Baby poop ‘cocktails’? NC researchers discover dirty diapers could help fight off cancer

Baby poop may be one of the world’s most plentiful -- and worthless -- resources, but scientists believe they have found a medical use for it, according to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Turns out diaper droppings can be synthesized into a probiotic capable of treating diseases, says an article in Science Reports.

Researchers say they used nearly three dozen poop samples to create “a human-origin probiotic cocktail,” according to Science Reports. Lead investigator Hariom Yadav says it can boost the body’s production of much-needed fatty acids, according to WakeHealth.Edu.

The key ingredient of that cocktail, he said, is a “gut bacteria” found in baby poop.

“Short-chain fatty acids are a key component of good gut health,” he told Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “People with diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disorders and cancers frequently have fewer short-chain fatty acids. Increasing them may be helpful in maintaining or even restoring a normal gut environment, and hopefully, improving health.”

The research is based on exploration of a common sense premise, he adds: “Babies are usually pretty healthy and clearly do not suffer from age-related diseases.”

ScienceMag.com says the researchers got their findings by gathering “fecal samples from the diapers of 34 healthy infants.” The testing followed a “robust protocol” to isolate the best parts of the poop, the site says.

Not surprisingly, the idea of a “baby poop cocktail” has elicited humor around the world, with the London Times reporting Thursday that “a baby poo smoothie” could become the next probiotic fad.

“It’s healthy, it’s organic, it already comes at a smoothie-like consistency,” wrote the Times.

“And it uses a resource that we would otherwise just throw away. What’s not to like about the latest promising probiotic supplement?”

This story was originally published August 24, 2018 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Baby poop ‘cocktails’? NC researchers discover dirty diapers could help fight off cancer."