Should You Take Probiotics Pills to Maintain a Well-Balanced Digestive System?

Probiotics pills and other forms of probiotic dietary supplements have become available in the past decade, owing mainly to increased focus on probiotics' effects on the digestive system. These supplements have been touted as having a positive impact on the gut. If you are one of those who are considering trying out these supplements, read the report below to find out more.

Probiotic supplements

Dietary supplements made from probiotics are specifically formulated to maintain the health of the digestive system. Probiotics are living microorganisms that are manufactured to top up the level of good bacteria naturally found in the digestive tract.

These good bacteria provide protection against bad or unfriendly bacteria which can cause certain digestive illnesses , including irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, constipation, diarrhea, urogenital infections and other diseases. Basically, when you take probiotics, you are merely adding to the population of good bacteria already present in your gut.

How effective are probiotics?

Some studies do support claims that probiotics have beneficial effects on the digestive system. However, the extent of their efficacy is still under debate. One weakness that has been seen in probiotics is that they can be destroyed or altered once exposed to the acid in the stomach. Manufacturing methods and food treatment procedures are also believed to have the ability to destroy probiotics even before they reach the digestive tract.

Because of this weakness, manufacturers of probiotics pills have tried to find encapsulation methods that can protect the content from manufacturing methods and from stomach acid. There is no denying that probiotics can offer some health benefits to the digestive system , but whether these benefits are enough to make a difference is still not clear.

What is better than probiotics?

There are studies that have emerged in the past few years asserting that prebiotics, not probiotics, are what can help keep the digestive system well-balanced. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that are found in natural sources, mostly plants, like kiwi fruit, chicory root, leeks, garlic, onion, asparagus and a host of other edible plant species.

Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are non-digestible, which means that they are not affected by heat, cold, passage of time or the acid in the stomach. They can reach the gut without their original form getting changed of altered. Their primary function is to serve as food to the good bacteria in the stomach and stimulate their growth and activity.

Probiotics pills may offer some benefits to the digestive system, but it may be better if they are combined with prebiotics or you simply choose prebiotic supplements over probiotics.