4 replies to this topic

[Flyer17]

Hey guys, I'm researching probiotics and coming to believe that they might be important in the fight against acne. I've been reading up a lot lately about them and having trouble deciding which is best, particularly for acne and for use during/after a course of antibiotics. So I guess one good source of information would be to see what everyone else is taking and having success with.

Also, I ran a search through Dan's blog and see that he hasn't done a post about this topic! I'd love to hear his opinion, how can we get him to write a blog post about probiotics?

Thanks in advance for sharing your opinion!

Edited by Flyer17, 04 August 2012 - 08:48 PM.

[sepsi]

It's true that probiotics can help with acne. There's a real connection between gut health and skin health (see the linked post for detailed explanation). For example, bacterial overgrowth in the gut is more prevalent in skin patients than in healthy controls. Also treatment with probiotics or fermented dairy beverages have been shown to help with acne. So gut health is definitely a factor in skin health. Maybe not for every acne patient, but it's worth investigating anyway.

That said, I'm not sure that probiotic supplements are the best option. Because of lack of regulation you really don't know what's in the supplements. Independent tests often show much lower numbers of colony forming units than what's shown on the label.

Why not just make your own fermented foods? Making yogurt or kefir at home is dead simple. As is making sauer kraut and other fermented vegetables. Check the book Nourishing Traditions from Amazon for plenty of recipes.

When you make your own fermented foods you are sure that you actually get those probiotics. Also, studies tend to show that probiotics only have transient effects on the gut bacteria. When you stop taking them the bacteria just reverts back. That's why I think it's better to 1) get your probiotics from food so you don't have to rely on supplements 2) eat prebiotic foods that feed probiotic bacteria.

[AutonomousOne1980]

vsl#3

and l. rueteri without any added fiber.

that should cover all bacteria on the market, in the most cost efficient way.



eating plain tyogurt is also beneficial as is contains large amounts of lactic acid which can improve the bacterial makeup in your intestine.

Edited by AutonomousOne1980, 05 August 2012 - 09:07 PM.

[Green Gables]

Ultimate Flora Critical Care has been discussed positively on the acne boards before. http://www.renewlife...50-billion.html

[alternativista]

Whenever I came across any info on a probiotic strain and what it did for you, I posted it here in this thread:

http://www.acne.org/...om-antibiotics/

I really should consolidate it one of these days.