Recommended By 1md Nutrition’s Gastroenterologist
Dr. David Kahana
As a gastrointestinal doctor with years of experience under my belt I’ve seen my fair share of patients come in with common intestinal concerns. I most often recommend two things. These two things work time and time again and I have watched in amazement as they instill confidence in my patients.
First, getting the proper nutrition can and will improve your health substantially. Most people already know this.
Second, using a good, solid probiotic can help support your digestive, immune and overall health.* This surprises a lot of my patients. I can’t believe how small of a percentage of people dealing with typical digestive upset use probiotics regularly.
When my patients ask me what probiotic is best, I recommend 1MD Nutritions Complete Probiotics Platinum®. It has 11 different strains and guarantees 51 billion live cultures per capsule. It also contains an effective dosage of Nutraflora prebiotic fiber that will ensure these cultures get the fuel they need to really make a difference in your gut.*
1MDs formula does not contain any unnecessary fillers. I consider this to be the most complete probiotic on the market today.*
Biom Probiotics: Microbiome Gut Health
Biom Probiotics® is our flagship 3-in-1 2nd generation gut health product line with probiotics, prebiotics and immunobiotics.
Your gut microbiome works as a metabolic organ, promoting digestion, energy metabolism, immunity, bone metabolism, even sleep patterns and proper brain function. Our 3-in-1 probiotics made with patented Biomsify® microbiome technology has superior probiotics and prebiotics to diversify, stabilize, and balance your good gut flora.
Probiotics Can Repair Your Skin And Reduce Its Sensitivity
Skin disorders come hand in hand with a number of unpleasant symptoms such as burning, itching and painful sensitivity to touch. Whats more, even when those irritated red bumps or patches temporarily heal, it seems almost impossible to get rid of discoloration, marks or even scars in places where active lesions once were. Users have reported diminished scarring and improved smoothness of skin once covered with blemishes after persistent application of topical probiotics.
So are probiotics your skins new best friend? Theres only one way to find out.
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How Long Does An Acne Skin Breakout Last
As a general rule of thumb, skin purges/breakouts can last between four to six weeks after starting a new skincare routine/product. However, if it lasts longer than six weeks, it may be time to visit a dermatologist. This is to see whether there are other internal issues which may be causing and aggravating your skin breakout.
Hopefully, this blog has helped in breaking down the benefits and possible side effects of incorporating probiotics into your daily lifestyle. As always, it is important to listen to and pay attention to your skin and bodys needs. This ensures that you get the most benefit out of taking probiotics. Try probiotics for overall internal and external bodily health improvement.
What Exactly Are Probiotics
Probiotics are present in various types of food and readily available in pill or tablet form, but they significantly differ from other supplements by their very nature: probiotics are live, healthy bacteria. These so-called friendly microorganisms are responsible for restoring balance in our bodies by making sure that the bad bacteria are kept under control and prevented from causing illnesses. Apart from that, they are known to successfully fight gut inflammation, help bodies absorb certain types of nutrients and keep the immune system in optimum shape. There are also many probiotic benefits for the skin. Probiotics can improve skin conditions and seem to have the power to prevent wrinkles and increase skins hydration, among other things.
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Probiotics Help Prevent Breakouts And Clarify Your Skin
A number of studies show that certain types of food increase skins oil production, which can result in clogged pores, acne and breakouts. Since acne sufferers often have elevated inflammatory response as well, keeping inflammation at bay with the regular use of probiotics can provide much-needed relief and result in beautiful, clear skin.
Probiotics For Acne & Skin Health
Gut health and skin health have been linked as far back as the early 20th century1. This article will look at current understanding behind this link, especially the link between gut health and acne, and the role probiotics can play in this relationship.
Teenagers are not the only age group affected by pesky, painful spots and breakouts – acne is a common complaint amongst adults too. In this article we answer your questions about the link between gut health and skin health, and how probiotics might help:
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Can Scientists Add Live Cultures To Skincare
The answer is yes, but it is not as simple as it sounds. The process is easy when it is carried out in a controlled environment . The problem is that the patient will not be able to replicate it at home on a daily basis. We all know how important regularity is when it comes to skin treatments. For this reason, some companies have attempted to add the probiotic strains to their formulas.
So far, very few brands, a handful at the most, have been able to achieve this and their claims are questionable. The following doubts are still up in the air:
- What type of technology is used to ensure that the strains remain alive and actually attach to the skin?
b. ) Does the product contain a preservative?
- If the answer is yes, will the probiotics be killed off?
- If the answer is no, how do you prevent the product from decomposing?
c. ) Are skin colonizing bacteria present in the formula?
d. ) How many units and strains have been added?
If prebiotics are not your thing, you can try using formulas that contain postbiotics. These are the byproducts that result after prebiotics are fermented by live microorganisms such as amino acids, enzymes, vitamins , antimicrobial peptides , acids , polysaccharides, and short-chain fatty acids . Just like prebiotics, postbiotics benefits focus on the support and reinforcement of the friendly germs. Postbiotics in skincare can also act as antioxidants, brightening, exfoliating, moisturizing, protective, regenerative and soothing agents.
How To Take Probiotics
When it comes to taking probiotics, besides looking to a product that contains a good mix of different strains to help cultivate a well-rounded gut microbiome, you should aim to follow the instructions. Some are best taken first thing on an empty stomach, while others are better consumed with food. There are probiotics that have to live in the fridge to survive, while others get along just fine at room temperature. Make sure you’re taking note of all of these things to ensure you’re helping your probiotics work to their full potential.
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Balancing Your Good Bacteria
There are several ways to help your gut balance the good bacteria, we will talk about two of them2.
1. What you eat: This means including high-fiber foods and fermented foods.
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High-Fiber Foods: beans, peas, oats, bananas, berries, and asparagus.
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Fermented Foods: yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, kefir, and kimchi.
2. Probiotics: Probiotics come in many forms. One of the most common types is an over-the-counter health supplement. They help provide a healthy balance of good bacteria.
What Are The Bad Bacteria
Bad bacteria arenât always that bad. If we have enough balance in our digestive and immune systems, bad bacteria really donât do much to our bodies. In fact, they sometimes work with the good bacteria to help us build immunity to other germs and illnesses.
But if there is not enough good bacteria and too much bad bacteria, then some more serious illnesses can occur like auto-immune diseases or cancer. This is the reason why we still try to avoid the bad germs and bacteria by wiping down surfaces and washing our hands.
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Does Prebiotic/probiotic Skin Care Work
While prebiotic/probiotic skin care sounds promising, it’s still too early to definitively recommend it for certain skin issues, according to González. “We are just at the beginning of getting to understand their true impact,” she said.
At the same time, there have been encouraging signs that pre/probiotics could be helpful for certain skin issues.
“Some studies have shown that Nitrobacter has anti-fungal activity, and also combats bacteria known as Staphylococcus,” González continued. “Lactobacillus was shown to improve adult acne in a small study. Bifidobacterium in combination with Lactobacillus was shown to lower the incidence of eczema in early childhood. Streptococcus thermophilus has been shown to increase the production of ceramides in the skin, which could help in eczema.”
The bottom line? Prebiotic/probiotic skin care has the potential to be great for skin, but as with any other new trend, make sure you proceed with caution before diving right in.
How To Improve Gut Health
While there are many things to do to work on your gut health, the factor I found in my research that would have the biggest impact was taking a probiotic. Youve probably heard of probiotics as the buzz-worthy supplement promoted by every wellness blogger, or the reason fermented foods like kimchi and kefir have gotten a lot of attention and there are a lot of health benefits to back up the hype. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast that are stored in your gut to keep you healthy and properly digest foods. Taking a probiotic supplement adds more good bacteria to your body and helps to balance the good and bad bacteria.
However, a probiotic is not good enough. The lesser known prebiotic is equal to its popular probiotic counterpart, since without them, probiotics , cannot flourish. Prebiotic is a type of non-digestible fiber that gets fermented when it reaches the colon. That fermenting process works as food for good gut bacteria, allowing the good bacteria to grow. What so many people miss about the probiotic health trend is that taking all the probiotics and good gut bacteria in the world will not heal your gut without prebiotics, since good bacteria wont be able to survive without them.
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Who Does Probiotic Skincare Help
Patients who could get the most out of probiotic skincare are those who:
Have sensitive skin. Probiotics have the remarkable ability to rebuild and strengthen our skins protective barrier. While sensitive skin takes time to repair itself after being damage, probiotics will help to speed up the healing process.
Live in the city. Free radicals such as those found in pollution have the ability to accelerate aging and to suck the youthful radiance from your skin. Fortunately, when you topically apply probiotics to the skin, you can boost its natural defense mechanisms.
Probiotics can actually calm the natural immune triggers in the skin which can become easily overstimulated by stress and pollution, and they can reduce the damage these immune triggers cause to elastin, collagen, and healthy cells.
Youre acne-prone. Studies have shown that products containing lactobacillus was proven effective at treating acne. Preliminary results have been so encouraging, that some believe in the near future acne will be treated not with antibiotics but with probiotics instead.
What Do Prebiotics And Probiotics Do For Your Skin
While there are tons of probiotics in your gut, thereâs also a community of them living on your skin too. There they carry out beneficial tasks like fighting off infections, maintaining a good pH balance, and keeping the skin protected and healthy.
While scientific research is still ongoing, the general consensus so far is that probiotics living on our skin are very beneficial to our skinâs health. Thatâs why, alongside the usual products containing cleansers or vitamins, youâll find skincare products with prebiotics .
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The Relationship Between Gut Health And Your Skin
A leaky or unhealthy gut doesnt just cause stomach pains or digestive issues . Its also associated with obesity, a weak immune system, hormone imbalance, depression and anxiety, and yes, even inflammatory skin conditions. The gut is filled with trillions of bacteria. A healthy gut microbiome kills bad bacteria that can show up as acne or inflammation on the skin. Good bacteria that flourishes in the gut also stimulates the production of anti-inflammatory molecules, which help to beat breakouts or skin conditions before they even begin.
Food allergies dont always show their symptoms as a swollen throat or hives a lot of the time, food intolerances will show up on the skin because they cause imbalance in gut bacteria. These gut issues often go unnoticed, since were more likely to treat skin problems from the outside instead of from the inside. If you keep your skin clean, moisturized, and balanced, any irritation on the skin from rosacea to hormonal breakouts might actually be caused by a leaky gut or too much bad bacteria.
How Do Probiotics Work
Researchers already know that probiotics can work in positive ways to help the body with chronic health conditions such as constipation or diarrhea , chronic digestive issues, acne and certain other dermatologic conditions.
However, researchers still arent clear about exactly how probiotics do what they do!
Leading theories suggest that taking probiotics can replenish your bodys own healthy gut flora, improve your bodys immune system function, repair your digestive tract after illness or injury, fight off unfriendly microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses and improve your bodys ability to use nutrients from food by improving digestive function.
However, the most important thing to know if you are struggling to heal your skin from acne is that probiotics can help! According to Science Direct and theJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology, probiotics have been shown to have a very promising impact on chronic acne.
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How To Choose The Best Probiotic Supplement
Seek out the right bacteria. General-use supplements should contain well-researched strains Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomyces boulardii have been studied the most, Dr. Rajapaksa says. If youre trying to address a specific health concern, seek out a probiotic thats been studied for that issue. Ask your doctor about strains that have been shown to be particularly helpful. Plus, be sure youre getting enough: Theres no official recommendation for how many CFUs, or colony-forming units, you need, but most supplements contain between five and 10 billion per dose.
Look for a few key extras. A good supplement has time-release technology and delivers a dose of prebioticsfibers that act as food for probiotic bacteria. The time-release technology ensures the probiotic reaches your intestine and the prebiotic component aids in absorption, says Dr. Rajapaksa. Another important extra is third-party certification seek out a seal of approval from groups like Consumer Lab, NSF International, or the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention , which ensures the product has been tested for quality, purity, potency, and ingredients.
Now that youre an expert on the best probiotic supplements, here are a few that come recommended by experts and reviewers alike.
Internal Bacteriotherapy And The Gut
As mentioned, there had been older commentaries and clinical anecdotes suggesting that orally consumed lactic acid bacteria might be of benefit in alleviating depressive symptoms. It was also reported that patients with mental health disorders appeared to have very low levels of L. acidophilus. In a series of case reports in 1924, one Illinois physician reported value of oral L. acidophilus for the treatment of both acne and mental health disorders in addition to L. acidophilus improving the complexion, it was stated that ‘in certain patients it even seemingly contributes to mental improvement’ . It was also reported that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae could improve both acne vulgaris and constipation when orally consumed , an interesting anecdote when considering new research on the ability of this organism to improve the integrity of a disturbed gut barrier . However, these early observations were mostly explained as simply the ability of administered lactic acid bacteria to improve bowel function and reduce constipation. Too often clinicians in the early part of the 20th century associated constipation with the root of all acne and depression. These clinical case reports were never advanced to proper scientific investigations.
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Good Bacteria Vs Bad Bacteria
Before we dive into the differences between probiotics and prebiotics, we should look at the differences between good bacteria and bad bacteria when it comes to your body.
Everybody has bacteria in their bodies and this is how we build up our immunities to illnesses, viruses, and germs we encounter every day. The collection of bacteria in your body is also called your âmicrobiome.â Your microbiome is made up of mostly good and some bad bacteria.
A Healthy Gut & Healthy Skin Support Each Other
In an ideal situation, your healthy gut will be reflected in your beautiful skin. A healthy gut will even synthesize extra vitamins and minerals that benefit your skin, such as the B vitamins thiamine and riboflavin. Healthy skin free from cuts and burns can also help you maintain a healthy gut and immune system. Studies show that burns and cuts affect your gut bacteria. One recent study showed that burn injuries actually increase the permeability of your gut and cause bacteria to move from your intestines into your bloodstream and other areas.7 Burns can also change the mix of bacteria in your body, allowing for Gram-negative aerobic bacteria overgrowth, such as E-coli and Salmonella, which can lead to infections. Your gut lining is just one layer thick. Its cells, like the ones on the outer layer of your skin, can be replaced very quickly, so healing can be an accelerated process. This means that once you get to the root of the problem, you can get fast results inside and out.
I recommend removing irritants that can cause gut inflammation. The best way to do this is by completing an elimination diet to determine your personal food sensitivities. The goal is to get rid of things that negatively affect the environment of the GI tract including gluten, dairy, corn, soy, eggs, and sugar that can lead to food sensitivities.
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