Probiotics- Necessary?

raven56706
raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
edited November 18 in Food and Nutrition
I know some have said just get your probiotics from yogurt. others have said that they are dead and better to get live ones from pills.

Have you found anything that worked best for you?

Replies

  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    edited May 2017
    Some yogurts have dead cultures, others have live cultures (especially if you are making your own yogurt). The science behind these questions is still developing and evolving, however...from my rudimentary understanding, a beneficial impact has been observed from the consumption of a couple of yogurts a day; but on the other hand, they are extremely limited in the amount of influence they can have on the human gut because they just are not vigorous enough to compete with the existing flora/fauna colonizing the ecosystem. There is also a lot of hucksterism and shenanigans going on with the "probiotic" labeling, and it has received a severe frowning from European food authorities.

    I don't think the science is there yet to provide a definitive answer, but this field (of gut bacteria) is wide open and absolutely fascinating, especially as they explore the impact our gut fauna have on our hormones, or the variations in fauna that you see with autism.

    Edited to add: here is a recent Atlantic article that explains some of the issues with probiotics: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/09/a-probiotic-that-actually-lasts/502100/
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    I wouldn't buy supplements. If you want to increase your probiotic intake, ferment your own foods. It's cheap, easy, and you know it's live.
    http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/category/lacto-fermentation-recipes/

    I also make water kefir, a fizzy fermented beverage. I do think it's been good for my digestion and sugar cravings. Worst case, it's just delicious.
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    I use Culturelle my Doctor recommended that brand it seems to help me get over being glutinated faster, or it could be a placebo. I just know I feel better gut wise when I take them.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    raven56706 wrote: »
    I know some have said just get your probiotics from yogurt. others have said that they are dead and better to get live ones from pills.

    Have you found anything that worked best for you?

    I only use probiotics when I have needed an antibiotic which kills the good bacteria as well as the bad. a 2 week course of pills gets me back on track.

    Not needed any other time assuming you eat a balanced diet which includes some raw food.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    Unless you're having issues with your own gut flora and your doctor recommends it, supplementing additional probiotics isn't really necessary. If you like yogurt, eat yogurt. But you don't need to if you're healthy and your bowels are in normal working order.

  • RightTrackBaby
    RightTrackBaby Posts: 35 Member
    If you need help staying regular, sure.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited May 2017
    If you need help deciding which brand to buy, check out Labdoors probiotic rankings.

    https://labdoor.com/rankings/probiotics
  • ClubSilencio
    ClubSilencio Posts: 2,983 Member
    I take a bottle a few times a year just for insurance. I use the Renew Life brand (50 million). $20 at Walmart.

    I also eat raw sauerkraut. Whole Foods has a lot of fermented foods in their refrigerator. A $5 jar of sauerkraut lasts for weeks and there's a few ounces of magical juice leftover.





  • dre_710
    dre_710 Posts: 20 Member
    I tried taking it a few times but for some reason it made me break out BAD. I recommend to take it ONLY if needed, in my experience that is. Good luck!
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