Probiotics. Do you take them?

flippy1234
flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just started taking a probiotic because I know it's suppose to help with gut health and regularity. Do you take them? Like them? Why?

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Nope. Don't take them.

    Don't have any issues with regularity. As for "gut health", I'm not sure that's anything more than a marketing ploy to get my money. If I have gut health issues, I'll talk to my doc.
  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    I used to take them. I liked them, found them good for helping my genetically disastrous digestive system.

    I stopped because they're friggin expensive and I get more or less the same results from a fiber supplement and daily yogurt.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,464 Member
    Yes, I take them. About once every 2 or 3 years. They’re great. Like if you go to Mexico and get Montezumas. Or if you eat only sweet stuff from Halloween until after New Year. Otherwise, I just don’t feel the need. I always buy the cheapest I can find. Usually on sale 1/2 price because the date is about to expire. The only thing that happens on that date is they no longer guarantee they have 639 kazillion good things, they might only have 638 kazillion. I can live with that.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    I do take them. I have a history of upper GI issues and woke up daily with severe gut pain. Since starting on a good quality probiotic, I no longer have the pain. As with everything, it's a personal choice.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
    I have some gut and digestive issues and my GI doctor suggested taking probiotics to see if it helped any. It did, so I keep taking them.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,744 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    I just started taking a probiotic because I know it's suppose to help with gut health and regularity. Do you take them? Like them? Why?

    Nope dont take them. Not needed by anyone. No single gut is created equal and these things dont work at all.
    Listen to the `proof` podcast. They explain it very well.

    I don't completely agree with that. I have UC and used to take them regularly but now only when I have to take antibiotics.

    There was a time I ended up with C Diff so after that, I started taking like 3 different kinds to cover all the bases and didn't have problems the next couple times around until the last time when I forgot. And then I had problems.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,261 Member
    No, I don't "take" them, but I make it a point to eat varied probiotic foods (live-culture yogurt/kefir, raw sauerkraut/kim chi, fermented pickles, miso, etc.). I personally find them delicious, humans have eaten them for centuries to millennia so they're likely safe enough, and they might be good for me. Why wouldn't I eat them?

    It seems like a bet-hedge. Wouldn't do it if I didn't think they were yummy, though, because I'm That Kind of hedonist. ;)

    No probiotic pills/potions, though.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Tried them, they gave me constipation which is the opposite of what they're meant to do, so go figure.
  • MrsTitus2
    MrsTitus2 Posts: 61 Member
    I dont take them but will if I ever have to take antibiotics again. I enjoy kombucha and read it has good bacteria for gut health.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,284 Member
    No I don't.

    I have no relevant health issues that would benifit from them and I manage fine without.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I have a compromised stomach and I find a shot glass of Kefir helps along my digestion very nicely.
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
    I take Florastor twice daily and find that it really helps me a lot with managing my IBS. I've had digestive problems ever since I was a little kid, and I've never had things as under control as I do now. It took me a long time to find one that worked well for me though. Everybody's different.
  • lollie1285
    lollie1285 Posts: 239 Member
    I take them and have experienced amazing results. I suffer from terrible GERD and it got to a point where I had to go on PPI's for an ulcer. Once the ulcer was healed and my stomach was settled, my doctor suggested that I try a probiotic to balance everything out in my gut. It has worked wonders. I 100% believe that they helped correct an imbalance I had.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I used to be prone to yeast infections but that stopped after I starting taking probiotics regularly.
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  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    Don’t forget your pre-biotics if you’re going to go to the effort of taking pro-biotics.

    Also I read some articles about artificial sweeteners killing off our gut bacteria so you may want to research that further to see if there’s any truth in it and if so, change your diet accordingly.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    flippy1234 wrote: »
    I just started taking a probiotic because I know it's suppose to help with gut health and regularity. Do you take them? Like them? Why?

    I only take them for a couple of weeks after a course of antibiotics. Otherwise, I eat a wide variety of foods, including raw fruits and veggies as well as cheese and yogurt, which add to gut bacteria.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    I make my own yogurt and play in the dirt everyday. I mean I garden everyday in the dirt. Homegrown carrots are the best when freshly hosed off and then eaten. I am a hippie, what can I say. Peace

    As my father would say, dirt is what you clean out of the house. You garden in soil. (He also corrected us if we ever dared call a spruce or fir tree a pine). You are very correct, anything freshly picked or pulled from the garden and hosed off is the best eating.

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