by Mila McManus, MD
What is a Probiotic?
Probiotics, the name used for the supplemental form of favorable microflora, are essential to optimizing routine gut care for overall health and immune function. Consider your probiotics the military force that defends your body’s borders. They are most densely populated in the digestive tract and all mucosal membranes, like the nose, throat, vaginal, and urinary linings, as well as on your skin. They are your military force protecting you from germy pathogens (colds, flu, food poisoning, viruses, etc.), parasites (roundworms, tapeworms, protozoa, etc.), and toxins (chemicals, heavy metals etc.). Like any military force, having the right population trained and cared for to maintain protected health is important. Over the years, research has added to our perspective and understanding of the gut biome regarding probiotics, and we want to share our newest protocol for optimizing routine gut care.
Why Should I Take a Daily Probiotic?
Scientific literature is exploding, linking the microorganisms in our gut, which we call probiotics, to disease and overall health. Where there are digestive issues, obesity, food allergies, even heart disease and cancer, there are decreased healthy bacteria in the gut. This strongly suggests the importance of optimizing routine gut care by supplementing with probiotics and eating fermented foods to help strengthen the microbiome, which is 70% of the immune system, thus reducing overall disease.
The need for daily supplementation is magnified by the constant barrage of gut insults from our environment:
- Stress
- Electromagnetic forces
- Emulsifying agents and food chemicals in processed food
- Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose, and saccharine
- Prescription and over-the-counter drugs, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, stomach acid-suppressing drugs, antibiotics, birth control pills, and statin cholesterol drugs.
- Excessive sugar, processed breads, and pasta in the diet
- Herbicides, pesticides, and antibiotics in foods and genetically modified foods
- Chlorine, fluoride, and microplastics found in water
- Wheat gluten with glyphosate
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Highly processed food diets low in fiber
- Carnivore, ketogenic, or otherwise low-carb diets that fail to include plant-rich sources of fiber
Picking a Quality Probiotic
Essential to optimal routine gut care is choosing the right probiotic supplement. With so many flooding the marketplace, here’s what you need to know to choose the best ones.
- A good probiotic will have at least four or more different species of beneficial bacteria and should include members from the lactobacilli and bifidobacteria species or families. The most valuable and commonly seen species include Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus salivarius, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus. Many probiotics also include FOS, or Fructooligosaccharides, which are considered prebiotics because they provide food and nourishment for probiotics. FOS may or may not be present, and it is not necessarily essential but can be helpful.
- A good probiotic should have a concentrated number of bacteria. It takes large doses to see improvement and restore gut bacteria. Your gut is optimal when the microflora population is over 100 trillion. For most people, we recommend a probiotic providing between 20 to 70 billion cfu (colony-forming units) per dose for most people. At a minimum, adults should take at least 15-20 billion cfu daily. Babies up to 12 months can have 1-2 billion; toddlers from 1 to 2 years can have 2-4 billion; children from 2-4 years can have 4-8 billion; children from 4-10 years can have 8-12 billion and from 12 to 16 years, an appropriate minimum dose is 12-15 billion per day.
What is an Optimal Probiotic Protocol?
Our current protocol involves a multipronged approach to probiotic supplementation paired with a healthy diet rich in plant fibers. Our optimal gut care protocol involves a rotational process through the year of supplementing with a broad-spectrum probiotic (described above) for 3-6 months, followed by a focus on a singular probiotic such as S. boulardii or Akkermansia based on your medical provider’s recommendation, and finally a cycle of sporebiotics, which don’t colonize but promote the growth of all good bacteria, which leads to an increased diversity in the gut. Then, repeat the cycle.
A Precautionary Word
It is important to build up to the suggested minimum guidelines provided above slowly. Remember, these favorable bacteria get busy killing unwanted pathogens in the gut, so taking too much probiotic too quickly can result in unpleasant die-off symptoms (fatigue, itchy skin, irritability, just to name a few), which can be uncomfortable. A slow, small-step approach is the safest way to start taking probiotics. However, it is also interesting to note that it appears that overdosing is not likely, if not impossible. Don’t let the unpleasant die-off symptoms stop you from taking the probiotics. You can always open a capsule and dump half of the contents for the first several doses. Also, hydrating well and using a little baking soda in water can help reduce the symptoms, and within several days to a week, the symptoms normally resolve. The symptoms are an indication that you needed probiotics!
At TWIHW, we offer a wide variety of high quality probiotics, single species, and sporebiotics in capsule and powder formulations to meet your needs. Talk to your medical provider about the best rotational options for your unique needs.
Optimize your routine gut care. Cycle your probiotics. Build immunity. Be Well.