Posted on 06/20/2023 7:49:15 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
In a study, oral administration of a commercially available probiotic bacterial strain was found to improve dry eye disease in an animal model.
Dry eye, a common condition in which tears produced by the eye can't keep the eye adequately lubricated, afflicts approximately 1 in 20 people in the United States. It can cause eye stinging and burning, inflammation, blurry vision and light sensitivity.
Laura Schaefer, Ph.D. said, "The 'friendly' bacteria that live in the human gastrointestinal tract have been linked to health and protection against disease in many parts of the body, including the gut, brain, and lung. It's therefore not surprising that the gut microbiome also has effects on our eyes."
One possible treatment avenue for dry eye would involve probiotic bacteria that have similar protective effects. The group investigated this by using an orally administered probiotic bacterial strain, Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM17938, in a dry eye mouse model. DSM17938 is a human-derived, commercially available probiotic bacterial strain that has already demonstrated protective effects in the gut and immune system in humans and mice, but it has not been tested in the context of eye health.
Mice were first treated with antibiotics, which kills many of the "friendly" bacteria living in the gut. They were then exposed to very dry conditions and fed daily doses of either probiotic bacteria or a saline solution as a control. After 5 days, the eyes were examined for disease.
The mice that were fed the probiotic bacteria had healthier and more intact corneal surfaces. In addition, these mice had more goblet cells in their eye tissue, which are specialized cells that produce mucin, an essential component in tears. Taken together these data suggest that the right oral probiotic could help treat and manage dry eye symptoms.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
It is possible its mother strain, the more common form of L. reuteri, could provide similar benefits, though.
What about other strains of probiotic bacteria?
Is the BioGaia Protectis probiotic supplement you noted the stuff they give colicy babies?
This is good news, I just saw a field mouse eating my chicken food and he looked like he had dry itchy eyes.
I hope it’s not an injection I’ll have to give him.
Oh!! It’s oral, thank the heavens. I should have read the title better!
kefir, kraut and homemade pickles.
No others were noted to help.
Actually, yes!
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You can probably buy a small batch and multiply it with a yogurt maker. Here is someone doing it: https://www.luvele.com.au/blogs/recipe-blog/new-improved-l-reuteri-yogurt-method
According to the following study, the growth of L. reuteri DSM17938 in milk is increased by the addition of S. thermophilus and L. delbrueckii by roughly three times versus the growth of L. reuteri DSM17938 in milk by itself. Those other two strains are supposed to be present in traditional yogurt cultures, so I’m hoping that it shouldn’t be too difficult to reproduce this concoction at home. Go to page 21: http://stud.epsilon.slu.se/5988/1/karlsson_m_130828.pdf
This exact L. reuteri DSM 17938 from BioGaia was in the news a few years ago for making people “younger looking” — probably by improving the skin. This article says it boosts collagen: https://www.fiftyish.com/style/yogurt-for-wrinkles
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