Probiotics are supposed to help make your gut healthy.A variety of products are on the market, but do they work and are they safe?”Probiotics are generally recognized as safe, but they may not be recommended if someone has a serious illness or severe illness if they have a compromised immune system,” dietician Chaplin Mazzocchi said.Mazzocchi sees some benefits of probiotics, which are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms.”Foods that commonly have probiotics in them include yogurt, more specifically Greek yogurt, kefir – which is a yogurt-like beverage – kimchi and sauerkraut. Those are both types of fermented cabbage,” Mazzocchi said.You can also find probiotics in powder mixes, but check the label to see if contains more than one strain and has a CFU – or colony forming unit – of 5 billion or more.If you choose to get it in pill form, keep this in mind: “You’d want something that has an enteric coded capsule, and that just means that it will not be broken down by your stomach acid when you take the supplement so it will get to the intestine,” Mazzocchi said.The bottom line is if you have a well-rounded diet and are in good health, you probably have a healthy gut.The question is: Do probiotics work?”A lot of the research is really new, so it’s exciting but it’s not conclusive,” Mazzocchi said.When it comes to making any changes to your diet, experts recommend consulting with your doctor.Watch the video above for the full story.
Probiotics are supposed to help make your gut healthy.
A variety of products are on the market, but do they work and are they safe?
“Probiotics are generally recognized as safe, but they may not be recommended if someone has a serious illness or severe illness if they have a compromised immune system,” dietician Chaplin Mazzocchi said.
Mazzocchi sees some benefits of probiotics, which are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms.
“Foods that commonly have probiotics in them include yogurt, more specifically Greek yogurt, kefir – which is a yogurt-like beverage – kimchi and sauerkraut. Those are both types of fermented cabbage,” Mazzocchi said.
You can also find probiotics in powder mixes, but check the label to see if contains more than one strain and has a CFU – or colony forming unit – of 5 billion or more.
If you choose to get it in pill form, keep this in mind: “You’d want something that has an enteric coded capsule, and that just means that it will not be broken down by your stomach acid when you take the supplement so it will get to the intestine,” Mazzocchi said.
The bottom line is if you have a well-rounded diet and are in good health, you probably have a healthy gut.
The question is: Do probiotics work?
“A lot of the research is really new, so it’s exciting but it’s not conclusive,” Mazzocchi said.
When it comes to making any changes to your diet, experts recommend consulting with your doctor.
Watch the video above for the full story.
