3 replies to this topic

[MarkyTee]

hi guys just wondering when and how is the best way to take probiotics? i had always been led to believe it was on an empty stomach to allow them to pass through the stomach quickly
however on the packet of the one i just bought it say to take with a meal or snack so i decided to do a wee bit of research
and i've found a few websites claiming it should be taken with food because this lowers the acidity in the stomach and will allow the friendly bacteria to survive longer...

so does anyone have any knowledge on the subject?
thanks

[Tunnelvisionary]

I've heard both statements as well. I've read from a few people that they tend to mix it up both ways. Some days, they'll take it on an empty stomach, and other days they'll take it with food.

Persoanlly, I just take them in the morning with a full glass of water before I eat anything else. I've only just started taking them, but it does seem to be having an effect.

I recommend getting a probiotic with as many strains as you can too, i've read that they work together synergistically.

[Bearishly]

I read through a paper on the history of the gut, skin, brain connection that quoted a study from the 1930's suggesting applying probiotics directly to the face, as well as being consumed in fermented dairy.

[Vanbelle]

This might not be the ideal thread to put my thoughts in, but here it is:

I've heard probiotics are good, probiotics are bad...some companies sell you dead bacteria, some sell you unnecessary cultures you shouldn't be introducing to your system...some say it's all a scam, others say antibiotics + chlorine water are destroying your system and you need it...some say you just need more fat, some say you need up to 5 pills of the damn stuff a day.

Here's what I think: unlike most sciences, nutritional/health science doesn't have a large amount of theories or laws to help you sift through all the bullshit; so it's hard to say either way. But, you CAN look at evolutionary biology as a bit of foundation. For example, think about the the symbiotic relationship with bacteria--one of the most biologically natural things we can encounter today it seems.

It beats me as to how we can restore gut health in any systematic sense--too many variables for my infantile knowledge. Bacteria supps seems like us playing with legos in something constructed far more complex. In the end, I have no clinical advice (aka, I can't link you to a study), but I do have my opinion: eat fermented foods as a more holistic approach to this problem. Whole foods may not always have concrete evidence written down on a piece of paper for you to read, but it doesn't take a genius to know that just as many benefits we know about whole foods, we also DON'T know about whole foods. You don't know and can't know at this point what you're missing out on by popping a pill as opposed to the real deal. Consider eating whole foods playing it safe. You don't want to cut corners with your health anyway, right?

Goooooood luck.