Bifidobacterium bifidum supplement and gut bacteria in obesity
What it found
In 14 people with obesity, a Bifidobacterium bifidum supplement taken for 2 weeks changed the mix of gut bacteria, increasing some species and decreasing another.
The study was small and short.
What they found
Studies in people
Bacteria increased
After the supplement, four bacterial species became more abundant: Bacteroides uniformis, Alistipes putredinis, Alistipes shahii, and Dysosmobacter welbionis.
One bacterium decreased
The relative abundance of Gemmiger formicilis dropped after the supplement compared with before.
Diversity rose
A measure of how many different bacteria were present (the Shannon index) was higher after the supplement than before.
Overall bacteria mix
The overall mix of bacteria showed some grouping before and after the supplement, but the difference was not statistically significant.
Other findings
Short-chain fatty acids
The authors note that the changes moved toward bacteria that make short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate, which are involved in gut and metabolic health.
What the authors conclude
“Therefore, we suggest the potential use of this bacterial species in the treatment of gut microbiota dysbiosis of obese individuals.”
Also in their conclusions
- They suggest the potential use of this bacterial species in the treatment of gut microbiota dysbiosis in obese individuals.
- They say that further research is needed to show changes in the gut bacteria of people with obesity over a long period after taking B. bifidum.
- They state that the B. bifidum strain has the potential to correct dysbiotic disturbances in the microbial community in obesity.
How it was done
Obesity is linked to changes in gut bacteria, and probiotics are a possible way to alter that mix. The authors wanted to see how a Bifidobacterium bifidum supplement affects the gut bacteria of people with obesity.
They studied 14 people with a BMI over 30 and an average age of 38. Each person took a supplement with Bifidobacterium bifidum VSUET22 (5 x 10^8 CFU) twice daily with food for 2 weeks, without changing their usual diet. Stool samples were collected before and after.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was small, with only 14 people, and lasted just 2 weeks, so it cannot show what happens over longer periods or in larger groups.
- It cannot show whether the changes in gut bacteria lead to any health improvements in obesity.
- It cannot show whether the bacteria stay changed after stopping the supplement.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
- Authors work at
- Voronezh State University of Engineering Technology, Russia; Voronezh State University of Engineering Technologies, Russia
The paper
- Title
- The effect of short-term consumption of Bifidobacterium bifidum on the gut microbiome of obese individuals
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Burakova I, Smirnova Y, Morozova P, et al (2026). The effect of short-term consumption of Bifidobacterium bifidum on the gut microbiome of obese individuals. Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood, N.J.). doi:10.3389/ebm.2026.10894Free full textPubMed 41809656DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error