Good bacteria help ipilimumab, immunotherapy drug, work
We recently covered research in Cancer Watch from the University of Chicago where researchers looked at tumour growth in two groups of mice and looked at the bacterial make up of the gut. Those having good levels of Bifidobacteria in their gut had slower tumour growth.
By passing the Bifidobacteria to the mice that had very few of these bacteria, the tumour growth immediately slowed markedly.
Bifidobaceria are the bacteria baby receives when it passes through mum’s birth canal. These bacteria protect it from infection during the first 6-12 months of its life. They are severely damaged if baby is given antibiotics. More can be found in our book - The Secret Source of Your Good Health.
Now researchers from the University of Lille, in France, have studied the immunotherapy drug ipilimumab and found a rather inconvenient truth. The effectiveness of ipilmumab is totally linked to levels of bifidobacteria and other commensal bacteria in the gut!
Unfortunately, the drug is known to destroy levels of these good bacteria.
The researchers concluded that it was essential to supplement with a probiotic containing Bifidobacteria when taking this and other drugs.