Would you drink a probiotic made from baby poo? Apparently it’s really good for you…

If you’re the father of young children, chances are you’ll already be sick of dealing with baby poo but according to Irish scientists, the contents of your child’s nappy could actually be good for you. Yes, it’s disgusting, but they think they might be on to something…

The Irish Sun reports that researchers from University College Cork believe that the bacteria found in baby turds could actually improve the function of your brain. Really. Although we’d argue that you’re already pretty smart if you know that eating poo is not only disgusting, it’s also wrong. Very, very wrong…

Anyway the bacteria is a type of probiotic which contains a special protein. This special protein has the same amount of goodness as fish oils. In short, this probiotic can provide lots of health benefits for your brain as well as various other parts of your body.

But if the thoughts of shovelling the contents of  your kid’s nappy onto a plate doesn’t appeal really appeal to you, don’t worry. Researchers are currently trying to figure out how they can extract the bacteria from the poo and put it into a much more palatable probiotic drink.

So you can get all the benefits, without any of the smell/disgust/suspected rancid taste. Score.

First the researchers tested their find on some rodents. Rats were fed bacteria that were of “human infant intestinal origin.” Sounds appetizing. The results were so surprising that the researchers have now decided to up their game and test the effects of the new protein on human subjects.

Some human volunteers will be given regular yoghurt probiotic drinks while others will receive a probiotic drink that contains the new protein. They will then have their brain activity monitored.

If further tests prove successful, the protein could revolutionise how people take care of their health on a daily basis. Basically we could all be walking around with super smart brains and amazing quick wits. Sounds great.

This discovery comes after several long years of research at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, which is run by University College Cork and the Teagasc Food Research Centre in near Fermoy in Cork.

A team of researchers, led by Dr Catherine Stanton and Dr Rebecca Wall discovered that despite the fact that all humans have good bacteria in their guts, the bacteria produced by babies is far superior.

“The finding that bacteria in our gut can do this opens up new possibilities for the use of probiotic foods in the promotion of human health and mental well-being,” said Dr Stanton.

Would you take a probiotic that originated from a baby’s backside?