{"id":15432,"date":"2023-06-19T12:19:02Z","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T10:19:02Z","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/colonoscopy-the-microbiome\/"},"modified":"2025-05-19T14:58:26Z","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T12:58:26Z","slug":"colonoscopy-the-microbiome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/blog\/colonoscopy-the-microbiome\/","title":{"rendered":"Probiotics after a Colonoscopy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"colonoscopy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is a colonoscopy?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Colonoscopies are one of the most important preventive examinations to maintain our (intestinal) health and detect tissue changes and bowel cancer \u2013 in time! Although the technical and scientific development of colonoscopy has made great progress, many people still shy away from the examination. Personal experience or digestive complaints reported by family and friends are often a reason not to have a colonoscopy. Similar to a colonoscopy, many people also choose to undergo colonic cleansing treatments to support their digestive tracts, however, the laxative solutions used in such a procedure also have an impact on our gut flora.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What are colonoscopies for?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The name of the procedure\u00a0\u201ccolonoscopy\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0comes from \u201ccolon\u201d (= the middle section of the large intestine) and \u201cskopie\u201d (= to look at, examine). The history of colonoscopy began in the 1960s, when a device was developed at the University of Tokyo to view the inside of the intestines.<\/p>

During a colonoscopy,\u00a0inflammation, polyps and tissue changes<\/strong>, including\u00a0bowel\u00a0cancer<\/a><\/strong>, can be detected and clarified at an early stage. <\/strong><\/p>

Around 50 years ago, the Swiss gastroenterologist Peter Deyhle developed a procedure to remove intestinal polyps during a colonoscopy<\/strong>. Today, this\u00a0preventive examination<\/strong>\u00a0is recommended to all around the age of 50 in order to\u00a0examine the colon<\/strong> and the last centimetres of the small intestine from the inside.<\/p>

Why is a colonoscopy recommended? Medication, ulta-processed food, stressful environmental influences, but also a genetic predisposition can lead to various\u00a0digestive problems<\/a>. During a colonoscopy, the doctor can not only examine the entire colon, but also remove tissue samples and perform minor surgical procedures.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why are colonoscopies so important?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A colonoscopy can\u00a0detect and clarify inflammation<\/strong>,\u00a0polyps<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0tissue changes<\/strong>, including bowel\u00a0cancer<\/a>,\u00a0at an early stage!<\/strong>\u00a0Nevertheless, many people still shy away from this important preventive examination. This fear is unfounded, however, because colonoscopies are only ever performed by medical professionals with special training, usually a gastroenterologist. In general, a colonoscopy is a\u00a0safe and painless procedure<\/strong>\u00a0with a\u00a0very low risk of complication<\/strong>s \u2013 and is usually\u00a0completed in less than half an hour<\/strong>. Alternatively, it is possible to examine the intestine with a capsule endoscopy (a small capsule with an integrated camera is swallowed) or to view it from the outside with a computer tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, these alternatives are more costly and\/or time-consuming \u2013 and for taking a tissue sample or removing polyps and the like, a colonoscopy is performed anyway, so a colonoscopy is an efficient 2-in-1 examination!<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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How to prepare for a colonoscopy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In order to have a\u00a0clear view in the intestine<\/strong>, it is necessary to\u00a0empty it completely<\/strong>. On the one hand, this requires a short period of fasting, which, as you will learn later, can have a number of benefits: no food that is difficult to digest is allowed\u00a024 hours before the procedure<\/strong>. The last solid meal is lunch one day before the colonoscopy. From then on, you should only drink broth, tea and water.\u00a0Foods containing grains<\/strong>\u00a0in particular should be avoided for a few days beforehand, as they tend to stick to the intestinal wall. In the case of general intestinal\u00a0sluggishness<\/strong>, it may be advisable to start the short-term dietary change even earlier.<\/p>

In addition, a thorough bowel cleanse<\/strong>\u00a0is required. This is important because the bowel\u00a0can only be reliably assessed when it is completely empty<\/strong>. For this purpose, a\u00a0laxative<\/strong>, the so-called intestinal lavage, is used \u2013 and in addition to the technical advances, there have also been improvements here. \u201cWhen I think back to the time 30 years ago, people had to come early in the morning or in the middle of the night and drink six litres of an aqueous solution. Today, that is limited to about two litres spread over two days. That is already considerably more pleasant,\u201d explains intestinal specialist Prof. Dr. med. Joachim Labenz from the Diakonie Klinikum Jung-Stilling in Siegen.<\/p>

The significant\u00a0reduction of laxatives<\/strong>\u00a0that one has to drink increased the likelihood of people making their appointments to have the procedure. \u201cPersonally, I feel that this is a clear step forward. In addition, we now have many more doctors who are very\u00a0qualified<\/strong>\u00a0and can draw on a lot of experience, which has greatly\u00a0reduced the risk of complications<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>

Of course, all the preparation is done in close consultation with the doctor in charge. Incidentally, the doctor should also be informed if the patient regularly takes medication<\/strong>, because the laxative may influence its effect. Some medications, e.g. those with blood-thinning agents, may have to be discontinued before the colonoscopy.<\/p>

So if you weigh up the advantages and possible disadvantages of colonoscopy, the preparation is not a big challenge and certainly not an obstacle to a colonoscopy.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What happens during a colonoscopy?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A colonoscopy is usually\u00a0completely painless<\/strong>. However, for many people it is more pleasant not to be consciously aware of the examination. It is advantageous for the doctor if the patient remains fairly still, as involuntary or sudden movements could lead to minor injuries. \u201cThat is why colonoscopy is now usually done with light sedation. This means that the examination itself is no longer unpleasant for the patient,\u201d adds gastroenterologist Prof. Labenz, MD.<\/p>

For a colonoscopy, the patient is placed in a\u00a0comfortable lateral position<\/strong>, then the\u00a0colonoscope<\/strong>, which resembles a\u00a0thin, flexible tube<\/strong>, is inserted into the anus with the help of a lubricant.\u00a0Air is blown into the bowel<\/strong>\u00a0to help smooth out the folds of the bowel so that even the smallest changes can be\u00a0seen more clearly<\/strong>. Here, many doctors, like Prof. Dr. med. Labenz, also use an advanced alternative. \u201cAnother development that makes the examination more comfortable for the patient is the use of CO2 instead of room air. The body breaks down CO2 much faster. That\u2019s why people\u00a0no longer have such a pronounced bloated belly<\/strong>\u00a0after the examination, which many find very unpleasant. Thanks to the use of CO2, this can be reduced significantly.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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High-tech support for the all-in-one examination<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Then the\u00a0colonoscope<\/strong>, which allows exposure and video transmission, is carefully\u00a0guided through the entire colon<\/strong>. The doctor looks at everything on a monitor and examines the\u00a0entire inner wall of the intestine<\/strong>. After the examination, the\u00a0intestinal mucosa<\/strong>\u00a0can be analysed in more detail using the recorded images. If there are any\u00a0abnormalities<\/strong>\u00a0on the intestinal wall, the\u00a0doctor can immediately take samples<\/strong>\u00a0with the help of tiny forceps and have them examined in the laboratory. In particular, the detection of so-called\u00a0polyps<\/strong>\u00a0is a central task of colonoscopy: these mucosal protrusions in the (large) intestine are harmless in themselves, but\u00a0they can develop into bowel cancer<\/strong>. Therefore, timely removal is recommended.<\/p>

\u201cWe have made great progress in the\u00a0detection of polyps<\/strong>, on the one hand through improved technology and on the other hand through the increasing experience of the examination team. In the future, artificial intelligence could also be used.\u00a0Machines and programmes<\/strong>\u00a0that help the doctor detect very\u00a0small polyps<\/strong>. This increases the number of polyps detected in time to be removed preventively. Even the\u00a0minimal risk of post-operative bleeding<\/strong>\u00a0when polyps are removed is not a problem, because the bleeding can be stopped quite easily.\u201d<\/p>

For this purpose, the colonoscope contains\u00a0small loops<\/span>\u00a0via a channel that are passed around the polyps and separate them from the intestinal wall. This is also\u00a0usually completely painless<\/span>. The colonoscopy itself usually takes\u00a0less than half an hour<\/span>\u00a0and is done on an\u00a0outpatient basis<\/span>. Inpatient treatment is only necessary in exceptional cases. Once the examination is complete, the tube is carefully removed again and it is\u00a0immediately possible to eat and resume your usual daily life<\/span>. It is only recommended to\u00a0go home accompanied<\/span>, because driving a vehicle (car, motorbike, bicycle) is not allowed due to the light sedation.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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What does a colonoscopy have to do with the gut microbiome?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A\u00a0colon cleanse<\/strong>\u00a0temporarily leads to a\u00a0significant change in the\u00a0natural intestinal flora<\/a><\/strong>. Since science knows more about the central importance as well as the sensitivity of the\u00a0human microbiome<\/strong><\/a>, laxatives are used more sparingly. Nevertheless, the\u00a0gut flora<\/strong>\u00a0is destroyed during the\u00a0preparation for a colonoscopy<\/strong>. An important part of those bacteria that are responsible for our\u00a0digestion and immune system is temporarily lost<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 digestion no longer functions properly and the absence of good bacteria allows germs to breed in the intestine. It can even take several weeks or months after a colonoscopy for the\u00a0intestinal flora to recover<\/strong>. The\u00a0change in the microbiome<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0noticeable in up to 80 % of patients after a colonoscopy.<\/strong>\u00a0Almost half have\u00a0bloating problems<\/strong>, followed by\u00a0diarrhoea<\/strong>,\u00a0abdominal pain<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0constipation<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 and these after-effects are precisely why many refuse to have another colonoscopy or do not have such an examination in the first place if family and friends tell them in detail about the side effects they have experienced.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why is a colonoscopy important for your health?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The colonoscopy is not only the\u00a0most important preventive examination<\/strong>\u00a0for the intestine: the\u00a0preparatory measures can also have a great health benefit for many people<\/strong>. There are places in the intestine, for example in diverticula (outward protrusions of the intestine, the opposite of polyps) or in the mouth of the appendix, where faeces can accumulate for weeks and even months, rotting and putting a strain on the intestine and the body. This\u00a0digestive residue<\/strong>\u00a0is also removed by the laxative. \u201cAccording to my observations, it has always been the case, especially in patients with\u00a0diverticula<\/strong><\/a>, that the\u00a0preparation<\/strong>\u00a0for the colonoscopy is often good for them. I have patients who voluntarily do this twice a year \u2013 without a colonoscopy. Afterwards, they report that they feel\u00a0much better for weeks<\/strong>\u00a0or even months,\u201d the expert explains.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Probiotics \u2013 Colonoscopy recovery made easy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For Prof. Dr. med. Labenz, too, the connection between\u00a0colonoscopy preparation<\/strong>,\u00a0intestinal flora<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0intestinal complaints<\/strong>\u00a0is of great relevance. That is why a clinical study was conducted: \u201cIt is quite clear that a\u00a0colonoscopy affects the microbiome<\/strong>. And it seems to make sense to\u00a0take a probiotic after a colonoscopy<\/strong>\u00a0in order to\u00a0increase the diversity<\/strong>, i.e. the quality of the\u00a0intestinal microbiome<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

We therefore studied whether the patients had complaints after a colonoscopy for four weeks and whether this was different either with a placebo or with the use of a\u00a0probiotic<\/strong>. And we studied the\u00a0composition of the intestinal flora<\/strong>\u00a0with today\u2019s modern methods to see if the probiotic had an effect on the\u00a0diversity of the microbiome<\/strong>. It\u2019s considered a\u00a0quality characteristic<\/strong>\u00a0of the microbiome:\u00a0the more diverse it is, the healthier you are<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>

The results of this\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0[1] are quite\u00a0astounding<\/strong>. In the\u00a0probiotics group<\/strong>, the so-called alpha diversity, i.e.\u00a0the diversity of the microbiome<\/strong>\u00a0in the intestine of the respective patient, was indeed\u00a0significantly higher than in the placebo group<\/strong>. Also remarkable was the\u00a0significantly increased occurrence<\/strong>\u00a0of one of the bacterial strains contained in the\u00a0probiotic<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>

If someone wants to do something good for themselves after a colonoscopy, they should take a special probiotic for four weeks, this will help the gut and microbiome.<\/p><\/blockquote>

What is particularly interesting for all those who have shied away from a colonoscopy until now because of the resulting\u00a0digestive complaints<\/strong>: Taking the probiotic resulted in\u00a0significantly fewer days with constipation<\/strong>. In addition,\u00a0significantly fewer days with digestive complaints<\/strong>\u00a0such as\u00a0diarrhoea<\/a>\u00a0or flatulence were recorded.<\/p>

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Source:<\/strong><\/p>

[1] Labenz, J. et al. Ein Multispezies-Probiotikum zeigt einen positiven Effekt auf das intestinale Mikrobiom und reduziert Darmsymptome nach einer oralen Darmlavage zur Vorsorge-Koloskopie: randomisierte, doppelblinde, plazebokontrollierte Multicenterstudie (COLONIZE). Z Gastroenterol. 60(08): 643\u2013643 (2022) DOI 10.1055\/s-0042-1755100 (Available in German only \u2013 EN translation of study: A multispecies probiotic shows a positive effect on the intestinal microbiome and reduces intestinal symptoms after oral bowel lavage for screening colonoscopy: randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre study)<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Author:<\/strong><\/p>

Professor Dr. Joachim Labenz: Professor Dr. Joachim Labenz: \u00a0Private practitioner for gastroenterology & hepatology at Diakonie Klinikum Jung-Stilling, Siegen (D), emeritus director of Medical Clinic I<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What is a colonoscopy? Colonoscopies are one of the most important preventive examinations to maintain our (intestinal) health and detect tissue changes and bowel cancer \u2013 in time! Although the technical and scientific development of colonoscopy has made great progress, many people still shy away from the examination. Personal experience or digestive complaints reported by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15433,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-development","category-symptoms"],"acf":[],"rank_math":{"og:title":"Probiotics after colonoscopy? A must to replenish gut flora","og:desc":"Discover more about restoring the microbiome after colonoscopy. Probiotics after colonoscopy procedures is a must to replenish gut bacteria","og:url":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/blog\/colonoscopy-the-microbiome\/","og:locale":"en_GB","og:image":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/06\/darmspiegelung-grafik-102022.jpg","og:image:width":"800","og:image:height":"503"},"additional_data":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/06\/darmspiegelung-grafik-102022.jpg"},"blog_info":{"country":"en-uk"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15432"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15432\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19821,"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15432\/revisions\/19821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omni-biotic.com\/en-uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}