Health Benefits of Probiotics

 Probiotics are friendly bacteria that may help support healthy digestion and offer other benefits to your overall health.

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Probiotics are live microorganisms that can be consumed through fermented foods or supplements 1Trusted Source

More and more studies show that the balance or imbalance of bacteria in your digestive system is linked to overall health and disease.

Probiotics promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria and have been linked to a wide range of health benefits.

These include benefits for weight loss, digestive health, immune function and more (2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

This is an overview of the key health benefits linked to probiotics.

1. Probiotics Help Balance The Friendly Bacteria in Your Digestive System

Probiotics include “good” bacteria. These are live microorganisms that can provide health benefits when consumed (Trusted Source1Trusted Source).

These benefits are thought to result from the ability of probiotics to restore the natural balance of gut bacteria (4Trusted Source).

An imbalance means there are too many bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria. It can happen due to illness, medication such as antibiotics, poor diet and more.

Consequences can include digestive issues, allergies, mental health problems, obesity and more (5Trusted Source).

Probiotics are usually found in fermented foods or taken as supplements. What’s more, they appear to be safe for most people.

Probiotics Can Help Prevent and Treat Diarrhea

Probiotics are widely known for their ability to prevent diarrhea or reduce its severity.

Diarrhea is a common side effect of taking antibiotics. It occurs because antibiotics can negatively affect the balance of good and bad bacteria in the gut (6Trusted Source).

Several studies suggest probiotic use is associated with a reduced risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (7Trusted Source).

In one study, researchers found that taking probiotics reduced C. difficile infection (CDAD) by 60% (8Trusted Source).

Probiotics can also help with other forms of diarrhea not associated with antibiotics.

A large review of 35 studies found certain strains of probiotics can reduce the duration of diarrhea by an average of 25 hours (9Trusted Source).

Probiotics also reduced the risk of travelers’ diarrhea (10Trusted Source).

Effectiveness varies, depending on the type and dose of the probiotic taken (11Trusted Source).

Strains such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii are most commonly associated with a reduced risk of diarrhea (7Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).

3. Probiotic Supplements Improve Some Mental Health Conditions

An increasing number of studies link gut health to mood and mental health (12Trusted Source).

Both animal and human studies find that probiotic supplements can improve some mental health disorders (13Trusted Source).

A review of 13Trusted Source human studies found supplementing with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains for 1–2 months can improve anxiety, depression, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and memory (13Trusted Source).

One study followed 70 chemical workers for 6 weeks. Those who consumed 100 grams of probiotic yogurt per day or took a daily probiotic capsule experienced benefits for general health, depression, anxiety and stress (14Trusted Source).

Benefits were also seen in a study of 40 patients with depression.

Taking probiotic supplements for 8 weeks decreased depression levels and reduced levels of C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation) and hormones such as insulin, compared to people who did not take a probiotic (15Trusted Source).

4. Certain Probiotic Strains Can Help Keep Your Heart Healthy

Probiotics may help keep your heart healthy by lowering LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and blood pressure.

Certain lactic acid-producing bacteria may reduce cholesterol by breaking down bile in the gut (16Trusted Source).

Bile, a naturally occurring fluid mostly made of cholesterol, helps digestion.

By breaking down bile, probiotics can prevent it from being reabsorbed in the gut, where it can enter the blood as cholesterol (17Trusted Source).

5. Probiotics May Reduce the Severity of Certain Allergies and Eczema

Older research suggests certain probiotic strains may reduce the severity of eczema in children and infants (18Trusted Source).

However, compared with no probiotic, currently available probiotic strains probably make little or no difference in improving eczema (19Trusted Source).

The link between probiotics and reduced eczema severity is still weak, and more research needs to be done (20Trusted Source, 21Trusted Source).

6. Probiotics Can Help Reduce Symptoms of Certain Digestive Disorders

Over one million people in the US suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease (22Trusted Source).

Certain types of probiotics from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains have improved symptoms in people with mild ulcerative colitis (23Trusted Source).

However, probiotics appear to have little effect on symptoms of Crohn’s disease (24Trusted Source).

Nevertheless, probiotics may have benefits for other bowel disorders. Early research suggests they may help with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (25Trusted Source).

7. Probiotics May Help Boost Your Immune System

Older research suggests that taking probiotics reduced the likelihood and duration of respiratory infections. However, the quality of the evidence was low (26Trusted Source).

The probiotic Lactobacillus crispatus has also been shown to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women by 50% (27Trusted Source).

Ultimately, more research is needed to find out about the link between probiotics and immunity.

8. Probiotics May Help You Lose Weight and Belly Fat

Probiotics may help with weight loss through a number of different mechanisms (28Trusted Source).

For example, some probiotics prevent the absorption of dietary fat in the intestine.

The fat is then excreted through feces rather than stored in the body (29Trusted Source).

In a study, synbiotic supplementation increased the abundance of gut bacteria associated with positive health effects, especially Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. It also appeared to increase the gut microbiota richness and increased the abundance of potentially beneficial microbial species (30Trusted Source).

More studies are needed to clarify the link between probiotics and weight (31Trusted Source).