Probiotics Improve Long COVID

The bacteria living in your gut have more to do with your immune system than you might think. rentusha/istock/thinkstock

Probiotics support beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome. Data show this influences your immune response and can improve symptoms of long haul syndrome after an extended COVID-19 illness.

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STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Probiotics reduced muscle fatigue and brain fog, two symptoms of long COVID, after only 14 days; this may have a significant impact on the nearly 12 million people who experience long COVID symptoms
• Poor gut microbiome diversity also predicts greater severity of COVID-19; some health experts recommend postbiotics in the prevention and treatment of COVID
• Your gut health affects your neurological health; a poor gut microbiome can increase the risk of gut permeability, Alzheimer’s and other dementias
• Factors that affect the health of your gut microbiome include artificial sweeteners, sleep, exposure to sunlight and the types of foods you eat

As reported in this short news clip, research evidence shows that probiotics may help reduce long-haul symptoms after COVID-19. Some people experience symptoms for weeks or months after a COVID-19 infection has resolved. When these symptoms persist for four weeks or more, they are known as long COVID, long-haul COVID, chronic COVID or long-haul syndrome.

Many of the symptoms of long COVID can also mirror those that are caused by the COVID-19 genetic therapy injections. Although anyone can experience symptoms of long COVID, it is more frequently seen in people who have been sick enough to be hospitalized or in the ICU.