Possible Side Effects Of Probiotics
Probiotics are living bacteria and yeasts that provide health benefits when consumed in large amounts.
They can be taken as supplements or consumed naturally through fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha .
The health benefits of probiotic supplements and foods have been well documented, including a lower risk of infections, improved digestion and even a reduced risk for some chronic diseases .
While there are many health benefits linked to taking probiotics, there can also be side effects. Most of these are minor and only affect a small percentage of the population.
However, some people with serious illnesses or compromised immune systems may experience more severe complications.
This article reviews the most common side effects of probiotics and how to reduce them.
Can Patients Take Probiotics And Multivitamins Together
Patients can take probiotics and multivitamins together, it is a good combination and many dietitians will recommend this. Probiotics and vitamins work together really well in the body. Probiotics can help vitamins to be separated and used in the body through the digestive processes. Vitamins do not impede the probiotics role, just as probiotics do not hamper the vitamins potency.
However, it is not essential to purchase probiotics and vitamins for inducing the beneficial interaction between them. This reaction occurs naturally after eating.
When food enters the intestines, digestive system immediately filters what is needed from the food and excretes the waste material. Expensive pills do not create this process.
But, if patients do not have healthy diet, rich of foods with nutrients such as fibers and healthful bacteria, their body may have a more difficult digestion time and metabolism.
Patients should not overdose probiotics. Too many probiotics can cause in some cases, mild side effects such as: stomach upset, diarrhea, gas, and bloating.
They can also trigger allergic reactions. Also, eating too many probiotic-rich foods like fatty cheese might produce health issues, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure or high fat and calorie intake.
Vitamins can also be overdosed, like A, D and K vitamins that the body can store for a long time. They can cause adverse effects if too much is present. Consuming more than one multivitamin daily can cause more harm than good.
Probiotics Are Beneficial For Nutrient Absorption
A daily probiotic may improve the absorption of a variety of vitamins and minerals from food and supplements. In addition, some probiotics can manufacture B vitamins, and there may be a synergistic relationship between vitamin D and probiotics.
If youre experiencing the signs and symptoms of a micronutrient deficiency, its important to look for the root cause, which is often related to suboptimal gut health. Probiotics can support immune health, provide digestive support, improve gut function, and help to restore the ability to adequately absorb nutrients, including vitamins.
For a more personalized plan, reach out to our functional medicine center.
References
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An Ancient Natural Protector More Potent Than Vitamin E
Why do we keep inventing unnatural chemical stews when nature gives us a buffet banquet of health-keepers?
For example, an antioxidant blast from the pastsilymarin, from the milk thistle plant.
Recommended by genius Greek physician Pliny for carrying off bile, silymarin is a mega-antioxidant, said to be at least ten times more potent than vitamin E.
Silymarin does just what doctors orderurgentlyfor statin patients:
- Regenerates liver cells damaged by alcohol or drugs, e.g., statins
I insistently recommend three doses of 175/mg per day.
But let your doctor recommend, based on your individual case.
When Should I Not Take Probiotics
Probiotics can be taken in almost any circumstances and by all ages. More information can be found in our frequently asked questions and by reading the article: Are probiotics safe to take?
However, there are a very small number of circumstances when we recommend that they are NOT taken without a discussion with your doctor first as they may be contraindicated with either a medical condition or another drug.
In this article we look at:
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Vitamins Supplements And Probiotics: The Basics
As we balance seeing friends and family during the pandemic, it is more important than ever to stay healthy and boost our immune systems. And while beautiful veggies and fruits are easy to find, sometimes your body needs more. Let’s talk about vitamins, supplements, and probiotics so you can head into summer happy and healthy.
How Much Should You Take Daily
The gut microbiome is unique to every person, so the amount of probiotics needed daily likely varies widely between individuals. Many factors influence the environment of your gut, such as your genes, health conditions, medications, including antibiotics, stress and diet. In addition, many different strains of probiotics are linked to different health benefits, and the amount of probiotics necessary to achieve a health benefit varies.
The dosage of probiotic supplements is listed in colony-forming units . Were still learning about the optimal amount of CFUs needed, but research shows that probiotics with between 1 million and 1 billion CFUs are adequate to produce health benefits. However, some probiotics have been shown to provide benefits at much lower amounts, and others need much higher doses.
The delivery mechanism is also important as it can offer probiotics protection against deterioration during manufacturing, storage and digestion. Techniques like freeze drying the good bacteria and rehydrating them in water prior to intake are used to help CFUs arrive as viable, live cultures to your large intestine, where they will be most impactful.
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Can I Use Probiotics To Help With Medical Conditions
There is currently a large amount of research happening around the idea of what probiotics can do for your body. Even though there are a lot of possibly positive outcomes, researchers are still working to find definitive answers about how probiotics can help with various conditions.
However, there are some medical conditions where probiotics may help. This can vary between people meaning that what works for one person may not work for another. These can also vary based on the certain probiotic that is taken.
Some of the conditions that might be helped by increasing the amount of probiotics in your body include:
- Upper respiratory infections .
- .
When Should I Take Probiotics
The ideal time to take probiotics is right before bed because “the gut is pretty inactive at night. If you think about it, you dont usually wake up in the middle of the night to poop, says Patricia Raymond, MD, a board-certified doctor in both gastroenterology and internal medicine. If you ingest a probiotic at night when your bowel isnt moving, theres a better chance that it will hang around, divide, and potentially get integrated into your gut.
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Probiotics And Multivitamins Basic Facts
Probiotics are live microorganisms that can provide health benefits especially for digestive system.
Probiotics may be able to prevent and treat some illnesses by promoting a healthy digestive tract, healthy immune system and protecting the body from harmful bacteria.
Probiotics can be taken through the food or beverages , and dietary supplements. These products may help in: treating diarrhea, especially after antibiotic treatment, preventing and treating urinary tract infections and vaginal yeast infections, speeding the treatment of intestinal infections, treating irritable bowel syndrome and preventing or reducing the severity of common colds and flu symptoms.
There are many probiotics bacteria with different benefits, however most come from two bacteria genus: Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.Lactobacillus is the most common probiotic, it can be found in yoghurt and other fermented foods.
This probiotic can help patients with diarrhea and may be helpful in patients who are lactose intolerant. Bifidobacterium can be also found in some dairy products and may be helpful for relieving the symptoms of irritable bowel disease.
Multivitamins are preparations containing multiple micronutrients, such as vitamins and dietary minerals. These preparations contain 3 or more vitamins and minerals at doses which are below the tolerable upper level, as determined by the Food and Drug Board, and they have no risk and adverse health effects.
Vitamins And Probiotics: A Comparison
With hundreds of new supplements flooding the shelves of pharmacies and supermarkets each year, it can be hard to work out what’s what.
Should I take probiotics, and how do they differ from vitamins? Where do herbal medicines fit in? It’s a crowded and complicated field, where age-old remedies compete, and often collaborate, with cutting-edge science.
Let’s look at the key players and answer some common questions.
Vitamins
Vitamins get their name from the Latin word for life, and with good reason. These organic molecules play a significant role in our metabolism, the series of chemical processes that occur within our body that convert our food and drink to energy.
However, our bodies cannot naturally manufacture certain vitamins, so we obtain them regularly from the food we consume.
We can get all of the vitamins we need from the food we eat and this is the best source, but since the 1930s, vitamin supplements have become an additional way to take them on board.
Life was a bit different in the days before we figured out the important role of vitamins. A scarcity of vitamin D would sometimes contribute to rickets, while quite a while ago, sailors would develop scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C on long sea voyages.
Probiotics
The name ‘probiotics’ also comes from the word for life . Like vitamins, probiotics are designed to support our general health and wellbeing, but they differ from vitamins in important ways.
Minerals
Herbal and traditional medicine
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Mistake #: Youre Not Taking The Right Dose
Like mentioned previously, the dose must be proven effective to make a claim on package in Canada. A dose is measured in colony-forming units . Look for a product with at least 10 billion CFU, because that appears to be a minimum dosage across the scientific literature, and take as directed, says Nielsen.
The best way to ensure youre getting the most out of your probiotics, experts say, is to follow a balanced high-fibre food plan, understand the type of probiotic youre taking, review its clinical research, take the appropriate dose and store them according to the package directions. And if you have any concerns talk to your health care provider. Then youll have no worries that your probiotics are failing you.
When Should I Take A Probiotic
Because supplements like probiotics aren’t regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, each probiotic supplement may come with different directions on dosing and timing. The most important advice is to choose a time you’ll actually stick to, especially if you have trouble remembering to take pills in the first place. “Consistency is the key with taking probiotics if one wants to reap the potential benefits,” Dr. Asike says.
While the time of day is ultimately up to you, this expert suggests that probiotics may be most effective if you plan to take them about 30 minutes before a mealand most effective if you take your supplement before breakfast. Probiotics will have a greater effect in your small intestine if you take them before you eat: “During a fast or prior to eating, the stomach won’t be as acidic and this will allow the probiotic capsule or tablet to be able to make its way into the intestine,” he explains.
Adding a probiotic into your routine first thing in the A.M., then, will likely keep your stomach from sabotaging your efforts. “Breakfast is usually eaten around the same time daily, and tends to be smaller and more easily digested,” Dr. Asike says.
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Why Should You Take Coq10
Statins inhibit production of both LDL cholesterol and coenzyme CoQ10 in your liver.
Lower LDL? OK, but with serious caveats.
Lower CoQ10? A recipe for disaster.
Congestive heart failure is caused by anything that weakens the heart or makes it harder to do its job.
So hardened or plaque-clogged arteries, or a previous heart attack, or high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid or kidney disease all can lead to CHF.
CoQ10 is produced by, required by, and used by every cell in our bodies. Its ubiquitoushence its trade name, ubiquinone.
Its primary role: instruct our mitochondria to convert nutrients into the fuel that powers everything we do.
Add to this that CoQ10 is also a powerful antioxidant. When it goes down, so does much of your immune system.
What?
From my point of view, if a doctor doesnt insist that their statin patients take supplemental CoQ10its sheer foolishness.
I tell my statin patients to take at least 200 mg of CoQ10 supplements daily, 100 mg in the morning, 100 mg at night. Importantly, CoQ10 can be taken in addition to most cardiovascular medications.
Do You Use Vitamins And Probiotics Together
While the answer to using vitamins and probiotics is yes, and taking them together may even have beneficial effects, such as making the probiotics work better, you should still be careful.
Always use high-quality vitamins and proven probiotics and buy from a reputable company.
Pro tip: Check the expiration date on probiotics. As they are live organisms, bacteria will die over time.
Did you use vitamins and probiotics together? Let me know your experience in the comments below.
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Do I Need To Take Probiotics After I Take Antibiotics
Antibiotic medications are often needed to fight an infection. However, while antibiotics are killing the bad bacteria, they are also knocking out the good bacteria in your body. Some people develop conditions like diarrhea after taking an antibiotic. In other people, this may allow for really bad bacteria to take over and populate the gut, such as with C. diff. Some research has shown a positive connection between taking probiotics after an antibiotic and relief from diarrhea. This hasnt been proven yet and doesnt work for everyone.
The thought behind adding probiotics back into your body after taking an antibiotic is that it can repopulate the good bacteria that was destroyed by the antibiotics and re-boot your system. The extra good bacteria helps repopulate your gut and fight off any remaining bad bacteria. Many people feel that adding in probiotics wont hurt, might help you feel better a little faster and prevent diarrhea.
Mistake #: Youre Not Prepping Your System Prebiotics
Prebiotics are food for good bacteria. But Nielsen warns that most of the research on prebiotics is done with high doses , which can be hard on the stomach, especially for those with gastrointestinal issues like irritable bowel syndrome.
So, how do you get the benefits of prebiotics to get the benefits of probiotics? I recommend eating a diet high in plant foods, such as fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, says Nielsen. A high-fibre, plant-centred diet has been shown to have an overall beneficial effect on the flora, and will naturally include prebiotic foods such as wheat, legumes and onions.
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Should I Eat Before Taking A Probiotic
Taking a probiotic after or during your meal may negate some of the benefits of the supplement due to busy digestion efforts in your gut. But Dr. Asike explains that some bacterial strains are naturally more resistant to stomach acid, and can be taken with meals safely in some cases, multiple times a day. You’ll likely see printed language on your chosen probiotic packaging that indicates it’s safe to take with meals.
Certain Probiotic Strains Can Help Keep Your Heart Healthy
Probiotics may help keep your heart healthy by lowering LDL cholesterol and blood pressure.
Certain lactic acid-producing bacteria may reduce cholesterol by breaking down bile in the gut .
Bile, a naturally occurring fluid mostly made of cholesterol, helps digestion.
A review of 5 studies found that eating a probiotic yogurt for 28 weeks reduced total cholesterol by 4% and LDL cholesterol by 5% .
Another study conducted over 6 months found no changes in total or LDL cholesterol. However, the researchers did find a small increase in HDL cholesterol .
Consuming probiotics may also lower blood pressure. A review of 9 studies found that probiotic supplements reduce blood pressure, but only modestly .
In order to experience any benefits related to blood pressure, supplementation had to exceed 8 weeks and 10 million colony-forming units daily .
Bottom Line:
Probiotics may help protect the heart by reducing bad LDL cholesterol levels and modestly lowering blood pressure.
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What Are Probiotics And Prenatal Vitamins
Probiotics are the live microorganisms found in food as beneficial bacteria. They offer many benefits. These include improving your hearts health, helping in digestion, and reducing depression.
They also help improve the look of your skin, making it smooth and beautiful.
Probiotics exist in most foods, both fresh and fermented as supplements. And while they play a part in giving these foods their unique flavors, they also help keep you healthy.
Prenatal vitamins are for pregnant women and help them maintain healthy pregnancies. You can take them during pregnancy or before you prepare to get pregnant.
If you are breastfeeding, make sure you read my article: Can you take probiotics while breastfeeding.
Can We Overdose Or Become Dependent On Probiotics If We Use Them In The Long Term
One concern people often have is whether their digestive system will become lazy if they take probiotics every day. But, rest assured, probiotics are not thought to be like laxatives which can cause the gut to become ‘lazy’ and reliant on them in order to function. There is no current research to suggest the body becomes dependent on probiotics.
Healthcare practitioners can read more on the subject of long-term use of probiotics, and whether that can lead to dependency, in the following FAQ: Is there a risk of dependency when taking probiotics?
In regards to overdosing, even when taken on a daily basis and at high doses it is extremely difficult to overdose on probiotics. For more on this subject you may like to read our FAQ Is it possible to overdose on probiotics? and Can I take two probiotic supplements at the same time?
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