There’s nothing worse than having to rush to the bathroom when you’re in the middle of something. You feel that sharp stomach pain, and the sudden urge for a bowel movement. You need to find the closest bathroom, now!
Sounds familiar? If you’ve been dealing with that for years, you may have Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS).1
If you have IBS, you’re not alone. As many as 10% of people worldwide suffer from the condition.2
With IBS, you may notice:
Luckily, you have options. Probiotics are a safe and effective way to manage your symptoms.4
Probiotics are live organisms that may help balance your gut.
Your gut is filled with tiny organisms. Some are good, and some are bad. Probiotics get rid of the bad germs, and help the good ones multiply. So probiotics can help your IBS symptoms by balancing your digestive system.5
Researchers found that probiotics may help improve bloating and gas from IBS.6
Another study found that probiotics may reduce your urgent need to use the restroom, bloating, and pain.7
If you’re taking probiotics regularly, you could see an improvement in just 28 days with some strains.8 Imagine taking your life back in just one month!
Probiotics can be a safe and effective way to treat your IBS.9
5 ways probiotics can help with IBS:
So don’t be surprised if your doctor recommends probiotics at your next appointment.
With thousands of probiotic species and strains out there… How will you know what to pick?
Thankfully, we’ve done the legwork for you.
First, we analyzed a systematic review of 2287full-text articles, including data from 84 randomized clinical trials of 30 popular probiotic species marketed for IBS published in the PubMed database.
Here are the main probiotic strains that have demonstrated effectiveness in alleviating IBS symptoms.
If you have IBS, you may feel like you need to use the bathroom-but nothing comes out. L. Gasseri may improve this super uncomfortable feeling in just 4 weeks.14
Other symptoms could improve even faster. Some people may notice an improvement in their stomach pain in just 1 week.15
It can also help with that embarrassing bloating that’s super common with IBS.16 Get ready to take back your life-and your jeans.
Not all probiotics are created equally. Some strains are backed with clinical-research that proves their use for certain conditions. If you want to use probiotics to help manage your IBS, make sure your supplements contain the right strains.
Read the label before you buy any probiotic supplement. Make sure it has at least one of the following strains:
If you’re taking the wrong strain, it won’t help with your IBS symptoms.
When you start taking a probiotic, you may notice some potential side effects at first. These usually go away as your body gets used to the supplement. Some people don’t even notice the adjustment.22
If you want to avoid any uncomfortable bloating or changes to your bowel movements, you should start by taking half of the recommended probiotic dose.23
This introduces the probiotic to your gut at a slower pace, so your body has more time to adjust. You can expect these side effects to go away in a week or two.24
The CFUs refer to the number of live cells in one serving of the supplement. This is important. If you’re taking a probiotic with a low number of CFUs, it may take longer to help your IBS.
The minimum recommended number of CFUs you should take every day is between 100 million and 1 billion.25 The number of CFUs will go down with time. So, you should keep this in mind when you’re using the supplement. 26
Some probiotics need to be refrigerated to keep the cells alive. For other supplements, refrigeration may not matter. If you forget to refrigerate a probiotic that needs it, the number of CFUs will go down. This makes the product ineffective.27
Every probiotic will state the storage requirements on its label. Even if a probiotic doesn’t need to be refrigerated, you should still keep it away from heat sources. So, don’t store your probiotic next to your oven or a bright window. Heat can still kill off the live cells. 28
We like Provitalize because it is the only probiotic with a thoughtful formulation that tackles IBS holistically.
It contains 2 probiotic species that have demonstrated positive results with IBS – namely B. Lactis subsp. Animalis and L. Gasseri.
It also has a relatively high CFU count of 68.2 billion.
IBS is also commonly associated with chronic inflammation within the body. This is why Provitalize was formulated with two herbs containing strong anti-inflammatory properties – curcumin (from turmeric) and moringa leaves.
Provitalize has also been formulated with absorption (or bioavailability) in mind. It contains BioPerine® (black pepper extract) and sunflower lecithin which are shown to enhance absorption of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial properties of herbal formulas.
Finally, the probiotics are encapsulated in DRcaps® capsules, a patented and costly type of delayed-release capsule that protects the ingredients from stomach acid and ensures their smooth passage into our gut where they are most effective.
According to their official website, over 2,000,000 women have experienced better gut and digestive health from with just two capsules a day. The tens of thousands of glowing reviews on TrustPilot, Amazon, and Okendo are undeniable proof that Provitalize is worthy of our top spot.
Want faster protection from IBS with Provitalize? Then the Slim Gut Bundle is for you.
This holistic bundle combines the anti-inflammatory power of Provitalize with ‘super fiber’ prebiotics in Previtalize.
The probiotics in Provitalize feed on these ‘super fibers’ to multiply faster and survive longer in the gut. This means women can see faster results such as less bloating and toilet runs.
These healthy fibers include fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), and inulin. Previtalize also aids digestion and stabilizes mood naturally.
Slim Gut also contains burdock root, an anti-inflammatory herb that can keep inflammation low.
We listed the Slim Gut Bundle 2nd only because it costs more than Provitalize alone. Other than that, we believe it’s the best-value-for-money bundle in the market right now.
We like this supplement because it has Lactobacillus rhamnosus, a strain proven effective at managing IBS symptoms. This strain can help you with bloating and gas.
However, this probiotic only has 1 strain in its formulation, while others have multiple strains working together to balance your gut. Usually, a more diverse selection of probiotics is necessary for optimal gut health.
This probiotic doesn’t need to be refrigerated, which makes it easier to store.
There isn’t a guaranteed potency like some of the other brands on our list, so it’s hard to know how many CFUs are in the capsule when you’re taking it.
These capsules aren’t delayed release, so some of the probiotic may be broken down by stomach acid before it reaches the intestines.
Also, some people are allergic to chicory root. If you are, you should stay away from this probiotic supplement.
The Align Probiotic is a solid pick, because they test their products regularly to make sure their product is the right strain of probiotic. They also guarantee the CFUs in each batch.
The Align Probiotic has less than 1 billion CFUs by its expiration date. This is important, because it loses its effectiveness over time. Most probiotics have 1 to 10 billion CFUs in each capsule. So this is pretty low.
Bifidobacterium 35624TM may help with IBS symptoms, but this particular strain has less supporting research than some of the other probiotics on our list. You may get better, more consistent results with strains that have more research. Some probiotics have more than 1 strain in their formulation, which may be more effective.
These probiotics are one of the more expensive options on our list. If you’re on a tight budget, these may not be the best choice for your household.
Because these aren’t timed release capsules, you risk losing some of the potency. Delayed-release capsules have a coating that can protect the probiotic from being broken down by your stomach acid.
The Jarrow Formulas is a great choice because it has Saccharomyces Boulardii. We like this supplement because it’s free of most of the major allergens. So, if you have allergies, this may be a good choice for you.
While this strain is effective at managing IBS, it’s also the only strain in this formulation. There may be more potent supplements that use multiple strains.
This probiotic has one of the lower CFU amounts on our list. This means it may take longer to kick in.
This is one of the most expensive probiotics on our list. So, if cost is an issue, you may want to go with a cheaper option.
If you’re outside the US, this product can’t be shipped to you.
Living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) can be challenging, but probiotics offer a safe and effective way to manage its symptoms.
Clinical studies have shown that certain strains, such as B. Lactis subsp. Animalis, L. Gasseri, L Rhamnosus, and Saccharomyces Boulardii, can significantly improve various IBS symptoms.
To get the best results, it’s crucial to choose probiotics with the right strains, pay attention to CFUs, and properly store them.
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