There is rapidly growing interest in the involvement of the microbiome in health. Imbalance in human gut microbiota, 'dysbiosis', has been linked to several diseases. Manipulation of the microbiome, using specific strains of live micro-organisms, that confer a health benefit on the host (probiotics), have therefore become an exploratory treatment option in microbiome-associated diseases in recent years. Numerous studies have shown selected strains of bacteria to show statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in symptoms, in a number of diseases, including but not limited to infantile colic and atopic dermatitis.~Bio-Kult Advanced (BKA) is a 14 strain live bacteria supplement containing a Minimum 2 billion live microorganisms per capsule (2x109 CFU/capsule), equivalent to 10 billion live microorganisms per gram (1x1010 CFU/gram). A randomised controlled trial of Bio-Kult Advanced in the management of diarrhoea predominant IBS demonstrated significant improvement in gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and was well tolerated by participants. Another randomised controlled trial of Bio-Kult Advanced, in participants with episodic and chronic migraine sufferers, demonstrated significant improvement in frequency and severity of migraines compared to placebo. This clinical effectiveness across various conditions, suggest that bacterial strains in Bio-Kult could have an effect on the gastrointestinal flora, however data has yet to be collected that explores the effect of Bio-Kult on the microbiome. The aim of this study is to therefore investigate the effect of Bio-Kult Advanced, on the composition of the gut microbiota in healthy adults.
Over recent years there has been a lot of research looking at how the bacteria in our gut affect our health. Changes to gut bacteria has been linked to several diseases. Taking specific live bacteria supplements (sometimes known as 'probiotics'), to change the balance of our gut bacteria to result in a health benefit have been trialled as a treatment option for many diseases in recent years.~Bio-Kult Advanced is a live bacteria Food supplement that contains 14 different bacteria cultures. The effect of Bio-Kult Advanced on gut bacteria is unknown, therefore, the aim