In a one-of-a-kind study, researchers from the UC Davis School of Medicine. They found that probiotics significantly improve pregnancy-related symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
The findings were published in the journal Nutrients.
Nausea and vomiting affect approximately 85% of pregnancies
Nausea and vomiting affect approximately 85% of pregnancies and can have a significant impact on quality of life. Particularly during the early stages of pregnancy.
“The cause of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is unknown to date. Various theories have been proposed, but none of them are conclusive, “said Albert T. Liu, lead author of the study and professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
“Nausea, vomiting and constipation during pregnancy can significantly decrease the quality of life of patients. Once nausea and vomiting during pregnancy progress, it can become difficult to control and sometimes. The patient even needs to be hospitalized, ”Liu said.
Beneficial microbes
Probiotics are known as “beneficial bacteria.” They can be found in foods like yogurt, kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, and tempeh. Probiotics are also available as food supplements. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, in addition to vitamins, probiotics or prebiotics were the third most widely used dietary supplement for adults.
Probiotics are believed to support the community of different microbes. Often referred to as the “gut microbiome,” it is found in the gastrointestinal tract.
During pregnancy, hormones like estrogen and progesterone increase, causing many physical changes. These increases can also change the gut microbiome. Which is likely to affect the functions of the digestive system and cause unwanted symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
The researchers set out to determine whether supplementing with a probiotic could be beneficial for gastrointestinal function during pregnancy.
The study lasted 16 days
The study lasted 16 days. A total of 32 participants took a probiotic capsule twice a day for six days and then took two days off. Then they repeated the cycle.
Probiotics were available over the counter and contained mainly Lactobacillus, a good type of bacteria. Each capsule contained approximately 10 billion live cultures at the time of manufacture.
Participants kept 17 daily observations of their symptoms for the duration of the study, for a total of 535 observations for the researchers to statistically evaluate.
What the researchers found was that taking the probiotic significantly reduced nausea and vomiting. Hours of nausea (the number of hours participants felt nauseous) was reduced by 16% and the number of times they vomited was reduced by 33%.
Taking probiotics also significantly improved quality-of-life-related symptoms, such as fatigue, poor appetite, and difficulty maintaining normal social activities, according to questionnaire scores.
Probiotics were also found to significantly reduce constipation.
“Over the years, I have observed that probiotics can reduce nausea and vomiting and relieve constipation. It is very encouraging that the study has shown this to be true, ”Liu said. “Probiotics have also benefited many of my other patients who were not in the study,” Liu said.
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