19 is a novel virus not seen in humans before. This means that health professionals are still in the process of learning how Coronavirus behaves, the mechanisms by which it is transmitted and how it interacts with the human immune system. Due to COVID-19's novelty, it is extremely unlikely that anyone could confidently comment on the ability of any treatment (probiotics included) to prevent this strain of the virus, as this would require robust clinical evidence to be substantiated. Current treatments simply address the symptoms of coronavirus (e.g. fever, cough etc.) which can be typical of seasonal flu or general respiratory illness. So, we don’t really have a definite answer to your question.

However, Fonterra can speak to how the immune system generally functions, and what aspects of immunity our probiotic strains (HN001^TM & HN019^TM) can support based on the clinical evidence available at this stage. Our probiotics can support general immunity, rather than targeting the prevention of a specific disease in the wider population.

What kind of people need probiotics? 

Probiotics are usually targeted to the general consumer, either to promote health or for mild to moderate conditions amenable to nutritional intervention. We have seen some evidence that probiotics could be particularly useful for supporting those with sub-optimal immunity – for instance, older individuals.

Probiotics are also commonly recommended for people who have recently taken antibiotics, which disrupts the natural balance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut. This imbalance is called dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis can also be caused by stress, exposure to toxins, disease, excessive exercise, poor diet and age, so people with these factors may also benefit.

Additionally, people at either end of life typically have a reduced diversity of gut bacteria. Since increased diversity of gut bacteria is associated with better health outcomes, infants or the elderly may also benefit more from probiotic consumption. 

More detail can be found in our Immunity & Digestive Health white papers.

How should consumers choose probiotics?

Understanding the science behind probiotics can be a complex business. Ideally, your doctor should provide medical advice on the strain, dosage and duration of treatment based on your needs.

But here are some pointers:

• Pick by Health Benefit: as previously mentioned, probiotics are not a magic solution to cure all ailments! Not all probiotics will provide the same benefits. Choose a probiotic that has been shown by sound scientific evidence to specifically address your specific health condition.
  
  
• Human Clinical Evidence: check that the probiotic strain has been researched in humans, not just animals. This is because health benefits seen in animals don't necessarily translate to humans. Animal studies are typically done for 2 reasons to 1) establish a treatment is safe, before moving to human clinical trials; 2) because they are faster and cheaper. The human clinical research should ideally be peer-reviewed and published in a reputable academic journal. This means that other scientists have critiqued the research to ensure it is robust.
  
  
• Dosage: The amount of probiotics in a product will be labelled as a Colony Forming Units (CFU) per serve. A probiotic strain needs to be at a CFU equal or higher than the dose used in successful human clinical studies to provide you with a health benefit. Note that a higher CFU doesn't necessarily mean extra health benefits.

• Shelf life: look for products that guarantee CFU throughout the shelf life. This is because the probiotics can begin to die in the timeframe between the product being manufactured and being consumed by the end-user. If the probiotics are dead, or the dose is below the recommended level, you may not achieve the health benefit you are looking for. This means you should avoid products with disclaims like "X CFU per serve at the time of manufacture" as this often means the product has not been tested to guarantee that the CFU stated on the pack truly reflects the minimum number of probiotics still alive by the product's use-by/expiry date.
  
  
• Storage:  Some probiotics will need special storage conditions to remain alive. Check the storage instructions on the product. If the store you are buying from is not adhering to these instructions then the probiotics may not be alive e.g. if the packaging states “keep refrigerated” but the product is being sold at room temperature at the store, then don’t buy it.
  
  
• Avoid probiotic products that need to be heated before consumption: Most probiotics will be killed with heat. This might mean opting for shelf stable probiotic products, or those that need to be refrigerated. To provide health benefits, probiotics must reach your gut alive. 

When is the best time to take probiotics?

Probiotics can be taken at any time of day.

The most important requirement is to consistently take your probiotic supplement of choice. This is because regular consumption is required to maintain a certain probiotic's level in your gut, in order to realise the desired health benefit. If you stop taking a probiotic, then your gut bacteria will normally return to the same state they were in prior to supplementation within a couple of weeks. The benefits of the probiotic will usually subside as well, although some types of probiotics have been selected specifically because they linger in the gut.