Should I take probiotics with food?
Probiotics should always be taken with food
If live bacteria supplements are not taken alongside food, 90-95% of the bacteria will die in the stomach acid.
This is because, when the stomach is empty, it is typically very acidic (1.8-2.6 pH) and this will kill the friendly probiotic bacteria.
Surviving the stomach acid
Enteric coating
At ProVen Probiotics, we have the ability to enteric coat, but we choose not to as the enteric coating then has to dissolve in the small intestine, the capsule has to be broken down and the bacteria inside the capsule must be released and activated to start colonising the small intestine in preparation for the many functions they perform here.
As the small intestine doesn’t have the pummelling action or the acidity of the stomach and the transit time through the small intestine is only 2-4 hours, it is unlikely that the enteric coating will be broken down in time for the probiotics to have an effect in the small intestine.
They will then pass into the large intestine, but the numbers of bacteria required to have an effect here is much larger – between 100 and 2,000 billion per supplement – as there are massive amounts of bacteria present.
Always alongside food
When taken alongside food, the probiotic bacteria travel with the food through the stomach acid to the small intestine – hence the recommendation that our products are always taken with food.
The gut microbiome
Each of us has around 100,000 billion live bacteria living in our intestines.
Probiotics & Antibiotics
Research has shown that taking friendly bacteria (probiotics) alongside antibiotics can help to maintain a healthy balance of the bacteria in the gut.
Should I take probiotics with food?
If live bacteria supplements are not taken alongside food, 90-95% of the bacteria will die in the stomach acid.