In the event you haven’t seen, we’re dwelling within the “heal your intestine” period. Throughout the previous few years, there’s been a wild inflow of influencers, documentaries, cookbooks, and information articles breaking down how one can eat this or take that to “repair” your intestine, and subsequently, a variety of well being issues. As somebody who offers with horrible abdomen points, I’ve lurked in Reddit “microbiome” threads for ideas and clicked on catchy adverts for probiotic dietary supplements that declare to do away with uncomfortable bloating or treatment continual indigestion. And I’ll admit it: They intrigue me. I might love nothing greater than to throw cash at a tablet or powder that makes it simpler (and fewer painful) for me to digest meals. However sadly, my gastroenterologist has informed me a number of instances (as a result of I’ve requested a number of instances) that probiotic dietary supplements doubtless received’t repair my tousled tummy.

Linda Lee, MD, the chief of the division of gastroenterology at Northwell Well being’s North Shore College Hospital in Manhasset, New York, tells SELF that, over time, a number of her sufferers have requested about probiotics too. A lot analysis is being revealed on the significance of the intestine microbiome—the trillions of microorganisms, like micro organism, viruses, and fungi, that naturally reside in your GI tract—and the way it each contributes to and protects in opposition to the event of continual illnesses like diabetes and most cancers, problems like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and psychological well being circumstances like melancholy and nervousness. As scientists have discovered extra, there’s been a speedy push to determine how these microbes will be strategically used to enhance our well-being.

So naturally, “intestine well being” and “microbiome” swiftly turned buzzwords in wellness areas on and offline. “Firms have tapped into that curiosity—and possibly even worry—and satisfied people who they should take a probiotic complement to appropriate what’s ‘mistaken’ in there,” Dr. Lee says. There are gummies and powders and capsules that may, allegedly, do all of it—and we gobble them up (spending billions on probiotic merchandise yearly within the course of). However right here’s the catch: Scientists don’t have a stable grasp on whether or not probiotic dietary supplements have legit advantages and even how they may work—not less than not but. As Aparna Church, PhD, the codirector of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Middle with UCLA Well being, tells SELF: “It’s a sizzling mess.”

In the event you, like me, end up enchanted by the potential advantages of probiotic dietary supplements, maintain studying. We take a deep dive into what we do (and don’t) learn about these encapsulated little critters—and when, if ever, it’s a good suggestion to take them.

What even are probiotics?

Probiotics are micro organism and yeasts that, merely put, are presumed to have some type of well being profit. These good bugs are naturally present in fermented meals, like yogurt, kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi, amongst others. And after they make their method into your GI tract, they will alter your microbiome and help issues like digestion, mind well being, and immune perform. Completely different bugs are being studied for various results: Bifidobacterium are thought to inhibit the expansion of dangerous pathogens and doubtlessly struggle most cancers cells, for instance, whereas Lactobacillus may cut back intestine irritation (a standard precursor to continual illnesses) and ease digestive woes like diarrhea.