Probiotics
Probiotics live in yeasts and bacteria that have various health benefits. They are usually in yogurts or consumed as food supplements. They are a good or friendly type of bacteria.
Probiotics help to restore the balance in the gut of your stomach and intestines. There is evidence that probiotics might help treat the stomach and intestines during illnesses or treatments. Some even help prevent diarrhea and ease some symptoms of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
There is little evidence to support health claims like some suggest probiotics can treat eczema. For most people, probiotics are safe. If you want to consume and have a healthy immune system, consuming shouldn’t lead to any unpleasant side effects.
Probiotics’ possible side effects
If you want to consider consuming probiotics, make sure you are aware of a few issues or side effects. People consume them as food rather than medicine, meaning they don’t undergo rigorous testing of medicines. But make sure that:
- The product contains the bacteria on the food label
- The product contains enough bacteria
- The bacteria survive long enough
Multiple probiotics have different bodily impacts, and very few types are the best. Some probiotics can help with a particular problem, but it doesn’t mean they will work on others.
There are significantly different between the pharmaceutical probiotics that show promise in clinical trials and the yogurts sold in shops.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022