Probiotics may be good for your bones

A probiotic supplement could be good for your bones, a new study suggests. 

Researchers studied 90 women, 75 to 80 years old, all generally healthy but with low bone mineral density. They measured their bone density at the start of the study, and then randomly assigned them to a placebo or to two daily doses of freeze-dried Lactobacillus reuteri, an intestinal tract microbe that occurs naturally in many, but not all, people.

After one year, they measured the women’s bones again. The reduction in density in the shin bone was nearly half as large in women taking L. reuteri supplements as in those taking the placebo. Side effects, most commonly gastrointestinal symptoms, were similar in the treatment and placebo groups. The study is in the Journal of Internal Medicine.

2018 The New York Times