Getting the Most Out of Your Probiotic? Learn How to Take Probiotics Should you take them with food or on an empty stomach? Learn how to take probiotics to ensure absorption
Did you know that how you take probiotics matters? This can change whether or not your absorbing the “friendly bacteria”.
Almost all containers state under “how to take probiotics” that it doesn’t matter if it’s with or without food. If you have tried to research this on the internet, it’s even more confusing as half of the sites says to take probiotics with food or else they won’t work, and the other half say to take them without food.
Yet, it does matter! Studies have shown that in order to optimally benefit and ensure that the good bacteria makes it down into your intestines, timing of probiotics is key!
If you’re not familiar with probiotics, probiotics are cultures of “good bacteria”. Your gut contains a combination of both good and bad bacteria. Probiotics help ensure a good balance of intestinal flora.
When we use the word probiotic, most of the time it’s referring to a supplement. However, the term can also be used when talking about fermented foods, as they also contain good bacteria.
Many people know the benefits of adding probiotics, “friendly bacteria”, to their health regimen and take them either as a supplement or consume them in fermented foods that have active live cultures, such as yogurt, fermented pickles or fermented sauerkraut.
However, how to take probiotics is often not considered, specifically what time of the day is it best to take them.
Here’s the truth:
If you are taking a supplement, it is best to take it on an empty stomach when you wake up in the morning or before bed. When you first get up, take the probiotic, then get ready for the day preferably waiting at least 30 minutes before you eat breakfast.
You can also take the probiotic with food and still get pretty good absorption.. The reason this may decrease some absorption of a supplement probiotic is that the probiotic ends up spending more time in the stomach. Also, another reason to take them on an empty stomach is because before the journey to the intestines, the bacteria will have more difficulty surviving the harsh stomach acid during digestion, affecting their potency.
But, don’t take them after a meal! Probiotics that are taken after a meal have even more difficulty surviving stomach acid levels as this is when your stomach acid is at it’s highest. A study from last year found that when a probiotic supplement was taken after a meal, extremely low levels of bacteria survived.
A recent study in the Journal of Beneficial Microbes showed that probiotics are optimally absorbed when taken prior to a meal and were absorbed almost as well when taken with a meal containing fats.
You don’t have to take probiotic supplements to ensure healthy intestinal flora, you can also make fermented foods! It is best to make them yourself and not rely on store bought fermented foods as they are often bastardized and preserved in salt rather than in lactobacterial-salt.
Not Taking a Probiotic or Fermented Foods? Why You Should Start:
1. Improved digestion
2. Healthier gut
3. Improved absorption of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals
4. Reduction in cavities
5. Increased resistance to infection, reduces risk of flu and colds
6. Reduced risk of colon cancer
7. Beneficial for irritable bowel syndrome, Chron’s disease, etc.
Do you take probiotics? When do you usually take them?
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22146689
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fermented-foods-health/#axzz2Jn1Ywxvc
Linked on: Family Table Tuesday, Titus 2sdays, Fat Tuesday,
Should you take them with food or on an empty stomach? Learn how to take probiotics to ensure absorption
Did you know that how you take probiotics matters? This can change whether or not your absorbing the “friendly bacteria”.
Almost all containers state under “how to take probiotics” that it doesn’t matter if it’s with or without food. If you have tried to research this on the internet, it’s even more confusing as half of the sites says to take probiotics with food or else they won’t work, and the other half say to take them without food.
Yet, it does matter! Studies have shown that in order to optimally benefit and ensure that the good bacteria makes it down into your intestines, timing of probiotics is key!
What are Probiotics?
If you’re not familiar with probiotics, probiotics are cultures of “good bacteria”. Your gut contains a combination of both good and bad bacteria. Probiotics help ensure a good balance of intestinal flora.
When we use the word probiotic, most of the time it’s referring to a supplement. However, the term can also be used when talking about fermented foods, as they also contain good bacteria.
How to Take Probiotics
Many people know the benefits of adding probiotics, “friendly bacteria”, to their health regimen and take them either as a supplement or consume them in fermented foods that have active live cultures, such as yogurt, fermented pickles or fermented sauerkraut.
However, how to take probiotics is often not considered, specifically what time of the day is it best to take them.
Here’s the truth:
If you are taking a supplement, it is best to take it on an empty stomach when you wake up in the morning or before bed. When you first get up, take the probiotic, then get ready for the day preferably waiting at least 30 minutes before you eat breakfast.
You can also take the probiotic with food and still get pretty good absorption.. The reason this may decrease some absorption of a supplement probiotic is that the probiotic ends up spending more time in the stomach. Also, another reason to take them on an empty stomach is because before the journey to the intestines, the bacteria will have more difficulty surviving the harsh stomach acid during digestion, affecting their potency.
But, don’t take them after a meal! Probiotics that are taken after a meal have even more difficulty surviving stomach acid levels as this is when your stomach acid is at it’s highest. A study from last year found that when a probiotic supplement was taken after a meal, extremely low levels of bacteria survived.
A recent study in the Journal of Beneficial Microbes showed that probiotics are optimally absorbed when taken prior to a meal and were absorbed almost as well when taken with a meal containing fats.
How Else to Get Probotics
You don’t have to take probiotic supplements to ensure healthy intestinal flora, you can also make fermented foods! It is best to make them yourself and not rely on store bought fermented foods as they are often bastardized and preserved in salt rather than in lactobacterial-salt.
Not Taking a Probiotic or Fermented Foods? Why You Should Start:
1. Improved digestion
2. Healthier gut
3. Improved absorption of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals
4. Reduction in cavities
5. Increased resistance to infection, reduces risk of flu and colds
6. Reduced risk of colon cancer
7. Beneficial for irritable bowel syndrome, Chron’s disease, etc.
Do you take probiotics? When do you usually take them?
Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22146689
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fermented-foods-health/#axzz2Jn1Ywxvc
Linked on: Family Table Tuesday, Titus 2sdays, Fat Tuesday,
No comments:
Post a Comment