Featuring Andy De Santis, RD, MPH, Registered Dietician

Duration: 1 minute, 17 seconds

Probiotics is a term that is broadly used to refer to beneficial bacteria that exist naturally in the human digestive tract as well as the food and supplements that contain them.

Certain types of fermented foods contain varying amounts of these healthy bacteria including products like yogurt, kombucha, kimchi and kefir.

Studies have demonstrated that the incorporation of these foods can improve the state of the human microbiome and reduce inflammatory markers in the body, but consuming fermented foods is not the same thing as consuming a probiotic supplement.

Probiotic supplements have specified amounts of specified bacterial species and are often taken for the explicit goal of improving a desired health outcome.

Certain probiotics are very effective for resolving diarrhea associated with taking antibiotics, while others might be effective for IBS or improving conditions like fatty liver disease.

Taking a probiotic supplement when you are otherwise healthy with no specific concerns is not necessarily likely to meaningfully improve your gut microbiome more than a strong, diverse dietary pattern.

Presenter: Andy De Santis, Registered Dietitian, Toronto, ON

Local Practitioners: Registered Dietitian