A recent experiment involving a randomized double blind placebo-controlled
trial sheds light on the ‘gut-skin connection’.
In the experiment, half of the participants were provided with a sachet
containing powder of Lactobacillus paracasei.
The other group was provided with a placebo sachet containing the food
additive maltodextrin. The study
duration was 2 months.
The study included 64 Caucasian women aged 18 to 40 years
selected for sensitive skin based a
questionnaire, whether or not they had a positive reaction to capsaicin. The effects of Lactobacillus paracasei
on skin sensitivity and skin barrier function recovery were the primary outcome
measures.
The results of the experiment showed Lactobacillus
paracasei to have a positive effect on skin sensitivity, skin barrier
function recovery, and key associated physiological parameters. It also showed,
there was statistically significant improvement in perceived skin roughness in
the intervention group vs placebo.
In his analysis, Traub stated how the double-blind experiment
reinforces the concept of an inside-out, outside-in approach to the treatment
of common skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and acne. ‘In
order to provide comprehensive care to patients with sensitive skin, probiotic
strains should be selected with proven benefit for these conditions and ideally
prescribed at proven-effective dosages. We are at the cusp of a much more
sophisticated understanding of the therapeutic applications of probiotics not
only for skin disease but for a great number of immune-mediated conditions that
are intimately tied to the fact that the vast majority of our immune system is
located in the gut,’ he concludes.
