Today I wanted to talk about Probiotics.
What are the benefits of probiotics?
What are the side effects
and who should take Probiotics?
Hey guys, my name is Dr. Sam.
A few of you recently asked me to
make a video on probiotics -
what a fabulous topic!
There's quite a bit to cover,
so I thought I'd try to give you a broad
overview on probiotics
and discuss some of the latest research on it.
If you're interested in something more specific
around probiotics please hit me up in
the comments and I'll try to make a more
targeted video for you.
Firstly, what are Probiotics
and where do you get them from?
Well, Probiotics are medicines,
food that has been fermented or
food supplements that contain beneficial bacteria
for our gut.
Actually, your own gut contains about
100 trillion microorganisms with a
combined weight of about one kilogram or
2.2 pounds.
Probiotics have been added to some foods
such as yoghurts and are also
available as capsules, tablets, sachets and sprays.
I'll link all the best foods
that contain probiotics in the description for you.
Why does your body need Probiotics?
This question takes me back to my first year
in medical school, where we had a slightly eccentric
professor who would go on and on about
probiotics and how helpful they are to our bodies.
At the time, I'll admit, I was a sceptical eighteen year old
and I didn't believe him.
Now, I feel really foolish because there is an avalanche
of evidence about the benefits.
Essentially, probiotics increase the numbers
of healthy organisms in your gut
and reduce the number of bacteria
that could be harmful.
They have four broad actions on
the gut.
The first one is that they strengthen the barrier in the gut
to harmful substances.
Secondly, they stimulate the immune system in the gut.
Thirdly, they lessen the amount of
inflammation in the gut.
Finally, they help digest and absorb nutrients.
Research has shown that our gut
microbiome can be thrown off balance by
a number of factors including
medications, especially antibiotics,
too much alcohol, stress, poor sleep
or disease.
This means the good bacteria
that work well within our bodies may
reduce in number.
Which allows more bad bacteria
to take over.
Harmful bacteria have been linked
with several conditions including obesity, heart disease,
allergies and cancer.
So what conditions have probiotics proven to benefit?
Well, the first one is diarrhea from antibiotics.
This has been well established that taking probiotics
whilst on antibiotics, can prevent
antibiotic associated diarrhea
in both children and adults.
This has also been shown for nasty infections like
Clostridium Difficile as well.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome - probiotics are an effective
treatment for IBS especially
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.
Coughs and colds for toddlers in
preschools and nurseries -
a particular kind of probiotic called
Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) has been shown to help.
Infantile colic - probiotics cannot stop it,
but it can reduce the daily crying time when using LAB.
Which is something to consider
at 3 o'clock in the morning!
What conditions are a probiotic "maybe"?
Well recurrent urine infections -
studies have been mixed,
but a benefit can't be ruled out.
Secondly, bacterial vaginosis
and vaginal thrush have unclear results as well.
Thirdly, eczema - unfortunately in large studies
probiotic strains make little or no difference in
improving eczema symptoms.
But on the flip side there aren't any increased
side effects or adverse problems
from using probiotics.
Then there's Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.
They've also shown quite mixed results with using
probiotics, but I wouldn't exclude it entirely.
So what conditions are a "hard no"
for probiotics, meaning no evidence?
Okay, so premature labor.
Unfortunately, taking probiotics in pregnancy
has not shown to decrease or lessen the risk of
premature labor.
Weight loss - again so disappointing -
but there isn't enough evidence
to say that probiotics help people lose weight.
And the same goes for colon cancer, but
probiotics are helpful with some of the side effects,
especially from radiotherapy.
So what are the risks of taking probiotics?
Well, they haven't been any specific studies
looking at the safety of probiotics.
But in general they are considered to be safe,
except when someone is critically ill or when used
in premature babies.
There is still the risk of allergy to probiotics,
which is the same risk you'd have to any other
food or medicine.
One of the criticisms levelled at probiotic
medications is that the products may
not contain the actual strain of microbe
that they're supposed to contain.
That the quantities of live microbes are too low
or too weak to have an effect and
potentially they may contain harmful microbes.
I still very feel that these risks are very low
in the general scheme of things.
So should you start probiotic supplements?
Okay the million-dollar question!
I guess the answer to this depends on
what condition you are trying to treat
and which probiotic you want to use.
I really don't have a problem with people choosing to
use probiotics,
but just maybe let your doctor know that you're
taking them and additionally I think pharmacists are
very helpful at advising you on the best
probiotic for your particular condition.
From my personal opinion, I'm a big fan
of trying to get things naturally
into our bodies through diet.
So if you aren't sure, I'd start with dietary forms
of probiotics and go from there.
Please give this video a like if you found it
helpful and hit the subscribe button for
new videos every single week.
Hit the bell to get notified when I post new
videos on Tuesdays.
Please let me know in the comments
what you enjoyed about this video
or what you would like to learn more about.
I've just started posting on
other platforms like BitChute and LBRY.
If you prefer to watch me there,
please go and take a look.
Thanks for watching
and I hope to see you again soon :)