Last week we talked about how dirt and fecal transplants help restore your gut health. This week we’re talking all about probiotics – what they are, do they actually do what they’re said to do, and how to navigate through buying them. Plus, at the end of this post, there are a few things you can check when buying probiotic supplements.
If you just happened upon this post and missed the previous ones, then here are the ones you missed:
- What gut health is and why it’s ESSENTIAL to keep your gut healthy
- What inflammation is and its link between the gut and common diseases today
- The gut-brain axis and how the gut can affect your mental health
- How dirt and fecal transplants help restore gut balance
What Are Probiotics And What Is Their Purpose?
There is a lot of hype around probiotics. But what are probiotics, exactly? And what is so special about them that they get so much attention?
First, the word probiotic is broken down into pro = “for” and bio = “life.” So, the word means “for life.”
But that doesn’t help to define what probiotics really are, does it?
Simply put, probiotics are collections of living organisms (bacteria, yeasts, fungi, etc.) that are believed to promote gut health. The belief is that when our gut is healthy, we are healthy.
And research is showing that probiotics can help our gut be healthy. (We talked a lot about gut health in the first post of this series here.)
Because our gut is full of these living organisms (AKA microbes) that have health benefits, supplement companies are having a heyday with them.
Enter the crazy probiotic hype…
And, I have to confess that I’m just as guilty of jumping on the probiotic bandwagon.
But, in my defense, probiotics helped me recover after taking a round of antibiotics to get rid of a parasite. After antibiotics, I was lactose intolerant. After probiotics, I was able to eat dairy again.
So, I started telling everyone to take probiotics because they helped me. But, I wished I realized then that each person has a different health story. So, not everyone will benefit from probiotics.
But as I’ve been looking more into probiotics, I’m sad to see what they are becoming.
Probiotics used to be just something to take to boost your immune system and help get your digestive system back on track. Now they are treated like a “magic pill.” From claims of being a cure for IBS and IBD to autism and cancer, the potential benefits have been taken too far.
Though probiotics have helped lessen symptoms of different diseases, we have to be careful not to give them more credit than what’s actually due.
And the really sad part is that there are a lot of people out there that read one research article about a specific strain and take the results as truth.
However, many studies on the benefits of different probiotic strains are done in animals or using a model. And many claimed benefits of probiotics have not been seen in humans. At least not yet.
Fact Checking the Claims
There is a lot of potential with probiotics. But, there are some claims I want to make you aware of…
Claim #1 – Helps replenish good gut bacteria
Many probiotic supplements claim to replenish or restore good gut bacteria. But, there is little research to show that the living organisms actually stick.
Studies show that probiotics are only effective for a week or two after you take them. After a few weeks, your gut goes back to the way it was before taking probiotics.
This is why you have to continue taking probiotics. You get the benefits as long as you continue taking them. So, then, do probiotics really restore good gut bacteria?
If you’re taking probiotics in hopes of restoring your good gut bacteria, you should probably look elsewhere. If you’re taking probiotics to help with digestion, then you are on the right track (as long as you keep taking them).
Claim #2 – The higher the number of CFUs the more microbes you’re getting in your gut
Real quick, CFU means colony-forming unit. This means the estimated number of microbes in the probiotic at the time of it being bottled. There is no way the manufacturer can give an exact number because, by the time the supplement gets in your hands, half of the microbes could already be dead.
And if the probiotic is unstable, then all of the microbes could be dead before getting to you.
Normally, probiotics with higher CFUs give you a greater chance of there being living microbes in them. That is true. But, only if the probiotic is stable.
So be sure to check the probiotic for a guarantee of shelf-life stability.
Claim #3 – Helps you lose weight
The underlying belief here is that inflammation causes excessive weight gain. Research is showing that a healthy well-balanced gut reduces inflammation. And since probiotics are supposed to help you have a healthier gut, your inflammation will decrease and you’ll lose that excess weight.
But, as you can see, that is a big jump in logic.
It’s true that the gut may play a part in excessive weight. And particularly, the balance of anti-inflammatory bacteria and inflammatory bacteria. (We talked more about that here; hint, hint: diet is key).
But I have yet to find studies showing the typical microbes in probiotics are the ones that help with that balance. And if probiotic microbes are only short-term residents, then they probably are not helping much with long-term inflammation.
So, if you’re looking for weight loss, probiotics are most likely not your answer. A healthy gut is essential to reducing inflammation, which may help you lose that extra weight. You can read more about causes of inflammation here.
Claim #4 – Helps with Allergies
Research has yet to show probiotics to be helpful in reducing allergies.
There are a few studies that show probiotics may help in preventing allergies in adolescence. However, there are a lot more things that come into play with allergies (i.e. genes, medications).
Probiotics may be helpful in lessening allergy symptoms, but there is not enough proof that they cure allergies.
In my experience, probiotics helped with my antibiotic-induced lactose intolerance and may have helped lessen my sinus problems. But, I still have allergies.
So, if you’re taking probiotics with the hopes they will get rid of your allergies, I’m sorry to say that you will most likely be disappointed.
Which brings us to a great point… Probiotics are showing to be helpful with digestion and they give the immune system a little boost. Any other claims (for now) are not well-proven in humans.
There are a lot of antidotes of probiotics helping with other things (like allergies, weight loss, etc.). But, this could be a placebo effect. Or maybe that specific person needed those specific strains of microbes.
It’s difficult to say what you can expect when taking probiotics because each one of us has a unique collection of microbes in our gut. Let’s just say that our guts are as unique as our fingerprints are.
Which is quite incredible, huh?
>>> This is why one person’s experience with probiotics can differ so much from another’s. <<<
No one person’s gut is the same. So, what strains are needed in one person’s gut may not be the same in another’s. Also, different probiotic supplements have various levels of strains. The level of strains that works well with one person’s gut may not work with another.
As you can see, there are a lot of factors in having a healthy gut.
Choosing a Probiotic Supplement
If you decide to try probiotics to see if they’ll be helpful to you, here are some things to check:
- Are the probiotics still alive?
- Will the microbes survive in your stomach to reach where they need to go?
- Will a synbiotic (microbes + food for them) be a better choice?
- Are there more claims on the supplement than to “boost” immune system and help with digestion? (Remember, other claims are not well-proven.)
- Are there at least 40 billion live CFUs per serving?
- Are there at least 8 different strains provided?
- Is the probiotic guaranteed to be stable and have a long shelf-life?
- Are there a lot of additives in the ingredient list?
When you’re buying probiotic supplements, you can ask the above questions to narrow down which ones are more trustworthy.
Side-note: For those trying to get away from medications, you should be aware that probiotics are turning into medications. These microbes are removed from their natural environment, manipulated at times to preserve their shelf-life, and placed with other things that they aren’t naturally with.
But, since we don’t get many probiotics from our foods (or exposure to dirt as we talked about last week), then probiotics may be the only way to get them in your diet.
If you rather get microbes from natural sources, then I recommend eating more fermented foods. We will talk more about that next week!