Adding probiotics to your diet through eating probiotic-rich foods may be enough probiotics needed to improve digestion slightly, but if you plan on using probiotics for a specific medical condition, talk to your primary care practitioner beforehand about finding the right probiotic supplement or if it is right for you.
Probiotic supplements come in capsules, powders, liquids, and other forms, and many contain a variety of strains and concentrations, making it difficult to study the effects of commercial products containing 'probiotics' (13).
Some research suggests probiotic supplementation may help manage digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, bloating, and constipation when used consistently for a minimum of 4-6 weeks (14,15).
But these studies acknowledge the limitations of their research because when you take the probiotic supplement, what type of probiotics, and your current diet and lifestyle can all impact the potential benefits of supplementation.
Another concern for probiotic supplementation is that the FDA doesn't monitor the manufacturing of probiotics, they only require the manufacturers to list the total weight of the microorganisms on the product. This can be misleading as the supplemental facts label can include a total mass that consists of both live and dead microorganisms.
Probiotics must be consumed alive to confer any of the potential health benefits, and they are not shelf-stable microorganisms, so finding a high-quality probiotic can be challenging.
At the end of the day, probiotic supplements can be helpful in supporting gut health but we still need further evidence to help us define how effective they are in individuals with specific medical conditions, and if and when they are safe.