Probiotic supplementation may help reduce chemotherapy side effects in breast cancer, finds study

Probiotics are among the emerging alternative supplements being studied for their potential benefit in cancer treatment. A new study published in the open-access journal Pharmacia explored the effects of multi-strain probiotics on chemotherapy-related side effects using Karnofsky performance score, complete blood count, and blood biochemistry.

The findings show that probiotics with 7 strains have a potential effect in patients with breast cancer, especially in the improvement of common chemotherapy-related side effects such as fatigue and nausea. Alleviation of these symptom can be seen before and after the probiotic supplementation. Another potential effect of multi-strain probiotics is improving blood urea nitrogen levels.

Significant improvement was observed in the ability to perform activities of daily living, which means patients can go about their lives more independently and reduce their reliance on others. This might also be related to the improvement of nausea and fatigue symptoms.

In conclusion, multi-strain probiotics have been shown to have potential benefits in chemotherapy-related side effects for patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Further, larger study is needed to explore these effects and to confirm the benefits of multi-strain probiotics before they are used in clinical practice.

References: Aguslina Kirtishanti, Heru Wijono, Tjie Kok, Eko Setiawan, Vidi Vianney Chrisana Magrit Tanggo, Ghina Salwa Zahara, Winona Davina, Bobby Presley