Very likely. Almost all probiotics people take are transient. Meaning they just pass through and don't form long term colonies in our guts. There's a few exceptions with some soil-derived probiotics but those are also the least predictable
It seems really likely to me that our bodies have likely adapted to an environment where exposure to certain types of bacteria is very common. For example, there's been a lot of research on the potential of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) such as Nitrosomonas to reduce body odor when applied topically. There's companies trying to use this to sell you "probiotic shampoo" and other skin care products. But you know where else Nitrosomonas is commonly found? Most soils. These bacteria are also extremely easy to kill off with shampoos and even the small amounts of fluoride added to tap water
Given how deeply we depend on microbes for digestion it doesn't seem far fetched to think our skin microbiome has also adapted to a ready supply of these microbes to help us in certain ways. Besides keeping us less stinky by eating our sweat, skin microbes have also been shown to help with acne,[0] protect us from UV damage,[1] and has even been shown to have deep interaction with our gut and brain health.[2]
Interesting, I discovered once that soil on my socks could make them not smell. I don’t know if the specific soil mattered though, and the circumstances for my discovery were never replicated.
>Almost all probiotics people take are transient. Meaning they just pass through and don't form long term colonies in our guts.
is this also the case for frequent ingestion? say you eat probiotic yoghurt on a regular basis, are you saying the good stuff is in a constant cycle of dying and being replaced?
> Besides keeping us less stinky by eating our sweat
That sounds wrong. Sweat itself doesn't smell until microbes have had a chance to act on it. You can sweat right after a hot shower and you won't smell.
It seems really likely to me that our bodies have likely adapted to an environment where exposure to certain types of bacteria is very common. For example, there's been a lot of research on the potential of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) such as Nitrosomonas to reduce body odor when applied topically. There's companies trying to use this to sell you "probiotic shampoo" and other skin care products. But you know where else Nitrosomonas is commonly found? Most soils. These bacteria are also extremely easy to kill off with shampoos and even the small amounts of fluoride added to tap water
Given how deeply we depend on microbes for digestion it doesn't seem far fetched to think our skin microbiome has also adapted to a ready supply of these microbes to help us in certain ways. Besides keeping us less stinky by eating our sweat, skin microbes have also been shown to help with acne,[0] protect us from UV damage,[1] and has even been shown to have deep interaction with our gut and brain health.[2]
[0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6534434/
[1] https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/microorganisms/microorgani...
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S075333222...