To get a clear picture of what probiotics do and how to tell if they’re working, mbg spoke with functional medicine doctors and gut health experts. Here’s what they have to say about what happens when you start taking probiotics. By introducing good bacteria to the gut microbiome, probiotic supplements and foods can help support gut microbial balance and promote healthy digestion.* Since they are literally alive, functional medicine doctor Amy Shah, M.D., says probiotics will metabolize differently for different people. Depending on a person’s existing gut health, they may take longer to start working or lead to side effects initially. That said, “The longer you take a probiotic, the more diverse your microbiome will become, and the stronger your immune system and GI tract get,” integrative physician Bindiya Gandhi, M.D., says. The physical changes may vary from person to person, but if a probiotic is working properly, the gut health support should be noticeable and felt. According to Gandhi, an effective probiotic can help ease bloating and gas and promote abdominal comfort. “For some it may translate to less fatigue, less brain fog, more energy, and being able to eat foods they could not tolerate before,” she adds.* That said, it’s important to remember that a probiotic does not work in isolation and that proper diet, stress reduction, exercise, and other lifestyle measures are key to helping those good gut microbes grow and flourish. Eventually, these effects should dissipate. If they don’t, stop taking probiotics and consult a gastroenterologist or primary care physician for next steps. That’s because long-term GI issues may be indicative of underlying health conditions, like small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which would require more personalized medical attention. She also explains that pausing or stopping supplementation altogether can cause the microbiome to reset to its original state (e.g., suboptimal gut microbial balance), especially if old habits remain.
