Is a daily probiotic worth taking?
For most healthy people, a daily probiotic is probably not worth it. The evidence is thinner than the marketing. Specific strains help specific situations: certain ones shorten antibiotic-related diarrhea, and some ease IBS symptoms in some people.
A general capsule for general wellness has little proof behind it, and effects vanish when you stop.
Fermented foods, yogurt, kefir, and above all a fiber-rich varied diet feed your own bacteria more durably than any pill. If you try a probiotic for a defined problem, give it four weeks and judge honestly.
Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, probiotics what you need to know
See a doctor promptly if
- Blood in the stool, or black tarry stools
- A persistent change in bowel habit lasting more than three weeks, especially over the age of 45
- Unintentional weight loss, or a new lump or swelling in the abdomen
- Constipation with vomiting and no passage of wind. This needs urgent assessment
See what your week actually contains2 min, free, nothing to installA supplement only adds something where there is a gap. Two minutes of what you already eat shows whether there is one.
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
Unglamorous and well proven
Daily psyllium helps constipation, modestly lowers cholesterol, and steadies blood sugar after meals. Start small and drink water with it.
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