Probiotics – The three pounds of bacteria, fungi and viruses inside your gut—commonly called your microbiota—are not just squatters mooching nutrient-rich soil. They can soothe digestive disorders, boost immunity and even ease depression and anxiety.
Probiotics are available in both food and pill form. Regardless of how they are delivered, the best ones are research-backed and contain multiple strains of bacteria.
1. They Help You Digest Food
The good bacteria in the digestive tract (known as your gut microbiome) can affect the health of your whole body. They are essential for the breakdown and digestion of foods, help prevent inflammation and even boost your immune system.
While many people believe all bacteria are harmful, the right microbes are good for you. They live in the delicate balance of your digestive tract, where they aid digestion and strengthen bowel wall tissue. Unfortunately, due to illness, infection, stress and unhealthy lifestyle habits, the balance of good bacteria can shift and harmful bacteria outweigh them.
Probiotics can help restore this balance by adding more good bacteria to your gut microbiome. This helps to relieve symptoms of diarrhea caused by antibiotics and inflammatory bowel disease. They can also help with digestive issues like gas, bloating and constipation.
2. They Help Keep You Healthy – Probiotics
Trillions of bacteria in the stomach and intestines make up a person’s gut microbiota, and they are considered important to good health.
But the microbiome differs from one person to another, and it can be altered by diet, infections and even medications. Probiotics can help restore the microbiome after conditions that alter it.
One such condition is taking antibiotics, which can wipe out many of the healthy bacteria that live in the intestines and leave spaces for harmful bacteria, viruses and yeast to overgrow. This can cause digestive symptoms such as gas, bloating and diarrhea.
When taken during and after antibiotics, probiotics can repopulate the gut with beneficial bacteria, which may help reduce the symptoms. Probiotics are also able to produce certain enzymes that support digestion, help absorb key nutrients and inhibit the growth of bad bacteria. Probiotics can be found in fermented foods, such as kefir, yogurt, miso, tempeh, kimchi and sauerkraut. They can also be taken as a dietary supplement in capsule, tablet or powder form.
3. They Can Help With Weight Loss
Boosting the diversity of your gut microbiome with probiotics may help you lose weight. Studies show that people with less diverse gut microbiomes produce fewer amino acids, which are essential to helping the body metabolize food.
By introducing more «good» bacteria to the gut, probiotics help balance out the amino acid levels and push out the «bad» bugs. This can also make it easier to control your appetite, since the good bacteria stimulate the release of hormones that suppress hunger.
It’s important to look for a probiotic supplement that contains the specific strains that have been shown to work for weight loss, such as lactobacillus or bifidobacterium. You should also check the product’s CFU count, storage requirements and third-party testing. While these microbes are generally safe, some individuals may experience gastrointestinal discomfort such as gas or bloating when they start taking them. The good news is that this typically resolves as your body gets used to them.
4. They Can Help With Inflammation
Studies have shown that probiotics can help reduce the low-grade inflammation that’s associated with metabolic syndrome (obesity, type II diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease) by inhibiting the secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1b. This can help with weight loss, regulating your bowel movements and improving skin health.
You can get probiotics naturally in a variety of foods, including yogurt that contains live cultures, miso, tempeh, kimchi and sauerkraut. However, if you’re looking for more specific benefits, consider taking a probiotic supplement that’s been clinically tested and contains at least one billion colony-forming units per day.
Probiotics may help prevent and treat inflammatory diseases such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, as well as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). They also protect against diarrhea caused by antibiotics and may reduce the number of colds you get in a year. The good news is that probiotics are safe for most people, but they can cause mild stomach problems such as gas and bloating when first starting them.
5. They Can Help With Digestive Issues – Probiotics
If the normal bacteria in your digestive tract get out of balance, which can happen due to things like stomach viruses, food poisoning or antibiotics, probiotics can help. These microorganisms can help replenish the good bacteria, which can help relieve issues like diarrhea and constipation.
They can also reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, such as abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea. They may also help relieve inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis, infections like Helicobacter pylori and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Many fermented foods, such as kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles and tempeh naturally contain probiotics, but you can also find them as supplements or in other forms, including capsules and drinks. You can also add yogurt containing live active cultures or kefir to smoothies and homemade popsicles. If you are considering trying these products, talk to your health care provider first. They can help you select the best type for your family.
6. They Can Help With Infections
The digestive tract is a key line of defense for the body. It filters out toxins, protects against infections and keeps the immune system healthy. But if it gets out of balance, you may experience symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain or even inflammation. Probiotics can help restore and maintain the gut’s normal function.
Research shows that probiotics can be helpful in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea and vaginal yeast infections. They also may help prevent respiratory infections, such as COVID-19 or influenza. Probiotics work by stimulating the gut’s natural defence mechanisms and lining the intestines with friendly bacteria to bar pathogenic substances from reaching the immune system.
However, you should always check with your health care provider before taking any probiotics, especially if you have an underlying health condition. In addition, dietary supplements are not closely regulated by the FDA, so you should take them with caution.