Probiotics Could Help Prevent Food Allergies
Probiotics may also help prevent food allergies, though more research is needed. For example, a review published in October 2015 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggested probiotics may help prevent eczema, which is a risk factor for food allergies, in children when administered to pregnant or breastfeeding mothers. Important to note, though, is infant eczema doesnt always signal a food allergy, and could simply be caused by dry skin or a seasonal allergy.
Turn To Trusted Peers And Experts
If you struggle with occasional digestive issues, take the next step and talk to your healthcare provider. These experts know how to help you solve your digestive issues, and they may suggest a change in diet or the addition of a probiotic supplement to help you on your way to optimal health.
Even better, they can help by determining if there is anything serious to address. If not they can guide you on the journey as you make changes to optimize your gut health.
Cody, who uses Align probiotics, said, âIf someone else is out there struggling with digestive issues, first I would find someone they can trust to talk to. It could be a friend, a partner, a family member. If thatâs not an option, or you donât feel comfortable doing that, I think itâs totally within reason to go to a medical professional and talk to them about these kinds of things.â
Focus On What Matters Most To You
Imagine knowing you can go somewhere with your family and not worry about the possibility of abdominal discomfort. Imagine heading into a long meeting and not worrying that youâll have to excuse yourself for occasional digestive symptoms.
According to Dustin, this is the main reason he takes probiotics: âKnowing I have a healthy gut, a healthy GI tract, means that I can spend time with my family. It means that I can go to work every day and earn the income I need to. Not needing to worry about myself, knowing that Iâm in good health, helps me know that Iâll be able to help my family when they need it. Probiotics enabled me to enjoy life, just, day to day.â
Read Also: Best Probiotic For Teenager Uk
There Is No Way To Know What Dose You Are Taking
The probiotic supplement market is relatively unregulated, so its hard to know how many CFUs we actually are consuming when we take probiotics in pill form. Moreover, its difficult to know if the organisms in those probiotics are even still alive and capable of doing their job, or if theyre dead and useless. Even if the bacteria are alive, theres a question about whether they can survive once inside your gut.
If you are getting your probiotics from foods like store-bought yogurt, there are also very few ways to be sure that you are consuming a significant dose of good bacteria. The conditions that the yogurt is stored in down the supply-chain, the temperature of your refrigerator, and the strain of probiotic that the yogurt contains all have a significant effect on the dosage of CFU. Many of the beneficial microbes could have perished before you consume the yogurt.
Probiotics Prebiotics And Synbiotics: Theres A Difference
As mentioned, probiotics are supplements or foods containing live microorganisms in significant enough numbers to produce health benefits to the host beyond basic nutrition.
On the other hand, a prebiotic is a nondigestible food ingredient that promotes the growth or activity of bacteria in the colon. In other words, a prebiotic promotes the growth of a probiotic. Its easier to remember the difference when you think of the word prebiotic having the prefix pre, which means before. Dietary fibers are a prebiotic. Examples of prebiotics are inulin and fructooligosaccharides.
Synbiotics are simply products that contain both prebiotics and probiotics. The prefix syn is from the word synergy because the prebiotic works in a favorable way to produce the probiotic. One example would be Lactobacilli strains promoting the production of Bifidobacteria in the gut, which both have immune system benefits.
You May Like: Are You Supposed To Take Probiotics Everyday
Restores Your Gut Microbiome After Antibiotics
Certain antibiotics can really mess up your gut. Whether you took them for a sinus infection or other health concerns, your doctor may encourage you to increase your probiotic usage. This is because antibiotics wipe the infection out of your body, and along with it goes all of the good bacteria, too. This can lead to yeast infections if you dont rebalance your gut quickly after an antibiotic round.
Probiotics Can Aid Digestion And Help Maintain Gut Health
What are the benefits of taking probiotics? Bacteria have a reputation for causing disease, so the idea of tossing down a few billion a day for your health might seem literally and figuratively hard to swallow. But a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that you can treat and even prevent some illnesses with foods and supplements containing certain kinds of live bacteria. Northern Europeans consume a lot of these beneficial microorganisms, called probiotics , because of their tradition of eating foods fermented with bacteria, such as yogurt. Probiotic-laced beverages are also big business in Japan.
Some digestive disease specialists are recommending probiotic supplements for disorders that frustrate conventional medicine, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Since the mid-1990s, clinical studies suggest that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal ills, delay the development of allergies in children, and treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women.
Self-dosing with bacteria isn’t as outlandish as it might seem. An estimated 100 trillion microorganisms representing more than 500 different species inhabit every normal, healthy bowel. These microorganisms generally don’t make us sick most are helpful. Gut-dwelling bacteria keep pathogens in check, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function.
Recommended Reading: Probiotic Strain For Rheumatoid Arthritis
It Used To Be That When You Had A Stomachache Youd Reach For The Pepto Or Maybe A Cup Of Peppermint Tea Today You Might Consider Popping A Probiotic
Get access to everything we publish when you .
The growing popularity of probiotics speaks to their potential both to treat tummy troubles and prevent them in the first place. But how are they best used, and are they for everyone?
Probiotics may be beneficial for those with poor diets, stress, older age, and who are taking medicationssuch as antibioticsthat alter the microorganisms in our bodies, says Kelley Wilson, MS, RD, CD, clinical nutritionist at the Digestive Health Center at UW Health in Madison, Wis.
Read Also: What Can You Take For Diarrhea While Pregnant
Reduce The Frequency Of Diarrhea
While there are many causes for diarrhea, a change in the guts bacteria can lead to loose stools. Antibiotics often disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome, leading to antibiotic-associated diarrhea and causing loss of good bacteria.
Probiotics may reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in adults aged 18-64. Omni-Biotic AB 10 contains ten carefully selected bacterial strains that restore the gut microbiome and reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
Don’t Miss: What Do Vaginal Probiotics Do
Probiotics For Travellers Diarrhoea
Whether you’re going away to a familiar destination, returning home to see family or backpacking to distant lands to explore uncharted territory, holidays are invariably a memorable experience. However, sometimes these new experiences can also produce some nasty and uncomfortable stomach-related side effects.
Saccharomyces boulardii has also been extensively clinically researched6 for travellers diarrhoea and found to support gut health in those that travel abroad to exotic locations. S. boulardii, as mentioned above, works differently from other probiotics specifically because of its unique transient qualities. This means that it can pass through the system without binding to the gut wall. It works by adhering itself to harmful bacteria and gently removing those unwelcome pathogens from the system.
When travelling abroad, it is a good idea to also take other types of probiotics alongside Saccharomyces boulardii to give an extra level of protection to the gut, and to battle bad bacteria and other nasties in two ways. Live cultures, like L. acidophilus and L. rhamnosus possess qualities that enable them to line the interior of the gut wall, creating a physical barrier and fortifying the gut’s natural defences. They also create a gut environment which discourages the growth of pathogens so can be a particular aid against contracting upset stomachs in countries where tummy troubles are a common issue for travellers.
How Popular Are Probiotics
The 2012 National Health Interview Survey showed that about 4 million U.S. adults had used probiotics or prebiotics in the past 30 days. Among adults, probiotics or prebiotics were the third most commonly used dietary supplement other than vitamins and minerals. The use of probiotics by adults quadrupled between 2007 and 2012. The 2012 NHIS also showed that 300,000 children age 4 to 17 had used probiotics or prebiotics in the 30 days before the survey.
Read Also: Which Brand Of Probiotics Is Best
You Suffer From Skin Conditions Such As Acne And Psoriasis
Flushing waste from your body helps you maintain clear, healthy-looking skin, which is why digestive problems are commonly linked to skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, hives, and rashes. If youre having problems managing one or more skin conditions, and topical remedies arent working, you may need to work on clearing your skin from the inside out with help from probiotics.
Autism, Candida, and yeast infections are cited as other common health problems linked to poor gut health. If you think you may need probiotics, talk to your doctor about nutrition therapy using probiotics, or try our Suprema Dophilus a high potency probiotic that contains five billion viable cells per capsule with eight different probiotic strains. This probiotic formula helps support long-term digestive health and may help reduce symptoms of related conditions.
Looking for high-quality vitamins and supplements to help you meet your health goals? Visit the Garcia Weight Loss & Wellness Centers online store to view our selection of diet supplements, easy exchange foods, and skin care formulated with natural mineral and botanical ingredients.
Medically reviewed by Jay J. Garcia, MD on January 1, 2018
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.
Recommended Reading: Does Banana Cause Bloating And Gas
Recommended Reading: Probiotics For Weight Loss Research
Combining Prebiotics With Probiotics
Probiotics can work together with prebioticsdietary fibers that act as food for probioticsto create greater health benefits, known as a synbiotic effect. Synbiotics can improve the activity of the beneficial bacteria in the gut and their chance of survival.
In the Omni-Biotic probiotic powder, there are prebiotics included which fuel the good bacteria before you ingest them.
Related Resource:
They Can Help Support A Healthy Weight*
These good bugs might play a positive role in weight maintenance too.* Gut bacteria play an important role in metabolism, involved in everything from digestion to energy production and storage and even appetite regulation.
Several studies have shown that the gut microbiomes of individuals with obesity are different from the microbiomes of lean individuals. And the reason for that interesting difference might have to do with how microbes help us break down food.
“Certain bacteria are better at extracting energy from food than others,” says Rountree. “It’s that simple.” So, if you happen to have more of these desirable bacterial strains in your gut, then you could eat the same food as a friend and you end up turning it into energy, while your friend turns it into fat.* One of life’s most frustrating conundrums, explained.
Don’t Miss: Is Yogurt Probiotic Or Prebiotic
Maintain And Improve Gut Integrity
The digestive tract is protected by a thin wall of cells called the gut barrier. This wall allows beneficial particles to pass from the intestines to the bloodstream while keeping partially digested food or disease-causing particles from slipping through.
When the gut barrier is damaged or inflamed, proteins and other bacteria may leak through the barrier. This is known as increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut syndrome.
More research is needed to understand why this happens. Evidence shows that the integrity of the gut barrier can be affected by genetics, stress, alcohol use and may be disrupted by poor diet and certain medications.
One study of 23 men showed that probiotic supplements helped improve the stability of the gut wall. Omni-Biotic Stress Release contains specific probiotic bacterial strains that support a strong gut barrier.
Can Probiotics Help Your Upset Stomach
Probiotics are microorganisms that are helpful to improve the digestive system. Probiotics are typically found in different foods and supplements. These microorganisms maintain the balance of the microbial flora in the intestines. It promotes the growth of good bacteria, and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive system. One of the species of probiotic microorganism that is commonly known as the lactic acid bacteria, is called lactobacillus acidophilus. Certain strains of bacteria and yeast are also known to be useful to benefit the digestive system.
Probiotics are recommended to treat a number of medical conditions, like diarrhea, gas, and cramping. People who have antibiotics for specific infections often develop digestive problems, like diarrhea, as the medication kills the harmless bacteria along with the disease-causing organisms. The loss of good bacteria from the intestines can lead to urinary tract infections and yeast infections. Probiotics help to replace the beneficial bacteria in the intestine. Probiotics are also used to control inflammation for inflammatory bowel disease. It is also being studied for its ability to prevent colon cancer, skin infections, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Have a question about
Probiotics are effective in treating different conditions like:
Read Also: Physicians Choice Slim X Probiotic
What Do Probiotics Do For You: A Journey To A Healthy Gut
We all have a gut. It just rarely comes up in conversation, especially if when digestive issues pop up unexpectedly. If you opened up to friends and family about it, you might be surprised to hear that you are not alone. Align user Catherine said, âNever be afraid to talk about your gut health. You only have one life. You need to make sure itâs the best.â Once you start talking, you can find out how probiotic supplements might help you and learn about what they do.
Many people take a probiotic proactively to support their bodyâs health and overall wellness . Others take it to support a 70% of yourimmune system thatâs in your gut. Others may take probiotics to help address their occasional digestive upsets and accompanying symptoms like abdominal gas and bloating. Probiotics like Align 24/7 Digestive Support*§ can add the good bacteria too your gut to promote a healthy digestive system.
Start talking to whoever you trustâfriends, family, your doctorâand find out how probiotics might help you.
What Is The Best Probiotic
It is hard to say what the best probiotic is because the effects of probiotics are different for each person. Everyone has their own unique gut flora, so the probiotic that works best for you depends on the microbiome in your gut. There are up to 500 species of bacteria found within our large intestines.
For those wanting to treat irritable bowel syndrome and acute dermatitis, the most commonly used probiotic strains typically include Lactobacillus sp., Bifidobacterium sp., Streptococcus thermophilus, and Saccharomyces boulardii.
Overall, the most popular and best-researched strains of probiotics include: Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Saccharomyces. It is important to note that most probiotic products and supplements contain multiple strains of live bacteria.
While probiotic supplements and probiotic foods have both been found to have health benefits, probiotic foods have been found to be more effective carriers of probiotics. Overall, more research and clinical trials are needed to determine which strains are most effective and for what.
Read Also: Olympian Labs Prebiotic And Probiotic
Why Are Probiotics Beneficial To Your Health
The word probiotic means for life and is a combination of the Greek words pro, meaning in favor of, and bitikos, which means pertaining to life. Probiotics can help support the bacteria that live in the gut, especially when your gut microbiota is challenged by medication, an unbalanced diet, stress and poor-quality sleep.
Probiotics are commonly believed to help maintain both a healthy gut microbiota and a healthy gut. The role they play in the immune system is well documented and specifically relates to the associated strain of probiotics.
Other metabolism-related benefits have also been shown.
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.
Read Also: What Is The Highest Probiotic