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Are Probiotic Supplements For Gut Health Necessary?

Writer's picture: Katie Bailey, MS, RD, LD, FNCKatie Bailey, MS, RD, LD, FNC
1 minute ago6 min read

Hi everyone. Welcome back to our channel.

As individuals are looking for ways to improve their gut health, probiotics are something they often consider, but are probiotic supplements necessary for maintaining a healthy gut?


In today's video, we will be addressing what are probiotics and what do they do for the body?


What is the difference between probiotics and prebiotics?


What are the benefits of taking probiotic supplements?


Are there any side effects or precautions to be aware of when taking probiotic supplements?


How do you choose the best probiotic supplement for you?


And lastly, are probiotic supplements necessary for gut health?


I'm Katie Bailey. I'm a registered dietitian at Flusso Nutrients where we provide supplement education and professional quality supplement options for you to make the world of nutrition supplements a little bit easier to navigate. As always, be sure to check with your main nutrition literate healthcare provider before starting anything new. As we can't know your full medical history to provide a recommendation for you.


So without further ado, let's jump into today's topic.



[Video Transcript Below + Supplement Links Discussed In Video]


What are probiotics and what do they do for the body?


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So probiotics are live microorganisms. Typically, bacteria or yeast, often referred to as are good or are beneficial bacteria that provide health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts. These microorganisms can be taken through food in things like yogurt and kimchi sauerkraut, or they can be taken in supplement form. Your gut is home to trillions of these bacteria, both beneficial and harmful, and this is known as our gut microbiome. Probiotics help to maintain a healthy gut by competing with our pathogenic bacteria or our bad bacteria to balance out our microbiome.


So in other words, we need to have more of these beneficial bacteria to balance out the bad bacteria and prevent these bad bacteria from having the opportunity to overpopulate. Having a balanced gut microbiome is going to help improve your digestion, boost your immunity, and can enhance your mental health.


Probiotics help to also improve the function of our gut lining and can assist in our production of our neurotransmitters like serotonin and gaba. And the most common bacteria groups you're going to see in probiotic supplements include bifidobacterium and lactobacillus.


What is the difference between probiotics and prebiotics?


So like I mentioned before, probiotics are live microorganisms that help to maintain a healthy microbial balance in the gut. The primary benefit of probiotics is that they have the ability to restore and maintain this balance, especially after it's been disrupted through things like stress or antibiotics or even a poor diet. Prebiotics on the other hand, are substances that feed these beneficial bacteria in the gut. They're the nourishment that the gut bacteria need to thrive.


Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are not live organisms, and they are typically non-digestible fibers that stimulate the growth of our beneficial bacteria in the lower part of the GI tract.

They're beneficial because they help support the growth of probiotics, which is going to help with our overall gut health. So in review, probiotics are those live microorganisms that add to the bacteria in our gut the beneficial bacteria. While prebiotics are the food for these bacteria to be able to thrive and multiply.


What are the benefits of taking probiotics supplements?


So consuming probiotics, whether through food or through supplementation, has many benefits. The first is it can help to improve digestion. So we know that probiotics help to balance out the gut microbiome, and this is going to aid in the breakdown of our food as well as the absorption of our nutrients.


It can also boost immunity. So about 70% of our immune system resides in our gut. And so by working to enhance our gut microbiome, probiotics can also enhance our body's ability to fight off infection.


And then lastly, it can enhance mood. So we know that probiotics are needed in the production of our neurotransmitters and neurotransmitters are going to impact our mood and our mental health.


Are there any side effects or precautions to be aware of when taking probiotic supplements?


Although generally considered safe and well tolerated, some individuals may experience digestive discomfort like gas or bloating or in some cases upset stomach or diarrhea. And this will usually subside after a few days as their body starts to adjust to the probiotics. Now, probiotics are not recommended for people who are severely immunocompromised or critically ill people with central venous catheters due to the risk of infection, but also with conditions like pancreatitis or if they've had recent surgery. Now, if you have histamine intolerance, there are specific strains that can make this condition worse. So it's best to consult with a professional before starting probiotics if you do have this condition.


It's also important to remember that probiotics are not a one size fits all solution. And there are some individuals that will not do well on a probiotic. It's going to depend on their specific health situation, and they may need a more targeted strain or protocol.


How do you choose the best probiotic supplement?


So not all probiotics are created equal. When searching for the best probiotic supplements, there are a few things to consider. One to 5 billion CFUs is generally good, and having a higher CFU doesn't necessarily mean it's a better product, but there are individuals that may require higher amounts. But remember, you want to start at a low dose and gradually increase. To allow your body time to adjust, you want to focus on which strains may be the most beneficial for you as well. So for instance, lactobacillus gnosis has been shown to be really beneficial for those individuals struggling with antibiotic associated diarrhea.


And if you're having symptoms with multiple strain probiotics, you may want to consider doing a single strain probiotic, and that might be something you better tolerate. And lastly, look for quality. Look for brands that do batch testing for quality and don't have a lot of additives and fillers.


So the big question is,


Are probiotic supplements for gut health necessary?


So the answer to that is that it depends. It depends on the individual and their specific situation. So probiotic supplements can certainly offer benefits for gut health for most individuals, but they're not absolutely necessary for everyone. If you already consume a well-balanced diet that has plenty of probiotics and prebiotic rich foods, then you may be getting enough through your diet and may not need to supplement.

For individuals struggling with specific gut conditions, probiotics could be beneficial. So research has shown probiotics to be beneficial for preventing antibiotic associated diarrhea or constipation and conditions like irritable bowel syndrome.


And if you've recently been on antibiotics, probiotics can also be beneficial to help restore that gut microbiome. In conclusion, probiotics supplements can be beneficial for gut health, but they are not always necessary in every case. So there are many different factors to consider when determining if probiotic supplementation is right for you, including what your current diet looks like.


Are you getting enough probiotic and prebiotics in your diet? Do you have specific gut conditions like irritable bowel syndrome or antibiotic associated diarrhea? And lastly, whether your gut is able to tolerate probiotics in its current state or right now if you're interested in adding a probiotic, we will have a quality one linked below in the description box. And if you feel like you need help determining if you need probiotic supplementation or are not sure which ones might be right for you, we would be happy to help.

That's it for today's topic.


If you liked this video, please hit the like button and subscribe for more nutrition videos. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions regarding probiotic supplements. If you're interested in working with our clinic, you can click the link here to schedule an appointment. We do take insurance and you can find more information about that on our website.


Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time. Bye.


Check out the high-quality supplements we discussed in this video - links below for your convenience!


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