Antibiotics kill the germs in your body that make you sick, but they also kill some of the good bacteria. This can upset the normal balance in your intestines, leading to diarrhea.
Using Probiotics for Diarrhea
If you’re looking for relief from tummy trouble, you may want to consider trying helpful bacteria and yeast called probiotics.
Millions of friendly bacteria live in your intestines, and they’re important for your digestion. But diarrhea can throw the microbes in your gut off balance. Probiotics may help get things back on track.
You can find probiotics in certain foods, like yogurt, and they also come in the form of supplements. Not all probiotics can ease diarrhea, though, and some help only certain types of diarrhea. So which ones can help, and when?
Kids and Diarrhea
Some of the best proof that probiotics work comes from studies of diarrhea in children, especially when it’s caused by rotavirus. Probiotics might cut bouts of infectious diarrhea by half a day to about 2 days.
Some research shows that the bacteria strains most likely to help are Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, although other strains might be useful. A mix of a few different probiotics may also treat this type of diarrhea.
Diarrhea From Antibiotics
Antibiotics kill the germs in your body that make you sick, but they also kill some of the good bacteria. This can upset the normal balance in your intestines, leading to diarrhea.
Studies of children and adults show that you may cut your chances of having diarrhea if you take probiotics before and during treatment and several days after stopping your antibiotics. Saccharomyces boulardii and some strains of lactobacillus can work.
Travelers’ Diarrhea
When you’re away from home, you may get diarrhea when you eat or drink contaminated food or water.
There’s no hard proof that probiotics work for this problem. Some research shows they help travelers avoid this kind of diarrhea, but other studies show there isn’t any benefit. The strongest evidence points to help from Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Saccharomyces boulardii.
Diarrhea Caused By C. difficile
An infection with C. difficile bacteria causes severe and sometimes life-threatening diarrhea and inflammation in the colon, called colitis. Probiotics may keep you from getting this germ. And there’s some evidence they might stop the problem from coming back. That’s important, since repeat infections become hard to control.
Scientists have done many studies of Saccharomyces boulardii against this type of bacteria. It appears to help, especially when combined with lactobacillus strains.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Probiotics may help treat ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Some studies show probiotics may also help treat Crohn’s disease, the other form of IBD, but the results aren’t as strong.
Where to Find Probiotics
Most health food stores stock dozens of brands of probiotic foods and supplements, like yogurts or dairy drinks, capsules, powders, and liquids.
Look for probiotics with a specific type of bacteria that’s been tested and found to work. Make sure the product has a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) seal. Choose products that say that they still work “through end of shelf life” rather than “at time of manufacture.”
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Show Sources
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McFarland, L. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, March 2007.
Williams, N. American Journal of Health-Systems Pharmacy, March 15, 2010.
Stefano Guandalini, MD, professor of pediatrics and gastroenterology, University of Chicago.
Floch, M. and Walker, A. Recommendations for Probiotic Use, 2011 Update.
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Annals of Internal Medicine: “Probiotics for the prevention of clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis.”
Best Probiotic for Diarrhea
Diarrhea can be termed as having a loose or watery stool four times or more per day. It is a dreadful condition that tends to swallow you whole and reduce you to a bowl of sadness enduring the discomforts and regular bathroom visits.
However, probiotics have been highly credited towards treating many digestive ailments including diarrhea. Generally, your gut has tons of bacteria in it called gut microbiota, the balance of these bacteria is what maintains all-round stable condition in your digestive system.
But once this balance is destabilized by the increment of the bad bacteria that’s when all hell breaks loose. Erupting a number of frustrating conditions like bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The good news however is the use of probiotics to treat these conditions has spread far and wide with many food products choosing to induce this godsend friendly bacteria in order to help out folks in alleviating and eradicating digestive issues.
The probiotics work by replenishing the good bacteria in your gut hence triumphing over the harmful bad bacteria and making you a bundle of joy. The truth is you deserve every ounce of happiness and probiotics are just the thing to do the job!
Have you been experiencing diarrhea? Then what are you waiting for? Do not suffer in silence get yourself some probiotics for diarrhea and perhaps this could save from a doctor’s visit. Here are some of the best probiotics for diarrhea carefully selected for you.
Best Probiotic for Diarrhea List
Vitamin Bounty Pro 50 Probiotic with Prebiotics
This probiotic contains 50 billion colony forming units per saving hence is very effective, especially since the standard amount of living cultures in most products is about 10-15 CFUs so this will certainly be an upgrade guaranteed to put you into a tip top health condition.
To further increase it efficacy, Vitamin Bounty Pro comes with 13 probiotics strains all of them gearing up to nourish and replenish the good bacteria in your gut. These strains are effective and trusted to relieve you of your ailments, this probiotic also doesn’t use any filler in its capsules.
If we’re talking about the efficiency of the capsules then you will be happy to know that they are equipped with a delayed release technology that prevents them from getting swallowed up and destroyed by stomach acid hence availing a high amount of colony forming units in your guts.
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Cons
Smarter Gut Health Probiotics
For those who have experienced diarrhea, you can totally agree that it takes the fun out of everything. Especially when you consider the fact that you always have to be close to a bathroom since you have no idea when the next train wreck might suddenly decide to pop up.
So why not get probiotics to finally end this nightmare? Well it’s never too late and better sooner than later! This probiotic utilizes a traditional campaign train that involves probiotics strains that have a soil based formula hence differencing it from the many chemically based probiotics.
It has 3 powerful strains that able to withstand the acidity in the stomach, pushing through to make it to their destination. It uniquely delivers the probiotics in a vegan vegetable softgel which is free from fillers and coatings. It uses preitcx prebiotics which are fast-working and tough.
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Hyperbiotics Pro-Bifido
Now this is a probiotic you don’t see every day! It has a target market of those who are 50 years and above. So as to help them not only eliminate any crucial diarrhea conditions but also boost their immune system , bone and joint health ,weight management and their general mental condition.
It contains 7 targeted probiotic strains that mainly include Bifidobacterium to help in balancing the gut microbiota and doing away with all your digestive issues. It uses the patented LiveBac manufacturing process to help in increasing the shelf life of the probiotics with no refrigeration.
Another fascinating feature is that it contains 3 billion colony forming units per BIO- tract pearl which is the equivalent of the standard 45 billion CFU of probiotic capsules. If have any allergies don’t you worry, as it does not have soy, sugar, nuts and includes an all-natural ingredient list.
Pros
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Florajen3 Digestion High Potency Refrigerated Probiotics
This is one probiotic that has earned its place in the market over the years. This is especially because of the establishment of the Florajen brand by specializing in terminating digestive issues in women and kids. It also supports the immune system and helps in the growth of gut health.
It contains a blend of different strains of probiotic such as; Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis and Bifidobacterium longum to ensure the provision of maximum health benefits to your gut by increasing the number of good bacteria to restore balance in the gut.
It is a worthy choice if you suffer from any allergies as it does not contain milk, eggs, fish shellfish, tree nuts peanuts or soy. This probiotic contains a high potency of 15 billion living and active cultures to help resolve your diarrhea issues and impart a cloud of healthiness in your life.
Pros
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Physician’s Choice Probiotics 60 Billion CFU
Diarrhea can be caused by a number of issues the most common one being an imbalance of bacteria in your gut which evidently is known to result from certain issues like your diet, medications like antibiotics, so it is always best to have a worthy probiotic close to you.
The Physician’s Choice Probiotics might just be the ‘one’. It has 60 billion colony forming units to help in banishing your diarrhea from the hell hole it came from! It also has 10 probiotic strains accompanied by a prebiotic blend that have been chosen based on their successive streaks.
It comes with a patented shelf stable bottle that helps to preserve the purity of the probiotic by preventing the loss of CFUs because of heat conditions. It is made with NON-GMO and allergen free ingredients that don’t contain soy, milk, wheat, nuts or shellfish to maintain your health.
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The Types of Diarrhea that Respond to Probiotics
The once in a while loose stool is usually not a cause for concern and shouldn’t make you reel from panic. However, when it suddenly starts to happen frequently maybe four times in a day then you should probably see it as a red flag.
Diarrhea itself is caused by a number of factors whether we are talking about bacteria or viral infections, medication like antibiotics or pregnancy due to an imbalance in hormones. Hence it is upon us to understand the full scope of types of diarrhea treatable by probiotics.
This will not only save you a lot of time when you finally want to buy a probiotic but it is bound to save you the cost of buying ineffective probiotics that lead to nothing but the loss of your hard earned money?
Are you tired of having a loose stool? It is an absolute bummer to the say the least, it dampens your mood and makes you uncomfortable at all times. But you can decide to take full charge of your life and I assure you things will get better!
Diarrhea can also be a hindrance to performing certain tasks and even maintaining consistent focus on your errands and chores. So let’s first take a look at some of the types of diarrhea that respond well to probiotics.
Infectious Diarrhea
It is caused by an infectious agent such as bacteria or parasites. It is mostly prevalent in children and research shows that diarrhea is the second highest cause of death in infants, which is quite dreadful if you ask me.
The developing countries are thought to be most susceptible to infectious diarrhea, which can evidently lead to death if not treated early enough. However, the use of probiotics to treat infectious diarrhea had good results, impressively reducing the duration and frequency of diarrhea.
1.
Antibiotics Related Diarrhea
As you already know, the health stability of the gut runs on the premise that there is a conclusive balance between the good and bad bacteria. As long as this balance is maintained, digestive issues don’t get to see the light of day.
However, despite the effectiveness of antibiotics in treating some conditions. It becomes a perilous element to the digestive system because it kills a substantial amount of the good bacteria in the gut, hence offsetting the balance.
Frequently the diarrhea caused by the intake of antibiotics is usually short termed, but can become serious if the number of good bacteria killed is high. It is mostly caused by the C.difficile bacteria.
The most common antibiotics that are known to cause the overgrowth of the C.difficile bacteria include; clindamycin, ampicillin and cephalosporin. The general symptoms of antibiotic related diarrhea can range from mild to severe.
The symptoms of an overgrowth of C.difficile can range from mild to chronic they include; watery diarrhea, abdominal pains that are crampy, abdominal tenderness, fever and sometimes blood in your diarrhea if the condition worsens.
The widespread study of probiotics has not been in vain however, as research shows that probiotic strains such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Saccharomyces boulardii are able to substantially reduce the risk of antibiotic related diarrhea.
2.
Traveler’s Diarrhea
Travelers are at risk of experiencing diarrhea, since god knows the amount of microorganism you pick up when travelling. Take for instance someone in a roadtrip in their RV, they are faced with a lot of problems like clean water, utensils and a general poor hygiene.
When I say poor hygiene I mean not washing hands after using the maybe stinky bathroom in the gas stop. Eating food from cringe worthy spots and storing food unsafely, plus not cleaning the utensils you use to eat properly either.
As you can see some of these factors are within your control and it behooves you to make sure you actually do. Other factors on the other hand are out of your grasp but can still be avoided like eating bad food on the street and so on.
If you happen to like traveling a lot or just find yourself travelling occasionally due to your job then you will be happy to know that the probiotic strain Saccharomyces boulardii has been used in several trials and found to have an admirable success rate at treating traveler’s diarrhea.
3.
Possible Side Effects of Probiotics
Have you heard people complaining about the side effects of probiotics? If no then it’s probably because probiotic side effects don’t taunt everyone. They only affect a small group of people, but the fact is despite the many benefits of probiotics, you might experience side effects like;
They may cause unpleasant digestive symptoms
Some yeast-based probiotics may present some digestive issues to some people. These issues include bloating or gas, but it is always important to make sure you buy the right probiotics. If the effects persist then you can reduce the dose or go for lower amounts of CFUs.
Amines probiotic foods may trigger headaches
Probiotic-rich foods is now a thing. The most popular food is yogurt, when you stroll through a grocery store you will definitely find the description of probiotics in the yogurt aisle on the products.
These foods however contain biogenic amines which form when the foods with high contents of protein undergo fermentation as you will notice with yogurt. So why are amines bad? They have a trigger effect on the nervous system, they may either slow or increase blood flow.
This subsequently causes headaches but this can easily be avoided. If you notice that you somehow experience headaches after eating probiotic-rich foods then you might want to switch up the way you drift and probably start on probiotic supplements.
Some ingredients may cause allergic reactions
I can’t stress how much important it is to make sure your read the label of probiotics before and this should be the same case for all products you are buying. Checking the label allows you to have a clear view of all the ingredients in the product.
Some of the common allergens are milk, wheat, soy, shellfish, peanuts, nut and diary. So your instincts should immediately kick in the minute you see the said ingredients in the description of a probiotic.
If you are lactose intolerant then it isn’t rocket science that you definitely should go for probiotic supplements with milk sugar or lactose. Those who are allergic to yeast might want to stay clear of yeast probiotics and go for bacteria-based probiotics.
There are many probiotics that contain prebiotic which is the fiber-food meant to facilitate the activities of the probiotic. Some people are allergic to supplements that have a blend of probiotic and prebiotic, so if you are one of them be sure to avoid probiotic supplements with prebiotics.
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