Probiotics

Probiotics are a difficult topic and their benefits seem to vary between individuals. In some healthy people, it appears probiotics go in one end and out the other and don’t do anything on their way through. This is actually an indication of a healthy gut, meaning the microbiome is diverse and resilient to invasion by other microorganisms. Thus, for most healthy people, a probiotic supplement isn’t harmful but it may be a waste of money. For those with conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, there may some benefit. However, it is strain-dependent, meaning that going to the store and grabbing any probiotic supplement isn’t the answer. The “VSL3” strain in particular has shown promise in treating the syndrome. 

They’ve also been marketed as beneficial for regenerating the gut microbiome after taking antibiotics. A recent study found that taking a probiotic actually delayed reestablishment of the microbiome and those who just went back to their regular eating habits faired much better. 

One way to look at the gut microbiome is as a selection of organisms that you have to feed and take care of, you want to provide them with nutrients from the food you eat, particularly the fibre you eat. If the diet isn’t sufficient in these nutrients, adding more organisms isn’t going to fix anything and may actually be problematic as it creates more competition for nutrients.  

Thus, including a variety of plants in the diet as well as staying physically active to encourage organism diversity is a better strategy for the majority of people than forking out money for a probiotic supplement.

-Lyns