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Microbes & Immunity Probiotics from ancient wisdom to modern days

periods, complicating compliance. In contrast, the important to give your body some time to adjust; some
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US FDA approves probiotics as “generally recognized people may experience benefits after several weeks or
as safe” (GRAS). However, this designation does even months of consistent use. If you have specific
not equate to “tested safe.” While the FDA does not health concerns or conditions, consulting a health-
specifically “approve” probiotics, it regulates them care professional may provide more personalized
based on their intended use. GRAS status is a common insights.”
designation for probiotics in food and supplements, • Reply from Poe: “While many people report positive
but it differs from the “tested safe” standard applied to effects from taking Yakult, such as improved digestion
drugs. and gut health due to its probiotic content, individual
• Labeling: Recognizing that consumers are increasingly experiences can vary widely. Factors such as diet,
making informed choices about probiotic products, overall health, and personal microbiome composition
a goal of improved labeling has emerged in the can influence how you feel after consuming probiotics.
industry. Organizations, such as the International It may take time for some individuals to notice
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Probiotics Association and the Council for Responsible significant changes, or they might not experience
Nutrition, have developed guidelines for probiotic any noticeable effects at all. If you are not feeling any
labeling to promote transparency and consistency. difference, it is worth considering other aspects of your
• Limitations of current probiotic research include lifestyle or consulting with a health-care professional
inconsistent study designs, short-term follow-up for personalized advice.”
periods, and a lack of standardization in probiotic • Reply from Gemini: “Yakult is a probiotic drink that
formulations. This makes it difficult to draw definitive contains live bacteria. Probiotics are believed to be
conclusions about their efficacy and safety.
beneficial for gut health. However, it is important to
10. Future directions note that the research on the benefits of probiotics is
still ongoing. Some studies have shown that probiotics
Future probiotics will likely be personalized, targeting can help with digestive issues, such as constipation
specific health needs and leveraging advanced technologies, and diarrhea. However, other studies have shown
such as gene editing, to enhance their efficacy and delivery. no benefit. It is also important to note that not all

10.1. AI probiotics are created equal. Different strains of
bacteria have different effects on the body. Yakult
The global conversation around AI is intensifying. contains a strain of bacteria called Lactobacillus casei
Although AI-driven systems have demonstrated superior Shirota. This strain has been shown in some studies to
performance over humans in some analytical tasks in the be beneficial for gut health. However, more research is
health-care sector, the persistent issue of “explainability” needed to confirm these findings.”
remains a source of criticism. The so-called “black box”
decisions often lead to user apprehension. Explainability, • Reply from CoPilot: “It is understandable to feel a bit
in essence, refers to opening the system to scrutiny – an disappointed if you have not noticed any difference
area of active research that lies beyond the scope of this after a few weeks of taking Yakult. It is a popular
paper. While explainability can engender trust, trust probiotic drink, and while some people experience
may also be cultivated in other ways, such as consistent, positive changes quickly, others might not notice
successful application, independent validation, and cross- any immediate effects. Probiotics work by promoting
verification. One such approach includes comparing the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, but this
outputs across different large language models (LLMs), as process can vary from person to person depending on
illustrated below. Here is an example of cross-checking a individual microbiomes and other factors such as diet
simple question posed to four LLMs: and lifestyle. It might take more time, or you might
benefit from consulting with a health-care professional
“I have been taking Yakult for the last few weeks and to explore other options or adjustments that could
feel no different.” work better for you. Keep in mind that patience and
• Reply from GPT-4o Mini: “It is not uncommon to feel consistency are key when it comes to probiotics.”
no immediate changes after taking probiotics such as
Yakult, as their effects can vary from person to person. The four responses were analyzed for consistent threads
Probiotics work gradually to support gut health and throughout. Rather than evaluating each response as a
may not produce noticeable results right away. Factors whole, the analysis focused on individual steps – assessing
such as your overall diet, lifestyle, and individual gut whether each step was logical and followed coherently
microbiome can influence how you respond. It is also from the previous one.

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 41 doi: 10.36922/mi.6424