Prebiotic fiber helpful in IVF
If I asked you what are prebiotics good for, what would you say? Some of you might say , prebiotics helps to support the growth of good bacteria and reduce the growth of bad bacteria in the GI tract. This is true. Some prebiotics can also help :
- to regulate blood sugar levels.
- to regulate blood cholesterol levels.
- to regulate appetite and weight.
But what about fertility? It turns out a certain prebiotic fiber called guar gum has been shown to increase the success of IVF. In this study, researchers were able to show that fertile women had higher levels of gut bacteria called Bifidobacteria compared to infertile women and that when infertile women took a guar gum supplement, the levels of a gut bacteria Bifidobacteria, increased. 12 out of the 18 infertile women who took the guar gum supplement had a successful IVF outcome. While further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism by which gut bacteria supports pregnancy success, this study does highlight that the benefits of a healthy gut microbiome extend beyond the gastrointestinal system.