There are only three situations in which the AGA recommends taking probiotics, all under clinical supervision:
Some people may find that probiotics make them feel better, but it’s certainly not to transform your gut health in isolation.
“It will ameliorate some distress, but it’s not the solution,” he says. What’s much more important, Bucci explains, is eating a healthy diet. “That’s much better than any probiotic out there,” he says.
“Your microbiome is a record of how you’re living,” Bucci says. If you have a poor diet—high in red meat and low in fiber, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables—and frequently take antibiotics, you’ll likely have poor gut health, and probiotics can’t fully fix that.
And for for those dealing with—or who have previously had—small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, also known as SIBO, taking a probiotic supplement may actually worsen their symptoms.
“You’re holding too many bacteria in your gut and it leads to inflammation,” Bucci says. “If you’re suffering from this and you’re overloading with extra bacteria that you’re ingesting, it might lead to some inflammatory exacerbation.”
People can develop SIBO from complications after abdominal surgery, structural problems in and around the small intestine, and from certain medical conditions like Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, diabetes, or other conditions that slow movement of food through the small intestine.
If you and your doctor agree that probiotics could be helpful, here’s some guidance on how to pick a one: Bucci says that all of the probiotics on the market are more or less the same, because they contain the same bacterial strains. However, each brand may vary in quality. You should check the label of a probiotic for the following:
For more on probiotics:
