Can You Take Probiotics More Than Once A Day
Whether splitting a probiotic dose across the day or doubling up, that depends on the individuals’ needs and goals while partnering with a health care practitioner.
Experts stress the importance of reading the label before taking probiotics more than once a day. “If you have an instance where you need a little more support, spreading out your daily dosage to a few courses a day could be helpful,”* Cording says.
You can also split up your dosage based on the form it comes in. “If the product you are taking is two or more pills per one dose, it is OK to split the dose during the day,” Morse says. For example, ½ the dose in the morning before breakfast and the other ½ dose after dinner or sometime before bedtime.
Best to avoid taking with or soon after your meals, to up the bugs’ survivability .
Just don’t exceed the recommended daily amount listed on the label unless your doctor tells you otherwise, Cording says. Still, she adds, “side effects from probiotics are very rare.” They’re usually self-limited GI issues like gas, according to NIH.
Youve Taken The First Step Whats Next
Here at Renew Life, we believe the journey toward being stronger for life is all about the little things we do every day to keep our minds and bodies healthystarting with supporting a balanced gut.
The human gut is a veritable powerhouse of potential, which is why we make products specifically with the health of your entire digestive system in mind. Our single-minded focus has made us a leader in the industry, and all of our probiotics, digestive enzymes, herbal cleansing formulas, fiber and specialty supplements work together to help you achieve digestive balance and harmony.*
All the best on your journey!
How Can We Tell If Ingested Probiotics Stay Alive In The Gut To Provide Health Benefits
For more on the question: do probiotics reach the gut alive? Check out this post.
First, a number of experiments are done in the lab in order to examine their potential as probiotics. In these experiments, we check the following: acid/bile tolerance, antibiotic resistance, adherence to human intestinal cells, and antibacterial activity.1, 2 Research has shown that the ability to survive in the gut is highly dependent on the strain.3
Another way of telling if bacteria can survive for a period of time in the human gut is to search for this bacteria in feces. The longer it takes to find these bacteria, the longer they remain in the gut and the more health benefits they can provide.
Many studies have demonstrated that indeed, good bacteria can be found in feces, even after 7-10 days of no probiotic consumption.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, The drawback here is that generally, after stopping the consumption of probiotics, the number of bacteria detected in feces also goes down.
Also, it is important to mention that their presence in feces does not necessarily correlate with their persistence in the gut. The best indicator is by directly taking intestinal samples with an endoscope.
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Some Signs That You Have Too Much Or Not Enough Probiotics
Even in liquid form, it can take some time for those probiotic drinks to kick into your system. You might want to track your progression and write down any symptoms from taking the product. If you are under the care of a doctor, make sure to check in with him or her, especially if:
- Your symptoms get worse
- You are experiencing new issues
- You are exerting food or drink intolerance
- You see a change in your mood, such as anxiety and depression
If you are looking for ways to prevent some of these symptoms, be sure to keep hydrated throughout the day. For this reason, many people choose probiotic drinks to introduce this bacteria into their systems. Not only are you getting all those benefits of good bacteria, but you can stay hydrated throughout the day.
Probiotic drinks can do wonders for your health and help your gut get back into balance. These probiotic drinks are the perfect way to restore your well-being in a tasty and convenient beverage.
While it might take some time for your gut to adjust to the new probiotics, you know that these bacteria are working hard to keep you healthy.
Importance Of Microorganisms For Your Gut
The complex community of microorganisms in your gut is called the gut flora, gut microbiota, or gut microbiome .
The gut microbiota includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and helminths with bacteria comprising the vast majority. Your gut is home to a complex eco-system of 300500 bacterial species .
Most of the gut flora is found in your colon, or large intestine, which is the last part of your digestive tract.
Surprisingly, the metabolic activities of your gut flora resemble those of an organ. For this reason, some scientists refer to the gut flora as the forgotten organ .
Your gut flora performs many important health functions. It manufactures vitamins, including vitamin K and some of the B vitamins .
It also turns fibers into short-chain fats like butyrate, propionate, and acetate, which feed your gut wall and perform many metabolic functions (
Probiotics and prebiotic fibers can help correct this balance, ensuring that your forgotten organ is functioning optimally .
Summary
Your gut flora consists of hundreds of types of microorganisms. These microorganisms perform numerous important bodily functions.
Probiotics are widely researched for their effects on digestive health .
Evidence suggests that probiotic supplements can help cure antibiotic-associated diarrhea .
When people take antibiotics, especially for long periods of time, they often experience diarrhea even long after the infection has been eradicated.
These unknowns include :
Summary
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How Do They Help Us
How these probiotic microorganisms deliver health effects for consumers is still not very clear. However, many studies suggest that they support the native gut microorganisms to colonise, or live successfully in the gut, thereby enabling proper digestive processes and other essential functions.
For example, most probiotics have the ability to suppress the growth of bad microorganisms like pathogenic E. coli strains, because they can produce some compounds that can kill disease-causing bacteria.
Our gut microbiota perform many vital functions in the body, involving the immune system, vitamin B and K production and fibrous food fermentation. Having healthy colonies of microorganisms is key to a healthy life, and this may be one of the ways that probiotics help to maintain health.
Probiotics are helpful in the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders including irritable bowel syndrome, Crohns disease, peptic ulcers, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. They improve digestion of lactose and have also been used in treating allergic conditions like eczema.
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How Many Probiotic Strains Should You Take
Choosing a probiotic supplement purely on the number of probiotic strains is a bad idea and not something I would recommend you do.
In my probiotic guides when I choose the best probiotic for a condition I first read through the medical studies to check what probiotic strains do for each condition.
As an example, Lactobacillus Plantarum had a study carried out on zebrafish that showed benefits for anxiety.
If you wanted to choose a probiotic strain for anxiety then it would be far better to choose a higher CFU count of this individual strain that a probiotic supplement with a bunch of random strains not studied for anxiety.
If you wanted a probiotic supplement for weight loss, then L. Plantarum wouldn’t be a good choice because of the lack of studies.
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What You Can Do
Dont start taking probiotics without talking to your doctor or pharmacist about whether probiotics might help you. People who have immune deficiency or are being treated for cancer should not use probiotics without a doctors okay.
The most common species of bacteria used in probiotics are species of Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. The bacteria are usually freeze-dried when you take the supplement, they warm up in your digestive system and become fully active. You can find probiotic supplements in most drugstores and supermarkets. They come as capsules or tablets to swallow and as loose powder to sprinkle on food. Youll want a product that explicitly states a sell-by date. Dosages vary by product, so no general dosing recommendation can be made. However, common dosages for adults range from five billion to 10 billion colony-forming units per day. Take just one dose of probiotics per day.
Some people may experience loose stools in the first few days of taking probiotics, but this goes away. Taking probiotics at the end of a meal may help to reduce the symptoms.
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A List Of Probiotic Foods
There are a number of ways you can get probiotics besides the consumption of yogurt. Other fermented or cultured probiotic foods, according to Harvard Health Publishing, include:
- Buttermilk
- Soy beverages
NIH adds kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles and raw unfiltered apple cider to the list. Probiotics may also come in the form of a dietary supplement. If youre wondering whether to use probiotic supplements vs. yogurt for your probiotics intake, there are a few things to consider.
While yogurt mainly contains two strains of bacteria: Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, supplements usually contain a mixture of bacteria. Whether you take a supplement, may depend on what type of bacteria you need and why youre taking it. A word of caution against supplements: not all probiotics supplements have been backed by research, so it may take some researching and investigating on your own when choosing the right supplement.
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Side Effects Of Probiotics
Side effects are not linked with significant side effects when used by healthy adults in normal dosages. According to a review by the National Institutes of Health, probiotics have been shown to be safe to use in many studies.
However, some may experience mild bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, or constipation during the first few days of using probiotic supplements. Most people, however, experience none of these symptoms.
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Revisiting The Term ‘probiotic’
Figure 1: Objectives of stakeholders in the probiotic field.
These objectives are compatible, so there is no apparent reason for obstruction of probiotic product development and marketing. Importantly, all stakeholders must work together performing their respective duties so that society benefits from the scientific advances in the field of probiotic research.
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What Has Science Shown About The Effectiveness Of Probiotics For Health Conditions
A great deal of research has been done on probiotics, but much remains to be learned about whether theyâre helpful and safe for various health conditions.
Probiotics have shown promise for a variety of health purposes, including prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea , prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis and in premature infants, treatment of infant colic, treatment of periodontal disease, and induction or maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis.
However, in most instances, we still donât know which probiotics are helpful and which are not. We also donât know how much of the probiotic people would have to take or who would be most likely to benefit. Even for the conditions that have been studied the most, researchers are still working toward finding the answers to these questions.
The following sections summarize the research on probiotics for some of the conditions for which theyâve been studied.
Probiotics And Cfus: How Many Is Enough
by Ryan Bentley, MD, PhD, DC | Apr 9, 2018 | Probiotic Blog, Probiotic Education
Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer health benefits on the host. The potential benefits of probiotics have been well documented, but there is still plenty of confusion about how to evaluate the effectiveness of a probiotic as a consumer, as there are so many factors to consider. We have written about some of these considerations in the past, such as single strains vs. multiple strains, refrigerated vs. unrefrigerated, method of preparation, and what kind of scientific research a company has to prove the effectiveness of their products. Despite the importance of these considerations, the one that most companies have pushed to the forefront is the CFU count. CFUs, or colony forming units, represent the number of live probiotic bacteria that are supposed to be in each serving. Most probiotic companies use this number alone to sell the effectiveness of their products because its cheap to increase CFU counts, and its an easy talking point for marketing to general consumers. We have already written about misconceptions surrounding CFU counts in the past, but were going to revisit that topic today with a research study that dives deeper into the importance of CFU counts.1
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Foods To Keep Your Gut Healthy
Its thought you may be able to improve or maintain the levels of good and bad bacteria in your gut by eating probiotic-rich foods every day. More research is needed to help us understand how much you need to eat to see results.
The most effective probiotic foods are thought to be:
- yoghurt yoghurt products with live cultures have probiotics in them. But people with lactose intolerance may get uncomfortable tummy symptoms after eating yoghurt, such as bloating and gas
- kefir, a tangy drink research suggests kefir contains higher concentrations of live cultures than yoghurt does, and its thought it may be a more effective probiotic because it can better resist the acidic environment of your gut
- fermented vegetables these include pickles, kimchi and sauerkraut
Read more about stomach-friendly foods.
Can You Take Too Much Probiotics How Much Is Too Much
While it is critical to observe accurate dosage for most medicines, Probiotics seem to deviate from the norm.
Most research indicates that there exists no consensus on the dosing that should be observed.
However, it is also noteworthy, as indicated by Pasha Gurevich that if you ingest too much good bacteria, it can lead to minor side effects such as upset stomach and diarrhoea.
This would only happen if you were not in an antibiotic medication. However, if your immunity capacity is greatly reduced, there is a risk of getting other side effects, which may be severe.
For instance, probiotic sepsis, which is and overwhelming immune response to bacterial infection. Thought not agreed on its fatality when it happens, it caused by probiotic overdose.
On the same note, other researchers indicate that there is difficulty in overdosing on good bacteria. This is motivated by the fact that already the body has high numbers of good bacteria in the body.
Estimated to be around 100 trillion bacteria. However, just the mild symptoms such as bloating and flatulence, though they indicate that the probiotics are functioning, if persistent, they act as a danger sign and medical help should be sought in that case.
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There Is No Right Dose Of Probiotics
The average dose of probiotic supplements is 1 to 10 billion colony forming units according to the National Institutes of Health.
Most probiotics on the market have this amount, though you may see products that claim to have up to 50 billion CFU. However, theres no concrete research that says what the most effective dosage is, says Farhadi.
This is kind of uncharted territory. Most of our knowledge about probiotics is not pharmaceutically scientific or chemically scientific, and its a little bit different from other medications, he says. For these reasons, researchers dont know exactly which probiotics and what the effective dose is for health benefits.
However, if you are taking probiotics to deal with the uncomfortable effects of antibiotics, there is some evidence that a higher dose of certain probiotics might help abate the side-effect of diarrhea. In a small 2010 study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, patients who were given two capsules of probiotic, each containing 50 billion CFU, had fewer instances of antibiotic-induced diarrhea than patients who were given one capsule or no probiotic at all.
What Is The #1 Probiotic
The probiotic strain in Culturelle® Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is the #1 most clinically studied strain of probiotic. Considered the premier probiotic in the world, over 1,000 scientific studies and over 30 years of research have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG .
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How To Ensure Your Probiotic Will Work
The most important way to make sure the probiotic you choose will work is to find a reputable brand and follow the label directions suggested on how to take it. Each brand will have specific information based on the product.
Manufacturers are constantly trying to improve probiotic effectiveness by using different methods such as microencapsulation to protect probiotics from the environment, increasing chances of survival and potency.
tips for effective probiotic use
For a probiotic to work for you, it should be:
- Good quality . Choose one that shows proof of effectiveness.
- Stored correctly. Read labels and store as the label states .
- Taken as directed. Read labels and take as suggested .
- Able to survive in the body. The probiotic must be able to survive the trip through stomach acid and bile and colonize your gut.
- Safe for you. Read the label and note added ingredients. Watch out for added fillers and binders which might cause reactions.
A typical label will have the name of the specific probiotic , the dose in CFU, an expiration date, and instructions for use and storage.
The expiration date is important because it should have the use by date, which is how long the product will have live cultures.
Avoid products that list expiration as time of manufacture. The cultures may not be active or be less than listed by the time you buy it.
