The gut microbiome is a diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and viruses residing within our digestive tract that plays an essential role in digestion, nutrient absorption and immune system modulation. By including probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir and kombucha into our diets regularly we can introduce beneficial bacteria into the gut.

How to Choose the Right Probiotics

Probiotics can be daunting to choose, with so many choices available at health food stores, supermarkets and big box stores. When selecting probiotics it’s important to take your overall gut health, symptoms you wish to address as well as seek guidance from healthcare providers on which ones will best meet your needs.

What probiotic you choose will depend on its intended use, with different strains of bacteria having different impacts on how your body responds. For instance, if you want to ease gastrointestinal symptoms like gas or bloating, look for probiotics which have been clinically shown to relieve them; otherwise look for probiotics with specific strains known to boost immunity.

Consider how and where you will take the product, including any storage requirements. Some probiotics require refrigeration while others can easily be damaged by heat; so read your label for instructions on storage. Ideally, find one with at least 106 CFUs which are living microorganisms that will survive digestion to exert their beneficial effects.

Many people do not realize that the number of organisms present in a probiotic does not correlate to its efficacy; although sales pitches may claim otherwise. When searching for probiotic products with high colony forming units (CFU) counts, be wary of claims suggesting more is better.

Probiotics should be consumed regularly for maximum benefits; taking probiotics on an ongoing basis is key to maintaining an ideal gut microbiome, especially when taking antibiotics, changing your diet or environment (travelling) or going through treatments which affect gut bacteria (radiation or chemotherapy).

Probiotics should also be discussed with your healthcare team if you are taking prescription medications, experiencing high stress levels or have a compromised immune system. Your physician can provide guidance as to which probiotics would best suit you and when to take them.

The Benefits of Taking Probiotics

Trillions of bacteria inhabit our intestines as part of an ecosystem that provides many health advantages. These colonies, or microbiota, derive energy from food eaten and produce essential nutrients which support overall digestion as byproducts. Furthermore, gut microbiota plays an integral part in immune and endocrine systems as well.

Supplementing your diet with probiotics is an excellent way to support healthy flora populations in your gut and immune system. Numerous studies have highlighted their many health benefits, from immunity boosts and digestive benefits all the way through to support for immune health and more.

Probiotic bacteria have the ability to help lower cholesterol by altering the way that the body produces and absorbs fat. Furthermore, certain strains of probiotic bacteria can reduce constipation and relieve IBS symptoms; probiotics may even be helpful in managing inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Probiotics have been shown to promote both digestive and immune health, help weight loss efforts, manage blood sugar levels in diabetics and improve nutrient absorption for people living with digestive conditions. Some research even supports their role in improving mental wellbeing; scientists are exploring the link between gut bacteria and mental wellbeing so as to find new strategies that positively impact mental wellness.

Recent research showed that L. rhamnosus and L. crispatus bacteria work together to decrease both duration and frequency of urinary tract infections in women, by supporting vaginal microbial balance, inhibiting pathogenic microorganism growth, and helping restore an otherwise disrupted microbiota.

Studies indicate that probiotics could enhance immune function in those with compromised immunity, particularly those taking medications to suppress it. One area of particular interest for researchers involves their potential impact on digestive disorders.

Researchers conducted a systematic review of 15 randomized controlled trials and discovered that probiotics significantly alleviated symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome in adults. Probiotics significantly reduced abdominal pain, stool consistency and other related symptoms for most of those tested; furthermore they helped reduce inflammation within the colon, improve mucosal barrier function and decreased immune cell activity.

The Importance of Strains

Probiotics are live microorganisms intended to add beneficial bacteria populations already present in your gut and other organs. By supplementing with probiotics, probiotics help prevent and treat dysbiosis – an imbalance or deficit of good microbes in your microbiome that may manifest symptoms or diseases such as chronic inflammation – before symptoms or diseases even appear.

Probiotics can be found in fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi (a Korean fermented cabbage dish), miso, tempeh, kombucha and pickles. While these products offer healthy probiotics in abundance, it’s important to remember that their beneficial microorganisms don’t always survive intestinal transit and their levels of probiotics may differ significantly from what was stated on their labels.

Probiotic supplements with the greatest effectiveness contain multiple strains of bacteria. Each strain offers unique health benefits not necessarily shared by others in its genus or species; rather, its mechanism of action contributes to various health advantages such as strengthening the gut barrier, decreasing inflammation, supporting immune response, increasing short-chain fatty acid production and normalizing bowel movements.

An effective probiotic should have a clinical study illustrating its efficacy across multiple strains rather than just one individual strain, with each strain carrying an alphanumeric designation identifying its genus name, species name, subspecies name and number (if applicable).

When purchasing probiotics, look for products containing at least seven core genera of bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Such probiotics have numerous health advantages while being safe for most individuals.

Lactobacillus salivarius LS01 has been shown to reduce the severity of eczema in human clinical trials by modulating inflammatory responses that cause it. Not necessary to source probiotics through food sources as those found in fermented products such as yogurt may last a long time in storage conditions such as extreme temperatures which could ruin them.

The Role of Prebiotics

Human guts contain millions of microorganisms such as bacteria, archaea, viruses and fungi – known as microbiota or intestinal microflora – which contribute to good health. If these organisms become disrupted they can lead to various gastrointestinal issues like IBS. Therefore it’s essential that people incorporate probiotics and prebiotics into their diet to support and nurture this community of organisms and prevent any disorders relating to microbiota balance and reduce the chance of IBS symptoms.

Prebiotics are dietary compounds designed to survive and resist digestion by stomach acids and small intestinal proteases, feeding our gut microflora while stimulating their growth and modulating its activities. You can obtain prebiotics through various sources like oligosaccharides, fibers and fatty acids – but new developments and innovative techniques promise even greater effectiveness of prebiotics!

Prebiotics when consumed are fermented by gut microflora to produce short-chain fatty acids (butyrate, propionate and acetate), which have many beneficial properties including colonizing probiotic bacteria colonies and improving intestinal barrier function, reducing inflammation and increasing absorption of nutrients as well as having antimicrobial properties that hinder harmful microorganisms (Maleki et al. 2017).

Gut microflora play an essential part in the brain-gut axis, in which gut environment impacts cognitive functioning and mood. A healthy gut environment has been linked to lower stress hormone levels that contribute to depression and anxiety, and eating fermented foods may provide essential prebiotics such as fiber and oligosaccharides that serve as the building blocks of microbiomes.

Probiotics should be included as part of your everyday meals in order to get maximum benefit from them. Fermented foods, like sauerkraut, pickles, miso and kefir contain high concentrations of probiotics which make a delicious source of probiotics. It may be wise to consult a healthcare provider or registered dietitian when selecting probiotic and prebiotic options appropriate to your individual needs.