Exploration of how and when to optimally take probiotics to maximize the gut healing and digestive benefits.
Our digestive system is home to at least 500 different bacterial strains.
Ideally, 85% of the bacteria in our gut are the “good guys”, in other words, beneficial to our health.
When the vast majority of gut flora is of the friendly variety, the remaining 15% which are pathogenic bacterial strains and yeasts are easily handled and kept under control.
In fact, in a well-balanced gut, the friendly bacterial strains can actually harness some of the pathogenic strains to perform helpful functions!
The problem is that most people today have this proportion reversed with the majority of gut flora of the unfriendly variety.
This tipping of the balance in favor of pathogens occurs due to antibiotic use, the birth control pill and other meds that negatively affect the gut flora.
In addition, the consumption of processed foods and high amounts of sugar feed pathogens and candida.
The health consequences of a pathogen-dominated gut are many.
Diarrhea, constipation, excessive gas, bloating, allergies, eczema, irritable bowel, inflammatory bowel, kidney stones, ear infections, strep throat, colds, vaginal yeast infections, Crohn’s disease, lactose intolerance, thrush, athlete’s foot, cancer, and the list goes on and on.
The good news is that proactive steps can be taken to rectify the situation to tip the balance back in favor of the friendly bacteria and beneficial yeasts.
How?
Homemade fermented foods are one very smart practice, but for many people, the first baby step back to intestinal health involves taking a daily probiotic.
The Benefits of Probiotics
What are probiotics?
They are friendly bacteria, literally thousands of strains, that prevent the overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and fungus in the gut.
Here is a laundry list of some of the beneficial functions performed by probiotics in the gut.
- Produce substances that normalize cholesterol
- Enhance the protective barrier of the digestive tract to prevent leaking of gut contents into the bloodstream (which produces an unpredictable mix of autoimmune symptoms).
- Produce Vitamin K1
- Lower blood pressure
- Aid in the digestion of lactose
- Prevent cavities
- Neutralize pre-cancerous compounds
- Lower the pH of the intestines
- Utilize oxalates in foods like spinach to prevent kidney stones
- Detoxify carcinogens that are consumed
- Produce beneficial compounds which inhibit the growth of tumors
- Much much more!
No wonder Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, famously said:
“All disease begins in the gut”.
The Brand You Choose Matters!
Once the decision to repair the gut is made, the selection of the appropriate probiotic is a must.
This article on the best probiotics outlines the selection process in detail and how to ensure you get all the basic types that perform different functions in the gut.
Note that the probiotic industry has done a bait and switch on consumers in recent years, favoring patented, lab-created strains in their products instead of natural versions.
Buyer beware!
Here is a list of top-quality, vetted brands with only natural strains to consider. This can make the selection task easier given the dozens of brands on the market with many containing undesirable synthetic strains:
- Seed
- Gut Restore (SBOs and candida-busting strains)
- Ultimate SBO (high dose candida busting strains)
- Pure Encapsulations
- Prescript-Assist
- Trenev Trio
- Yeastbiotic (take with antibiotics and for a few weeks after)
- Baby Probiotic Powder (both lactobacillus and bifidobacteria)
- Infant Probiotic Powder (bifidobacteria only for making homemade formula)
- Pediatric Probiotic
Optimal Method for Taking Probiotics
Once you have your chosen brand in hand, how to take the probiotic for maximum effect?
Morning or night?
On an empty stomach or with food?
These are very common questions!
The answer depends on the probiotic manufacturer, according to the staff at Biodynamic Wellness, which specializes in helping people recover their gut health.
Some probiotic brands (such as this one) are packaged in time-release capsules and others are not.
Finding out this information may require a phone call to the manufacturer. When in doubt, assume that they are not time-release.
Since it is possible that the high acid environment of the stomach could destroy some of the probiotic bacteria:
<< It is recommended to take probiotics at the END of a meal >>
Does this mean that it isn’t beneficial to take a probiotic on an empty stomach?
It just means to play it safe to ensure the probiotics are protected from any reduction in potency due to stomach acid by taking them after eating.
If you are using a time-release probiotic, then feel free to take it whenever is most convenient.
Probiotics for Oral Health
The above recommendation does not pertain to the use of probiotics before bed (typically on an empty stomach) to assist with the balancing of probiotics in the ear, nose, and throat.
This is commonly referred to as the oral microbiome.
Beneficial flora seeks to dominate and protect every tissue of your body, not just your gut!
There are plenty of beneficial bacteria in your mouth, throat, nasal passages, and ears too!
When they are dominant over pathogens, healthy gums, teeth, fluid-free/non-itchy ears, and congestion-free sinuses are the result.
To this end, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD recommends emptying a probiotic capsule into the mouth and swishing it around before swallowing.
Be sure the chosen brand contains strains that thrive in the ear, nose, and throat such as L. salivarius.
Nothing should be consumed (even water) after you do this.
This article on a natural sinus remedy using probiotics explains more about this procedure.
Summary
In conclusion, when consuming a probiotic to improve gut health, it is best to take them after a meal. This minimizes the effects of stomach acid.
If you are using a time-release probiotic (brand I use), feel free to take it on an empty stomach as well.
Whether you take a probiotic in the morning or evening does not really matter.
Emptying a probiotic capsule in the mouth before bed that contains strains found in the oral microbiome can be helpful for improving the health of the teeth, gums, ears, sinuses, and throat.
Traveling soon? This article on how to take probiotics while away from home provides additional insights for keeping you well on the road.
More Information
How to Repair Your Gut During and After a Round of Antibiotics
Are Antibiotics Always Necessary for Strep Throat?
Why Fermented Foods are Not Enough to Heal the Gut (and the Probiotic Boost they Need)
The Benefits of Prebiotic Foods
How to Choose the Best Probiotic for Your Family
Why Antibiotics Today Could Threaten Your Life Tomorrow
How the Pill Can Harm Your Future Child’s Health
How to Kick Strep Throat Fast
My Prescript-Assist probiotics just arrived from your Amazon link, above.
Are they supposed to have a really strong smell?
I never noticed a smell from any other brand of probiotics. Now I’m afraid to take them.
Yes, they do have a noticeable odor. Some people have said that it smells like dirt.
They are safe to take. I am a distributor for them and have helped lots of people get on top of bad bacteria in the intestines especially caused by taking antibiotics. They are soil based so they don’t need refrigeration and won’t spoil.
A feel good way to get some goodness into the gut:
1 TBSP raw apple cider vinegar + 8 oz sparkling water
OR
1 organic lemon, juiced + 8 oz sparkling water.
These taste good, are refreshing, easy to do, and your body will thank you !
I agree with Sara that a therapeutic strength probiotic may be required initially to overcome pathogens.
Fermented foods are wonderful anytime, as are the above drinks ..
Thank you, Sarah! I want you to know that God uses your blog to answer my prayers/questions/concerns. We just found out that our insurance partners with Metagenics, so we can get their products at wholesale; but I was concerned about the quality. I feed my son an autoimmune paleo diet in a GAPS wrapper, so to speak, so I am extremely careful what supplements I buy. I was so relieved to see Metagenics on your list of quality probiotics today!
Thank you for the informative article, but I wanted to let you know, that when I click on GUTpro a different company appears. Hyperbiotics Pro-15. Is this not the intended product? If not, you may want to change it. Thank you.
These two You-tubes of Dr Natasha Campbell McBride on gut health are the best intro out there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_0NvcJZwa8&feature=player_embedded
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYJkS3ZBqos&feature=player_embedded
I take home-maid water kefir twice a day during breakfast and during supper, one to two ounces each time mixed with what ever I’m drinking, usually pineapple juice. My poops have been great since I’ve been doing this. I used to get diarrhea every day, no more. Water keifer is cheap, if you make it yourself. That’s why I started making it. Probiotics are expensive. Get the kefir grains on line. They reproduce, save them in the frig. Someone will like to have them. Good advice though, maybe I should try it at the end of a meal.
Prebiotics create and observe after healthy conditions from the GI, which therefore helps to reduce inflammatory reactions from the gastro intestinal area. They promote digestive system health by encouraging healthy microorganisms (probiotics) which usually prevents “bad” bacterias overgrowth. Prebiotics assist with support the body’s defence mechanism, digestive functions along with colon health/bowel uniformity.
Thanks for your informative content.
I am taking Bio-Kult probiotics currently along with garlic and Vitamin C on top of prenatal vitamins to try to boost my own gut health that I am going to be sharing with a new baby in a couple more months. I have wondered, however, if the antibiotic properties of the garlic are cancelling out some or all of the probiotics. I can’t seem to find a straight answer about this online. Do you have any thoughts? Would you take the two together or at different times of day or separate them by weeks altogether?
No, garlic is actually a pre-biotic so it encourages healthy bacteria colonization in the gut.
It won’t kill your good bacteria. You can eat garlic and pro-biotics at the same time. Garlic encourages their growth.
I am reading about Histamine Intolerance and realizing this is probably my problem since I have had extensive food sensitivity testing and not coming much there.
What is your opinion on eating fermented foods if someone has histamine intolerance and therefore cant break down natural histamine that would be found in fermented foods?
I am torn over whether I should avoid fermented foods like yogurt or should I eat them to increase good bacteria. I do take probiotics every day.
Many people with histamine intolerance do not tolerate fermented foods. However, I buy lacto-fermented blends from a local artisan and find that her products do not bother me. I usually limit my intake to a spoonful a day.