Gut health is important! If you’re currently planning on incorporating probiotics into your everyday eating habits, then it only makes sense that you should want to know what to expect from them! Not to mention, how long it will take before you’re able to begin noticing a difference.
If you’re yet to take probiotics or you’re not overly familiar with them there’s no denying that probiotics can seem a little bit strange or off-putting.
For starters, what even are they? What do they do? And, most importantly, how long do they take to kick in before you start to feel a noticeable change?
If you’re currently asking yourself these questions then rest assured that you have clicked on the right article.
Below, not only are we going to be talking you through how long it takes for probiotics to work, but we are also going to be talking you through what they are and what they do. Read on!
What Are Probiotics?
Kicking this guide off, we are first going to be taking a moment to talk you through what probiotics actually are, as this will help you to gain a better understanding of how they work.
In a nutshell, probiotics are officially considered to be made up of living microorganisms that, when consumed in food or as a supplement, offer a variety of different health benefits, particularly in the gut.
To help break that official definition down, even more, probiotics are essentially made up of “live” bacteria and other tiny little microorganisms that have the potential to boost your gut health after you have consumed an adequate amount of them.
In addition, to live bacteria and little microorganisms, it should also be noted that there are some probiotics out there that are also composed of little yeast particles, too.
Even though the thought of consuming live bacteria and microorganisms can seem like a counterproductive thing to do, it’s important to note that probiotics only ever contain bacteria and microorganisms that are deemed to be healthy, which means that taking them on a regular basis will help to positively impact your gut’s overall health.
Plus, as we have already touched upon above, even though probiotics can be found in several different foods (including most commonly, yogurt) probiotics can also be taken in tablet form as a supplement alongside regular meals each day. This brings us to our next point!
How Do Probiotics Work, Exactly?
So, now that you know what probiotics are, you might currently be wondering how they work especially given the fact that they are made up of a variety of different live bacteria and microorganisms.
Well, as you might already know, our body (especially our gut area) is already made up of healthy bacteria and other microorganisms, put simply, they help to make sure that our guts are functioning properly and as they should be each and every day.
In other words, our bodies need probiotics in order to function correctly, and that’s why so many people like to make sure that they are regularly eating food or taking supplements that contain all of these necessary bacteria.
To follow, alongside helping to ensure that the gut is working as it should be, probiotics are also responsible for helping to fight off harmful bacteria and keep it at bay as too much harmful bacteria in the gut can lead to a variety of digestive problems including bloating, constipation and even in some extreme cases IBS.
This combination of harmful and healthy bacteria makes something that is officially known as the “gut microbiome” and it is important to make sure that the microbiome contains more healthy bacteria than harmful and that’s exactly where probiotics come into play.
When taken alongside your regular meals each day, probiotics will be able to help ensure that your gut microbiome stays balanced to ensure that you can enjoy healthy digestion each and every day.
Probiotics will do this by infusing your gut microbiome with a variety of different healthy bacteria, and these healthy bacterias will weed out the harmful bacterias present in the microbiome, while also creating antimicrobial particles that will help to prevent new, harmful bacterias from forming in the gut.
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How Long Does It Take For Probiotics To Work?
So, now that we know what probiotics are and what they do, how long will they take before they start to work?
Generally speaking, the amount of time that it will take for probiotics to begin working will vary from person to person, and will also depend on the bacterial strain you are ingesting.
Nevertheless, with that being said, it’s important to keep in mind that probiotics are given a pretty hefty task and that can take some time.
To help explain that a little more, let’s quickly recap what it is that probiotics do as soon as they are placed in the body:
- Once ingested, probiotics will instantly get to work in helping to rebalance the gut microbiome by pushing out bad bacteria and creating antimicrobial compounds that will help to keep your gut microbiome optimally balanced.
- Alongside this, probiotics will also work to help lower any inflammation in your gut by working hard to reduce the number of LPS (otherwise known as lipopolysaccharides) as well as the rest of your body.
With all of this in mind, if you are planning to begin incorporating probiotics into your diet, expect to see results in anywhere between a few days and 3 months.
This is especially true given the fact that inflammation can take quite a while to be cleared out. Look for signs that probiotics are working like less bloating, regular bowel movements, and clearer skin.
Nevertheless, if you make sure that you are regularly taking probiotic supplements or incorporating more food into your diet that is full of them, then you can expect to see positive changes after a few weeks or months, with long-term effects guaranteed if taken regularly and consistently.
