The short answer is that a lot of the probiotic contents are killed by stomach acid.
They normally recommend taking them on an empty stomach with water. Your stomach has a mechanism that releases water rather quickly, so that helps more of bacteria survive.
The short answer is that a lot of the probiotic contents are killed by stomach acid.
They normally recommend taking them on an empty stomach with water. Your stomach has a mechanism that releases water rather quickly, so that helps more of bacteria survive.
Dan
hmm. I guess it makes sense then for vitamineral green to have awesome probiotics in it. since it is an alkaline product, that might help more to pass through alive.
Your stomach acid is your immune system's first line of defense. However, when we get older (40+) our body does not produce as much. This is why so many people have digestive problems. People choose to use apple cider vinegar, digestive bitters, enzymes, etc while eating, when they discover they have problems.
Stomach acid's purpose is more than digestion. It will kill most all pathogens, both good and bad.
My preference is to always take probiotics WITH food, even if they are enteric coated. I feel that they benefit by hiding with the food. Water does help to dilute the acids though, so following the bottle's label is probably best. When in doubt, take with food.
Bye the way, this is one reason why it is not good to drink anything while eating, unless it is water containing and acid such as apple cider vinegar.
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- Jim
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein
I get confused with taking probiotics too because I typically have some type of antimocroblal agent at each meal whether it's oregano, garlic, onion, coconut oil, or cinnamon. What a waste to take a probiotic if they get killed off before hitting the colon.
"20 minutes before meals otherwise the stomach acid tends to destroy 10-25% of the probiotic."
I disagree. Stomach acid is lowest following a meal, not before it. Lactobacillus is one that is pretty resistant to the acids though. Yogurt is good for probiotics, because it is slightly alkaline.
Quote:
The pH of an empty stomach is about 1 or 2. The pH of a stomach after a meal is 4 or 5 because the gastric juices have been diluted by the food. The higher the pH, the more bacteria will survive the journey to the small intestine. The more that survive the better your ecology will be. Most of the bacteria that enter our bodies in and on our food, air, water are killed by the gastric juices and acids from our mouth, esophagus, and stomach. It�s one of our bodies defense mechanisms to protect us from pathogenic bacteria that exist everywhere. To be a probiotic, a bacteria must be resistant to gastric, bile, and pancreatic juices in order to survive the trip and arrive in the small intestine alive and able to do its job. Lactobacillus is one of them that is resistant to the acids.
If the count of your good bacteria is low such as 1 billion then yes, your stomach acid with destroy that very quickly and its almost like you didn't take anything at all.
But if your count is 8 billion or higher then it will destroy some but not enough to prevent you from gaining the benefits of the probiotic. Also if you get an acidophilus with a coating on it made for the stomach acid then you will get the most out of your probiotic.
They are tough little buggers and generally enough survive to maintain health. Its antibiotics that they can't stand up to very well.
enteric coated products are great if it is a concern for you. Also the higher the bacterial count in them the better they will survive overall. This is why I like VSL#3
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"I disagree. Stomach acid is lowest following a meal, not before it. Lactobacillus is one that is pretty resistant to the acids though."
jfh, can you explain? I always though stomach acid was secreted to digest the food. Why would it be lower following a meal? You may well be right, it just doesn't make sense to me.
Why is stomach acid lower following a meal? It is a matter of dilution. It is the same principle that makes people believe it is not good to have a drink with meals. I mean like tea or water. It dilutes the enzymes required for digestion. I think the only drink worthy of a meal is red wine or water with apple cider vinegar. Just a preference.
Yes. Stomach acid grows stronger when we eat and some is always retained in the stomach otherwise. But it is diluted when we drink and/or eat. Stomach acid production declines when we get older - about 40 and on. So you will find many probiotic bottle labels say with meal, or if coated, at any time.
Bacteria like sugar. Both good and bad bacteria. Yogurt is good, because it comes with its own sugar, lactose. You can only make water kefir, if you add a lot of sugar. Milk kefir already has a source of sugar. So recognize this when you take probiotics. Milk, if you can handle it, or carbs.
Why Aren't Probiotics Killed in Your Stomach (acid)
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