Effect of yeast probiotic <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> on the gut health of dogs undergoing rapid dietary transitionOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Twenty healthy adult dogs were split into a control group and a yeast probiotic group (0.1% Actisaf Sc 50, Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to test whether the probiotic eases gut disruption during an abrupt diet switch.
How was it studied?
All dogs ate Diet 1 for 4 weeks, then were abruptly switched to Diet 2 for another 4 weeks. Researchers tracked hematology, serum biochemistry, fecal IgA, fecal microbiota, and metabolomics through day 56.
What did they find?
The probiotic group had lower serum globulin, higher albumin-to-globulin ratios, lower white blood cell counts and glucose on day 56, and higher fecal IgA on days 28, 30, 42, and 56. Controls showed a sharp shift in Firmicutes, Fusobacteriota, and Bacteroidota abundance by day 42, while the probiotic group's microbiota transitioned more gradually and metabolite changes appeared earlier, by day 2.
Why it matters
Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation may buffer dogs against the microbiota disruption and immune strain that come with rapid diet changes, supporting gut and immune stability.