Whether you’re scrolling through social media, talking to friends and family, or simply shopping at the grocery store, you most likely have come across the idea that probiotics can help you feel healthier.
Many people decide to take a probiotic hoping to improve their gut health because of an underlying GI issue, like occasional diarrhea or constipation, or irritable bowel syndrome.
But, did you know that some probiotics can benefit your health outside of your gut altogether?
Certain probiotics, for example, have been shown in clinical studies to influence mental health, physical endurance, and overall well-being.
If you are wondering if you need a probiotic for your health, whether it be for your gut or something else, this article will help you understand your options so you can choose which one is right for you.
What are signs you need probiotics?
Over the past few decades, probiotics have grown in popularity because of their potential to improve health. With all the apparent benefits of probiotics, you may be considering taking them to help boost your physical and mental health. But, how do you know if you actually need probiotics?
First things first: check with your healthcare provider to make sure it is safe for you to take a probiotic. They are generally known to be safe and beneficial; however, there are some situations when this may not be the case.
Probiotics are clinically-studied live microorganisms that have health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts. These benefits widely vary, with some known to help improve GI (gastrointestinal symptoms) while others have been found to improve cognitive function and overall mental health.
Probiotics may help support the following aspects of health:
- Improve digestive issues, i.e., antibiotic-associated diarrhea
- Influence immune function
- Improve resilience to physical and psychological stress
- Support cognitive and/or mental health
One reason you may be looking into probiotics for your health is because your doctor has recommended them for your digestive health. You may have had a recent round of antibiotics, for example. Or, you may have symptoms of dysbiosis - an alteration of gut bacteria that can lead to issues such as bloating, gas, diarrhea, or constipation.
You may also have heard that probiotics can affect other areas of your body, including your brain and nervous system.
Through an elegant network known as the gut-brain axis, the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) is intricately linked to the gut and its microbiome. This bidirectional communication highway is the route through which probiotics you take by mouth can influence the brain. In fact, some probiotics known as psychobiotics have been shown in studies to help support mental health, such as improving stress resilience and mood.
If you are looking to support your physical and mental health, you may want to try taking a probiotic to see if you notice any improvement.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms, like certain strains of bacteria or yeast, that provide health benefits when taken in adequate amounts. Its genus, species, and strain must be known and clearly labeled. Probiotics are often described in terms of fostering “good bacteria” in the gut. But, a beneficial microorganism doesn’t necessarily need to affect the gut microbiome or help with gut health to be qualified as a probiotic.
For example, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum PS128 (20 billion CFU) is a probiotic that alleviated work-related stress in a single-arm clinical study.
Now, many live microorganisms may be found in foods and supplements, but this does not mean they are truly probiotics as defined by the body of international experts, the ISAPP. Be sure to look for a full strain name on the product label. You should also determine if there is human clinical study evidence that the amount of the strain in the product has a health benefit that is of interest to you.
What's the difference between prebiotics & probiotics?
Since you may want to shop for probiotics, another thing to watch out for is anything labeled as a "prebiotic." They sound pretty similar right? Well, that one little letter does make a difference.
Both prebiotics and probiotics confer health benefits. They are, however, quite distinct from each other. While probiotics are beneficial microorganisms that are alive, prebiotics are inanimate substances commonly found in foods. Let’s take a closer look to help clarify some things.
Prebiotics can be thought of as healthy foods for the microbial inhabitants of your gut. Prebiotics are present in foods like nuts, vegetables, fruits, and grains, often in the form of non-digestible fibers. Asparagus, honey, banana, barley, tomato, soybeans, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, and beans all contain prebiotics.
Prebiotics in our foods typically are made up of soluble fibers that our bodies are unable to digest. But the beneficial microbes that inhabit our body use them as “food.” The microbes, in turn, produce metabolites that benefit us, the hosts.
Prebiotics have been shown to positively influence the composition of our microbiota, increase levels of beneficial bacteria, and increase microbe-derived signaling molecules vital for health.
What kinds of probiotics are there?
When looking for a new probiotic, you may have a lot of questions. You may be wondering what kinds of microorganisms (i.e. yeast, bacteria, etc.) are in the probiotic product. You may be curious about what types of products are out there and what to expect when you read the labels. Lastly, you most likely will want to know the benefits associated with the probiotic you are considering.
Types of probiotic microorganisms
There are many species of beneficial bacteria included in many probiotic supplements. The most common ones come from these genera (grouping that includes closely related species):
- Lactobacillus
- Bifidobacterium
- Streptococcus
- Enterococcus
- Escherichia
- Bacillus
Some probiotic supplements may contain the yeast species Saccharomyces boulardii.
You're most likely to find these seven core genera of organisms in the probiotic products available to you commercially. They all have slightly different effects on the body through nonspecific, species-specific, and strain-specific mechanisms. For example, some species-specific mechanisms may help with gut barrier reinforcement, while strain-specific mechanisms might influence the nervous system or have certain immune effects.
It's typical to see probiotics provide anywhere from one to 100 billion CFU per serving, but keep in mind that the total CFU count by itself doesn't necessarily equate to faster or better results.
Types of probiotic products
You may have noticed that there are many different probiotic products on the market today.
These different types of probiotic products typically include supplements, probiotic foods and drinks (these will typically specify strain(s) and/or amount), and topical lotions or creams. Probiotic supplements typically come in the forms of capsules, tablets, powder, or liquids.
Some probiotic products are shelf-stable because they are spore-based probiotics that are dormant. This means that they are also able to survive the harsh stomach environment due to a protective encasement that acts like a cocoon.
Others are alive and more fragile to the environment both inside and outside the body, especially over long periods of time. These types of probiotic products typically will require refrigeration.
Benefits available to you from different probiotic products
Not all probiotic products are the same. Each product may contain a unique probiotic strain, or a mixture of different unique strains to give it its unique benefits. Different probiotic strains have different health benefits. That’s why some probiotic products are for improving digestive health, while others are for skin health or mental health, for example.
You may notice that many products combine probiotic strains with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and herbs to provide certain purported benefits. The benefit of the probiotic strain in such products might be different from the overall benefit of the product. For example, it may contain a very common gut-health probiotic strain along with vitamins and herbs that help with stress. A different product may contain a proprietary probiotic strain that helps with stress.
The number of products containing probiotic strains with benefits beyond gut health are few and far between. Neuralli Mood is an exception, as it contains a probiotic and a postbiotic strain associated with improved mental health, and no herbs or nutrients.
How to choose the right product for you
Before you invest in a probiotic, it’s important to make an informed decision. You’ll want to take a product with strains that are backed by clinical research to make sure you are choosing an appropriate probiotic. You’ll also want to find a product that contains strains that provide the benefit you’re looking for. Finally, you’ll want to be sure that the strains in the product you choose are present at high enough levels to give you the result that clinical research suggests you should receive.
No two probiotics are alike, and this distinction is clarified by their strain which is reflected in the probiotic’s name. Let’s take Lactobacillus plantarum (or L. plantarum) as an example. Lactobacillus is the genus and plantarum is the species within the genus. Just like a dog has many breeds, L. plantarum has many strains - each with its own unique genetic traits and health effects. One of these is L. plantarum PS128.
Even if you see the word “probiotic” on the label, know that it may not be a “true” probiotic. Scientists have agreed that to qualify as a probiotic, it must be clinically studied to provide a health benefit. Further, the amount and types (strains) of live microorganisms must be known and recorded on the label.
To learn more about the yeasts and bacteria in the probiotic before investing, check the label and write down the strain (or strains) listed. Then, do a quick internet search, including the strain name and associated health benefit. It is important that your research involves reputable sources, like the National Library of Medicine’s search engine, PubMed. Lastly, affirm that the probiotic has been studied in a clinical setting, or has been the subject of clinical trials.
Remember, research on some probiotic strains may still be in its earliest stages, so there may be no large studies or confirmed results yet.
Can a probiotic affect mental health?
Some probiotics and postbiotics known as psychobiotics confer a clinically-proven mental health benefit when taken in adequate amounts. Psychobiotics may benefit mental health by influencing the biochemistry of our brains. They appear to do this work via the gut-brain axis - a bidirectional communication system between the gut and the brain.
For example, in animal studies, L. plantarum PS128 psychobiotic has been shown to alter the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These neurotransmitters are involved in mood regulation and reward pathways. And heat-treated postbiotic strain PS23 decreased job stress and stress hormone in a clinical trial of stressed nurses.
These two strains are combined in Neuralli Mood. If you are looking for a probiotic product that benefits your mental health, Neuralli Mood may provide the support you need.
Recommended reading:
How Our Microbiome Influences Mental Health
What to Know about Neuralli Mood
