Just Thrive Non Dairy Probiotic
Just Thrive Probiotic contains the Bacillus Indicus HU36 strain. This strain produces antioxidants in your digestive system and is then readily absorbed by the body. This probiotic supplement supports immune, digestive, and emotional health.
Itss made without soy, dairy, sugar, salt, corn, tree nuts, or gluten and is vegan, paleo, and keto-friendly. This non-dairy probiotic blend contains three billion cells and is shelf-stable. No refrigeration is required.
Fiber Supplements For Ibs
Research into the role of fiber supplements in treating IBS symptoms is conflicting, with some finding no benefit, a few finding that added fiber to the diet causes bloating and gas, and a handful reporting that soluble fiber helps IBS patients with constipation and diarrhea.
A recent study found that psyllium, a soluble fiber, provided significant pain relief for IBS patients with constipation and/or diarrhea. Another found that psyllium has limited effect on constipation and abdominal pain.
Schiller says some of his IBS patients get relief from diarrhea and constipation with products containing psyllium, whether in the form of powder, tablets, breakfast bars, or cookies. There’s no difference in their safety or effectiveness, he says.
Low Dog often prescribes psyllium for constipation, and if it aggravates constipation, which it can do until the body has enough of it and water, she’ll add magnesium citrate to the mix to counteract the initial constipating effect of psyllium. She recommends powdered psyllium seed husks that can be mixed with liquid. “I also like psyllium because of its cardiovascular benefits. Any good fiber you can get, I like,” Low Dog says.
Guar gum, also a soluble fiber that thickens food, shows some promise for IBS symptoms. David Rakel, MD, of the University of Wisconsin School of Public Health and Medicine, says he recommends supplements for patients to aid digestion.
Should You Consume These Potentially Beneficial Microorganisms
Until more studies have been done, the jury is still out on what if any benefit probiotics offer people with IBS.
Probiotics have become increasingly more common in the media and in the general community. Patients commonly seek medical advice regarding whether probiotics would be beneficial to them, says Christine Lee, MD, a gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Randomized clinical trials, however, have not been able to sufficiently demonstrate statistical benefit specific for IBS.
Lee notes that current studies may be flawed with methodological problems, including small sample sizes, too many variables, or even the wide variability of IBS spectrum from person to person.
Still, she says, the general consensus, at this time, is that probiotics are generally thought to be safe and maybe helpful in some cases.
Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved use of probiotics as a treatment for any disease. So far, other than increased gas, studies have not found any significant side effects from probiotics, but you should still talk to your doctor before starting on them, especially if you’re pregnant or have any serious health condition, or if you’re thinking of giving them to a child. Whether consumption of probiotics has any long-term side effects has not been determined.
Lee also warns that there is the potential that probiotics can be contaminated.
Additional reporting by Ashley Welch.
Also Check: Pickles And Acid Reflux
Worst Alcoholic Drinks For Ibs Sufferers
These alcohols are either high in FODMAPs or glutenThey are frequently associated with worse IBS symptoms
-
Fructose-containing alcohols:
fructose is originally found in some fruits like apples watermelon mango cherry and pear.About one-third of IBS patients suffer from fructose intolerance fructose is one of the FODMAP that is poorly tolerated and may lead to bloating and IBS attack Fructose found in
- fruit-based beverages , Cocktails and mixers
- sweet wines
- high fructose corn syrup
-
Alcohols containing artificial sweeteners
The letter P and FODMAP refers to a group of sugars called Polyols.Artificial sweeteners like mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol all Polyols which may trigger your IBS as they are originally a FODMAP.
avoid the Diet alcohols that contain artificial sweeteners. always check the ingredients of your beverages for these 3 substances: Mannitol, Xylitol, and Sorbitol.
-
Carbonated alcoholic beverages:
The gas produced by the carbonated beverages may worsen your IBS. If you frequently suffer from bloating and gas, you should avoid any carbonated beverages like:
- Fizzy mixers,
Which Probiotics Are Best For Ibs
Not sure which probiotic is best for your form of IBS? If you are unsure which type of IBS you have and what probiotic would be best for you, then it would be a good idea to opt for a high-quality daily product containing probiotics supported with clinical trials. My personal favourite strain for IBS is Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 which has been shown to help with:
- Abdominal discomfort
- Loose stools
- Bowel regularity
As you can see the clinical trial shows this is a great all-rounder and would be helpful to support all types of IBS, so ideally you would choose a daily product that has Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 in it.
Healthcare professionals can learn more about Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 on the Probiotics Database.
So, to summarise, the probiotic strains you may wish to consider:
- For IBS-D & post-infectious IBS – Saccharomyces boulardii
- For IBS-C – Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12®
- For IBS-A – Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM®
- For IBS-U – Bifidobacterium lactis HN019
Please note: if you are struggling with IBS, we advise you to seek advice and assistance from your healthcare practitioner in all instances.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also like to read:
You May Like: Peanut Butter Heartburn Cure
Best Overall: Gt’s Organic Kombucha Gingerade
If you want the benefits of probiotic shot, but prefer a sweet fruity taste over a savory vinegar flavor, try GoodBelly’s StraightShot Probiotic Drinks. These small beverages are rich in probiotics and can be consumed quickly with a smooth fruit-flavored taste. With only 2.7 fluid ounces, you can down this shot and consume 20 billion live and active probiotic cultures in seconds.
The quick probiotic fix is free of added sugar and contains only 30 calories. Plus, it’s dairy-free and comes in three delicious flavors, including Original, Yumberry, and Lemon Drop. The Original variety is made from a mix of pear and grape juice, oat flour, and lactobacillus plantarum as well as stevia and small amounts of barley malt, rice starch, and calcium citrate. Note that the product does contain low levels of gluten from organic oat flour and barley malt, so it is not gluten-free. However, it is 100 percent vegan, soy-free, kosher, and organic.
Replace Sodas With Iced Tea
Iced tea is a great non-soda option. Feel free to use black, green, or white, or one of the herbal teas that are good for IBS. You can keep a pitcher of home-made iced tea in your refrigerator. When dining out, ask for unsweetened iced tea. You can add a small amount of sugar , as low quantities should not cause unwanted symptoms.
Don’t Miss: Why Does Lettuce Give Me Diarrhea
How Do Probiotics Work With Ibs
A significant amount of recent research has investigated how probiotics might be used to treat and manage IBS.
IBS symptoms have been linked to certain changes in the gut flora. For example, people with IBS have lower amounts of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in their guts, and higher levels of harmful Streptococcus, E. coli and Clostridium (
- Reducing gas production by balancing the gut flora
- Reducing the guts sensitivity to gas buildup
However, not all probiotics are alike. In fact, the term probiotic covers many different strains and types of bacteria and yeasts. Their health effects vary depending on the type.
Summary Gut flora imbalances may contribute to the symptoms of IBS. Probiotics help restore balance in a number of ways, including by inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria, reducing inflammation and slowing down the digestive system.
Should Probiotics Be Taken On A Low Fodmap Diet
The low FODMAP diet is one of the proven methods for treating IBS.
It involves first eliminating most FODMAPs from the diet for a 3-8 week period so that you are virtually symptom-free. Then you begin to systematically reintroduce them in order to identify the culprits, followed by a modified diet long term.
For this to work, its important that other possible triggers of digestive stress are minimized. That includes caffeine, spicy foods, fatty foods, alcohol, and fiber supplements among other things. Removing these ensures that if symptoms do occur, you will be able to trace it back to an exact FODMAP group.
While probiotics can be highly beneficial, some people experience a worsening of symptoms. Given this risk, its typically not recommended to start a new probiotic supplement during any phase of the low FODMAP diet.
The exception is if you already use a probiotic supplement before starting a low FODMAP diet. In this case you you can continue to do so throughout.
Summary: Some people may experience even worse digestive symptoms when starting a new probiotic supplement. This will compromise the results of a low FODMAP diet, so its not recommended to do them at the same time.
Recommended Reading: Align Extra Strength Probiotic Supplement
Vsl#3 High Potency Probiotics Capsules For Ulcerative Colitis
VSL#3 is a potent probiotic medical food that delivers the highest available concentration of beneficial live bacteria of any probiotic in the world.
VSL#3 high-potency probiotic medical food contains 8 different strains of live lactic acid bacteria that were specially selected to produce an optimal synergistic composition of bacteria.
Do Probiotics Help With Constipation
A study using two different multi-strain probiotics – one containing L. acidophilus and L. reuteri, and another containing L. plantarum, L rhamnosus, and L. lactis – found that they improved the main symptoms of IBS-C:
- Constipation
- Abdominal cramps
- Flatulence
Other studies indicate that lactic acid bacteria, which include probiotic species and strains of Lactobacillus, may alleviate constipation, but the results of 42 trials reporting positive results were inconsistent.
Another probiotic strain which is good at giving the bowels a good shift in IBS-C is Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12. According to a 2015 clinical trial, makes stools less hard and lumpy, easier to pass, and supports good general gut health.
TIPIf you want to find out the composition of your own gut microbiome, you need an Atlas Biomed Microbiome Test
Also Check: Do Probiotics Make Your Urine Smell
Ibs And Alcohol Safety A Few Handy Tips
Were all adults, weve all sailed past 21 , and we all know the basic rules for drinking safely.
Those rules are even more important if you live with IBS. Were going to quickly run through some of the guidelines that you should be sticking to like crazy glue if you want to enjoy alcohol moderately and make sure that it doesnt trigger symptoms that you desperately want to avoid.
When Should You Consider A Probiotic
Monash University recommends individuals following the low FODMAP diet wait until after the Elimination and Challenge phases are complete before introducing probiotics, as they can muddy the waters when it comes to figuring out which specific foods are triggering IBS symptoms.
Introducing probiotics or other supplements during Elimination can exacerbate symptoms or cause issues that werent present before.
If your doctor or dietitian has recommended a probiotic and asked you to continue it during the Elimination phase, you may wish to discuss with them the pros and cons of taking a probiotic during Elimination, to identify together whats best for your individual situation.
You May Like: Align Probiotic Supplement
Probiotics To Save The Day
Probiotic drinks, as well as other probiotic foods and supplements, have long been promoted to keep our digestive system healthy. These good live bacteria and yeasts work to restore any imbalance in our gut flora, the village of bacteria living in our digestive tract, including our intestines and stomach.
Given their function, it is easy to understand why probiotic drinks have been linked to IBS, and why many people believe they have positive benefits in relieving IBS patients of their symptoms.
Can Probiotics Improve Ibs Symptoms
A comprehensive 2016 review concluded that its unclear how effective probiotics are for treating IBS. It cited small study sizes and lack of consistent data .
However, a number of studies have shown that specific probiotics may have the potential to target specific symptoms. Probiotics from the Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces families have shown particular promise (
15 ).
A German study of a two-strain probiotic liquid known as Pro-Symbioflor also had promising results. In this study, 297 patients were treated for eight weeks and experienced a 50% decrease in general symptoms, including abdominal pain .
Meanwhile, Symprove is a four-strain probiotic that was tested in 186 patients in the UK. It was found to reduce overall symptom severity after 12 weeks of treatment .
Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 capsules have also been shown to marginally reduce pain, bloating and problems with bowel habits in all subtypes of IBS .
While some of these results are promising, there is some inconsistency between studies. In addition, most strains only have one study demonstrating their effectiveness. Therefore, more research is needed to confirm the results.
Summary Preliminary research has found 10 probiotic strains that may help improve overall symptoms of IBS. However, results have been inconsistent, and most strains have only one small study behind them. Further research is required.
Recommended Reading: Too Much Salad Diarrhea
What Medications Can Cause Ibs Symptoms
There are a few medications that we recommend taking a second look at, but please do not make any changes to medications without first consulting your doctor.
What is amazing is that the symptoms that your physician gave you a medication for might actually be part of the root cause of your IBS. For example, if your stomach acid is too low, youre at greater risk of heartburn. But if your doctor prescribes an antacid medication, your symptoms might worsen in the long run because we need to have acid in our stomachs for proper digestion.
This is one common example we see of physicians treating symptoms vs. getting down to root causes.
Are you taking any of the following medications?
Best Probiotic Treatment For Ibs
Treatment for IBS with probiotics is a realistic choice with a large number of trials now having been done on various probiotic families and strains.
Far and away the 3 best probiotics have been Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium infantis and Saccharomyces boulardii. But not just any member of these families. You must choose the right strain to ensure effective treatment for IBS .
The cells that line our intestinal tract play an active part in many of our immune responses1 so any problems can have far reaching effect.
It is known that probiotics can correct the intestinal microflora after too many of the wrong sort of bacteria set up home. It is not without cause that IBS often develops after treatment with antibiotics or an intestinal infection wipes out the normal flora.
Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome include abdominal pain and bloating. There is also the discomfort and disruption of abnormal bowel habits – with all the distress and embarrassment THAT causes. With some people this is constipation whilst with others it is diarrhea.
Many suffers have to organize outings around toilet availability!
The symptoms can be a continual problem or a person may experience flare-ups. Many folk have trigger foods and IBS affects twice as many women as men.
Also Check: Bloating And Diarrhea In Early Pregnancy
What Causes A Gut Imbalance
The number of good bacteria in the digestive system can be overtaken by the bad ones, leading to an imbalance. The factors that can lead to this include:
- Consuming too much dietary fat
- Eating a low-fiber diet
- Eating too many processed and unhealthy foods
- Gastro infection
- Use of antibiotics for long
Consuming a diet rich in probiotics can help clean up the gut and ensure its in prime working condition. Apart from adding probiotic-rich foods like curd and sauerkraut to your diet, loading up on a probiotic drink a day can actually keep the doctor away. Try these recipes to stay healthy:
Soft Cheese And Enriched Milk
If yogurt does not work on you, you can take soft cheese, for example, Gouda, mozzarella, cheddar, and cottage cheese.
According to studies, probiotics bacteria in soft cheese can survive the stomach acid. Hence, they are better in bio availability.
Also, cheese is highly nutritious and it gives enough protein. It also provides important vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and selenium.
Modest intake of fermented dairy products may even lower reduce the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis
Read Also: Antacid Gas Relief
Why Might Probiotics Be Useful In The Management Of Ibs
There are a number of reasons for this:
- Firstly, animal and human studies suggest that the gut microbiota may play a role in the pathogenesis of IBS, with differences observed between the microbiota of people with and without IBS. While these differences may simply be a consequence of the condition, studies in mice show that transplanting the faeces of mice with IBS to healthy mice leads to changes in microbiota and the onset of IBS-like symptoms.
- Secondly, the gut microbiota may influence symptoms in IBS, with lower numbers of bifidobacteria associated with higher pain scores in IBS.
- Finally, probiotic supplementation may help to offset changes in the microbiota seen on a low FODMAP diet. This was shown in a recent study by researchers at Kings College in London.
It Is Important To Take Care Of Gut Microbiome
When there is disturbance in the types of gut bacteria or the overall quantity of microbes in our gut, it affects our health and mood. Thats why it is important to maintain the range and quantity of our gut bacteria.
Different probiotic foods provide different types of friendly microbes. Thats why we should try to include a variety of probiotics in our diet.
Regular intake of probiotic foods is perhaps one of the easiest and best ways to support our microbiome.
Recommended Reading: What Does It Mean When You Keep Having Heartburn