PRObiotics

Confused on when probiotics should be taken? You are not alone. There are hundreds of probiotic brands out there, and understanding which probiotics are best for your needs is more and more difficult, let alone when to take them.

The fact that they contain high numbers of 'healthy' bacteria is promoted by several brands, while others advocate the use of unique strains. However, this isn't the full picture. What most people don't know is that if the bacteria itself can't colonize your intestine, those billions of bacteria and special strains aren't good for you!

Probiotic supplements are going through a difficult ride. The vulnerable bacteria transfer into the very acidic world of your stomach after they are swallowed. They are also faced with destructive digestive enzymes, including pepsin, the protein-breaking enzyme.

Then the remaining probiotic bacteria that survive will continue down to the more alkaline small intestine. This is, however, where they undergo amylase, lipase, and protease, then bile.

Unsurprisingly, some studies indicate that survival rates can be as poor as 20 percent for some probiotic strains. This is why knowing when to take probiotics for the best health benefits is so essential.

When to Consume Probiotics

Research indicates that when they are taken with food, the survivability of probiotics is greatly improved. The best way to help them survive their trip through the gut is to take them just before or after a meal.

This is all linked to your stomach's pH balance. The acidity of the stomach is determined by pH. The lower the pH, the greater the acidity. The higher the pH, the more alkalinity is involved.

An empty stomach is highly acidic, as described above. The pH is very thin, approximately 2 to 3. For most bacteria to live, this is too harsh a climate. However, the pH of the contents of your stomach briefly increases to a more alkaline value of about 7 after a meal. The decreased acidity ensures that there is less risk of killing the probiotics.

A research published in the journal Beneficial Microbes has shown that it can make all the difference to their survival to take probiotics with food. The beneficial bacteria were able to survive in much greater numbers when study participants took their probiotics within 30 minutes of a meal or during a meal than when they were taken 30 minutes after a meal.

The small intestine is where they break down and absorb nutrients. Food and bacteria pass through this region reasonably rapidly after leaving the stomach, and so there are no large colonies of flora (bacteria) in the small intestine. Where most bacterial colonies exist is the large intestine.

Taking probiotics with food will help ensure the full benefits of the bacteria are reaped by you. This isn't always easy, however!

Time-Release Probiotics Vs Regular Vegetable Capsules

Although veggie capsules may be ideal for supplements that, like magnesium, are not impaired by gastric acids, they are not the right probiotic delivery method. Hypromellose, a polymer formulated from plant cellulose, is made of vegetable capsules. This may sound like a healthier or more ethical choice, but protecting probiotic bacteria from those stomach acids isn't particularly good.

A regular vegetable capsule will easily break down the acidity of your stomach, which will allow the probiotic material to be released. Before they have a chance to provide your gut with some health gain, those bacteria will be easily killed. In fact, only a very small percentage of the contents of most daily vegetable capsules go beyond your stomach.

Probiotic powders, which have little protection at all, are much worse. Simply put, if your probiotics are not administered in a way that protects them from stomach acid, they can ruin those living organisms before they even enter your intestines. And it can really be a waste of money!

This will make it appear like diet is the only way to take probiotics. Our busy life, though, means that we don't always eat regularly, and when we eat, we don't always have our probiotics with us.

Luckily, there's another option: probiotics for time-release.

What Are Time-Release Probiotics?

We've learned that they must first survive the journey through the acidic environment of your gastrointestinal tract for probiotics to be effective. This implies that before they can offer their many health benefits, they need to enter the large intestine.

In order to protect them from stomach acid, time-release probiotics are made using special technology. The best example of this is BIO-tract technology.

BIO-tract technology makes it possible to freeze-dry probiotic bacteria and then compress them into tablets. They develop a protective gel coating as soon as these tablets come into contact with moisture, which keeps them safe. That allows them to move with only a limited loss of potency through your stomach acid.

These time-release tablets are intended to release their probiotic bacteria over 8 to 10 hours after the stomach acid has expired. In practice, that implies that most of their bacteria are delivered to the large intestine safely, just where they are required.

Top 3 Digestive Health Supplements

Here are the top 3 supplements to use in your routine if you're looking to improve your digestive health:

1. Time-Released Probiotic

BIO-tract probiotics are developed with time-release technology that has been shown to increase the probiotic bacteria's survival rate to an incredible 60% (compared to only 4 percent for capsules). The probiotic bacteria are freeze-dried and compressed into a tablet that moves the stomach acid safely past them.

It is moistened by gastric fluids when you swallow a tablet in BIO-tract. This allows the tablet to form a gel matrix, providing a shield that protects the probiotic material from harsh acid in the stomach. The tablet will then move safely through to your intestines where the probiotic bacteria are released over 8 to 10 hours at a steady rate.

Look for a probiotic BIO-tract that includes a minimum of 5 probiotic strains and a minimum of 10 billion bacterial CFUs. The Balance ONE Probiotic offers a good example. It uses BIO-tract, has 12 strains of probiotics, and contains 15 billion bacterial CFUs.

It is possible to take BIO-tract tablets with or without food, which makes them a far more convenient choice for busy people!

2. Digestive Enzymes

To break down food, the body naturally produces its own digestive enzymes. These are, however, often inadequate. Sometimes the body does not produce enough of these enzymes to digest the food, and sometimes too much liquid in the diet is diluted.

Taking a supplement of digestive enzymes such as Garden of Life Organic Digest may really help to improve your digestive function. This formula includes 29 powdered certified organic fruits and vegetables combined with a select blend of powerful digestive enzymes, a blend of enzymes naturally generated by your body, such as lipase (to break down fats) amylase (to break down carbohydrates) and proteases and peptideseses (to break down proteins).

During or after a meal, it is best to take your digestive enzyme supplement.

3. L-glutamine

Glutamine is an amino acid that plays a significant role in preserving the integrity of the lining of the gut. In reality, it's the most abundant amino acid in your bloodstream. Your body requires cells, particularly the cells of your gut mucosa, to repair them.

Glutamine is like a 'glue' that binds together the gut's lining. It helps to preserve healthy and powerful intestinal cells so that they can keep toxins out of your bloodstream.

A 100 percent pure glutamine powder made of hypoallergenic, vegan ingredients is Pure Encapsulations l-glutamine. It is an important small intestine fuel that helps to protect your intestinal barrier from bacteria and repair damaged tissues.

Final Thoughts

Will you get the most from your probiotic medication? Several factors go into making sure that your probiotic is safe. Paying attention to each will pay dividends for the health of your stomach, and it will also stop you from wasting your money.

Check to see if there are enough CFUs (at least 5 billion) and strains (at least 5) in our probiotics to make a real difference. Will it actually get those bacteria past your stomach acid and safely to your gut? Take a look at the delivery system too? Far better options than standard vegetable capsules are time-release tablets or delayed-release capsules.

Make sure you take your probiotic with food or just before your meal when you have purchased your probiotic. Research indicates that this will improve the intestinal health benefits. In exchange, this can translate into greater immunity and higher levels of energy.

Probiotics are absolutely fantastic supplements that have myriad health benefits. Everything you need to do is follow these easy rules to make sure you get the most out of your probiotics.