Probiotics may maintain sailors' intestinal microbiome balance

For those who often feel anxious and stressed during long sea voyages, probiotics may provide a solution.

Chinese researchers have found that probiotics can ease sailors' pressure and anxiety by improving their intestinal health, according to a recent research article published in the journal Gut Microbes.

Sailors' immunity can decline when they remain in an environment marked by high salinity and strong ultraviolet radiation, said professor Zhang Heping from the Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. Thus their physiological and psychological health will likely be threatened.

The microbial community of the human gut is the foundation for a normal immune system.

The researchers from the university studied the effects of probiotics on the regulation of sailors' intestinal flora and disclosed the possible mechanism of making them more adaptive to the offshore environment.

Compared with the placebo control group, the probiotic group showed a balanced intestinal microbiome, according to the research article.

The research is expected to provide a feasible approach for protecting gut health during long sea voyages.