Doctors warn against ‘health ritual’ adopted by Bella Hadid as it could lead to very EMBARRASSING results

Experts have warned against a new Gen-Z health fad of drinking dead bacteria, which they claim could damage gut function and cause bowel issues.

Also known as postbiotics, the supplements are growing increasingly popular among young people on social media.

Influencers claim postbiotics improve digestion, skin health and even help weight loss.

They also argue that the supplement – made with bacteria that have been killed – are better for the body than probiotics, a medically-backed health aid that contains live bacteria.

Last month, US supermodel Bella Hadid, 27, launched Picklesecco, a ‘gut-healthy, postbiotic potion’ that claims to support digestion and the nervous system, balance the gut microbiome and ‘conjure clarity and vision’.

Listing its supposed benefits, Bella Hadid wrote ‘immunity, digestive health and gorgeous skin – I don’t know what more you could need’

In a video viewed more than 300,000 times, US health influencer Cecily Bauchmann said daily postbiotics helped to get rid of her bloated stomach.

And in another clip seen more than 10,000 times, TikToker Brianna Wehan claimed that taking postbiotics had helped her ‘debloat and ease my discomfort with my tummy issues’.

‘Immunity, digestive health and gorgeous skin – I don’t know what more you could need,’ she added.

Yet experts speaking to The Mail on Sunday have warned that postbiotics are not the health hack admirers may think they are – and, if consumed in large amounts, could even cause chronic diarrhoea.

‘Would I take them? Absolutely not,’ said Dr Christopher Stewart, professor of human microbiome research at Newcastle University.

‘If someone has a balanced diet, they’ll already be producing all these things, so why mess up that healthy ecosystem?

‘I would encourage people to think critically about some of these products.’

Postbiotics are the latest in a range of supposedly gut-healthy supplements that have taken off in recent years.

Perhaps better known are probiotics – which are sometimes prescribed to patients to take alongside a course of antibiotics, as well as being found in foods such as yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso and pickles.

Probiotics contain ‘good’ bacteria and yeasts thought to restore the natural balance of bacteria in the gut after an illness or treatment.

There’s also some indication that probiotics help ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

However experts have warned that postbiotics are not the health hack admirers may think they are – and, if consumed in large amounts, could even cause chronic diarrhoea [File photo]

Postbiotics contain the same bacteria used in probiotics and putting them in a laboratory vat (stock image)

Postbiotics, meanwhile, are made by taking the same types of bacteria used in probiotics, putting them in a laboratory vat so they multiply and then allowing them to die. These killed bugs are then placed in pills, powder and, now, soft drinks.

Influencers claim that the dead bacteria is just as effective as probiotics at boosting gut health – but won’t lead to a build-up of potentially dangerous live bugs in the body.

However, experts are sceptical. ‘It’s true that when the gut breaks down bacteria, the by- product this creates boosts gut health and combats nasty pathogens in the intestines,’ says Dr Dominic Farsi, a nutritional science researcher at King’s College London.

‘This by-product is what we call postbiotics. But there’s no solid evidence that taking postbiotic supplements alone has the same beneficial effect.’

Regardless, postbiotics are becoming an increasingly popular health product. For example, Beekeeper’s Naturals Complete Gut Health – which contains probiotics and postbiotics – is now available in major US supermarkets.

British customers can purchase it online for £80.

Meanwhile, Picklesecco, which Ms Hadid has been promoting to her 60 million followers on Instagram, is available online at £18 for four cans.

Experts also warn that any supplement that contains bacteria – alive or dead – could damage the gut.

‘There’s a Goldilocks zone when you’re changing the gut landscape,’ said Prof Stewart.

However experts warn that any supplement containing the bacteria alive or dead could damage the gut (stock image)

‘Overusing antibiotics can mess up the microbiome and cause chronic diarrhoea, for example.

‘And changing someone’s microbiome with postbiotics could have a similarly detrimental impact.’

Instead, experts recommend people consume a healthy, varied diet filled with fibre.

‘If you regularly consume fibrous foods like whole grains, vegetables like broccoli, cereals like oats and fermented products like yoghurt and sourdough bread, you’ll produce “good” bacteria naturally,’ says Dr Farsi.

‘You’ll feel much better generally when eating a balanced diet rather than eating poorly and relying on supplements.’