If you regularly experience gas and bloating, you are not alone – 15-30% of otherwise healthy people in the U.S. report periodic gut discomfort, characterized by feeling overfull, with pressure, gas, and sometimes a swollen abdomen. These symptoms can be uncomfortable and embarrassing and usually respond to lifestyle changes. Sometimes, they indicate an underlying condition that needs attention. Can probiotics help with periodic gas and bloating?
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are living organisms that inhabit our bodies, including our gut, skin, mouth, and urinary tract. Recent studies indicate that they are friendly bacteria, viruses, and fungi that support health throughout the body.
Our culture is accustomed to the idea that bacteria are dangerous and must be eliminated, so the notion that bacteria can be helpful sounds foreign. However, study after study has found indications that probiotics support the body’s overall health and various body systems.
Understanding Gas and Bloating
Our bodies naturally produce gas during digestion because gut bacteria digest carbohydrates through fermentation, creating carbon dioxide. If you have excess gas and bloating, sometimes it means the carbs you ate were absorbed late in the digestive process.
Something may be awry in your digestive process. Maybe you overate, ate too fast, or have difficulty digesting certain carbohydrates such as fructose, lactose, gluten, or beans. In these cases, dietary changes and introducing probiotic foods and supplements may reduce gas and bloating.
Diet and hormones can cause periodic gas and bloating that go away on their own. If gas and bloating persist and do not respond to lifestyle changes, or if you have other symptoms, it could indicate a serious condition, and it is best to see your doctor.
Probiotics and Gut Health
Probiotics produce positive effects in the body, generating vitamins and nutrients, balancing helpful and pathogenic microorganisms, and supporting health. Collectively, these organisms comprise our body’s microbiome.
Your microbiome can become unbalanced due to poor nutrition, antibiotics and other medicines, stress, or environmental toxins. This dysbiosis can trigger conditions that affect your digestive tract, immune system, nervous system, endocrine system, and more.
Diet improvements and the introduction of probiotics from fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, or supplements may begin to restore balance in your microbiome. Microbiome support with probiotics may help relieve bloating, but individual responses may vary.
Do Probiotics Help with Gas and Bloating?
Several conditions can cause gas and bloating in the body. In the case of gut dysbiosis, probiotics may help with gas and bloating. Scientists say that the research is positive, but different studies have used diverse bacterial strains, so they cannot make a firm conclusion. They also recommend more research to determine which bacteria and strains are best suited for treating specific conditions.
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are the two most common probiotics for occasional gas and bloating. This is convenient because they are the bacteria most frequently found in probiotic foods and supplements.
When you introduce probiotics into your system, the friendly bacteria enter your digestive tract and multiply. As they colonize, they replace the unfriendly bacteria in your gut. Over time, the good bacteria edge out the harmful bacteria, producing the nutrients your body needs and bringing the gut back into balance.
Are probiotics good for bloating? If you try probiotics for gas and bloating, remember they take time to work your body. Give it a couple of weeks and reevaluate. Every person and every microbiome are different, so individual results may vary. If you take probiotics for two weeks and your gas and bloating aren’t better, consult your health practitioner.
Can Probiotics Cause Gas and Bloating?
When you first introduce probiotic foods or supplements into your diet, the friendly bacteria begin to reproduce, and you may experience an increase in the symptoms you’re trying to eliminate.
Some probiotic strains even produce gas as a byproduct. This gut balance disruption is typically positive and helpful in the long run. As the new balance establishes itself over two weeks or so, you should see reductions in bloating. If you do not, it is best to discontinue the probiotic and visit your doctor. Probiotics could worsen your symptoms if you have a serious underlying condition.
Many probiotics are on the market today, so choose a quality product like Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotic Supplements. Inferior probiotics can contain chemicals, pesticides, unwanted bacterial strains, allergens, and other undesirable substances.
Choosing the Right Probiotic
When you select a probiotic supplement, remember that all probiotic supplements are not created equal. Make sure the product you choose contains a diverse collection of microorganisms and guarantees purity. Dr. Ohhira has created a line of quality probiotics using the most current scientific research combined with ancient Japanese wisdom to help recreate a healthy gut microbiome. Here are a few highlights about these supplements:
- Include 12 probiotic strains
- Non-GMO
- Vegetarian
- No dairy or gluten
- Free of soil-based organisms
- All-natural, wild-harvested, seasonal ingredients
- Live cultures
- Survives stomach acids
Incorporating Probiotics into Your Routine
There are many ways to go about introducing probiotics into your routine. You can begin to add probiotic foods to your diet. Drink cultured buttermilk with lunch, have a side of sauerkraut with dinner, try kimchi, tofu, miso, or fermented pickled vegetables like onions, beets, or cucumbers.
Probiotic supplements are convenient for including more probiotics in your diet, especially if you don’t care for the taste of fermented foods. Consistency is the key. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to dosage and when to take it. It is critical to choose a high-quality supplement, or you could introduce unnecessary elements like gluten or dairy.
Diet and lifestyle factors can also help with gas and bloating. Reduce stress, focus on whole, natural foods, reduce ultra-refined foods, take note of foods that trigger your symptoms and eliminate them. Talking with a healthcare professional for individualized recommendations is always a good idea.
FAQs on Taking Probiotics for Bloating
When is the best time to take probiotics for bloating?
The experts say the best time to take a probiotic is when you’ll remember to take it; however, they suggest that taking them 30 minutes before a meal, especially breakfast, has a more pronounced effect because the stomach is less acidic.
Do probiotics make you bloated at first?
Can probiotics cause bloating? Do probiotics make you gassy? Most people experience no symptoms when they take a probiotic, but one of the more common complaints is temporary gas and bloating. The symptoms typically last about two weeks; afterward, probiotics lead to less bloating. If symptoms continue beyond that time, see your doctor for recommendations.
Do probiotics help with bloating?
Bloating can have different causes. When the cause is dysbiosis of the intestines, probiotics can help balance the gut bacteria and help relieve gas and bloating.
The Bottom Line on Probiotics for Bloating
Many different factors can cause gas and bloating, one of which is gut dysbiosis. In this case, probiotics can often help reduce symptoms and restore balance to the microbiome over time. In cases where they don’t, there may be other underlying conditions, and it’s best to see your doctor.
If you decide on probiotics for gut health and bloating, research and choose a quality product. While probiotics do their work, you can make dietary changes to support your gut balance and overall health. Focus on whole, natural foods, reduce refined foods, eliminate alcohol and tobacco products, and manage stress.
Dr. Ohhira’s superior probiotic supplements support digestive comfort, nutrient absorption, and a healthy immune system. Visit our website to learn more about our probiotic supplements and purchase online. If you have questions, please contact us online or call 972-255-3918.
