Probiotics and Allergies 101 (2023)

Probiotics are becoming an increasingly important part of health. Learn how allergies and autoimmune diseases can be affected by probiotics.

Probiotics are becoming an increasingly common part of the daily supplement routine to keep the immune system strong and the gut microbiota balanced. For people with food allergies, there are new studies showing how routine probiotic supplementation can have a significant positive effect on overall health.

if you haveallergiesYou should be aware that some prebiotics do more harm than good. especially when it's youallergic to milk, dairy products, casein or yeast, you need to be careful to make the best choice for you.

This article outlines what probiotics are, how they work for allergies and autoimmune conditions, the 4 main types, and the benefits of regular use.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are natural supplements that people take to support their gut bacteria. There are few good bacteria living everywhere and in your body that, when balanced, provide health benefits to the people who ingest them. Fermented foods naturally contain probiotics. For hundreds of years, people have been eating these foods, which are rich in natural probiotics.

Probiotic supplements are a mix of those good bacteria, yeasts, and organisms found naturally in our gut. We usually think of bacteria as bad, but they are good! All healthy people need these beneficial bacteria in their bodies for optimal health.

Probiotics have been the subject of clinical research for years and we know that they are very safe to use. They promote health and improve various systems throughout the body.

What is the gut microbiome?

Before we go too far, let's define the gut microbiome.

When we talk about the gut microbiome, we mean the trillions of good microorganisms and bacteria that live in the GI tract. However, that's not the only place they live! You can also find microbiomes in the mouth, vagina, urinary tract, skin, and lungs.

The intestine contains between 400 and 600 different strains and species of bacteria. The goal of taking a probiotic is to add more good bacteria to your gut, so the bad bacteria don't outnumber the good ones. These good bacteria improve the overall health of your gut and you in general.

What are the UFC?

CFUs are colony-forming units. This is a measure of how many units of probiotics are in each pill. These are usually measured by the gram or by the milliliter.

The average CFU count in probiotics typically ranges from 1 to 10 billion CFU per serving.

Some companies will have you believe that the higher the CFU count, the more effective (and expensive) the probiotic pill is. However, this is not always the case.

If you take a probiotic that is too high in a particular strain, it can have negative effects on your gut. This can present as gastrointestinal upset, nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. This is because the good bacteria outnumber the 400 to 600 naturally occurring strains that live in the gut. We need balance to give our best.

Advantages

Every person on earth has a unique gut microbiome shaped by our diet, environment, and lifestyle. We have a symbiotic relationship with probiotics. We need them to be the best of ourselves. They help us digest food, absorb nutrients optimally and strengthen our immune system.

The balance between good and bad gut flora can be thrown off by things like travel, stress, antibiotic use, diet, and many other things.

Then the "bad" bacteria take over and cause the symptoms you may be familiar with: nausea, upset stomach, unstable gut, etc.

For this reason, some people choose to take probiotics. They support overall gut health, restore balance to an unbalanced gut, and improve your overall health!

Probiotics have been studied in humans and animals to determine if there is any benefit from taking them in relation to autoimmune diseases. The general consensus is YES!

Hayproven studieshave shown that probiotics help with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, and hepatic encephalopathy. Besides,they discoveredthat pregnant and lactating people taking probiotics may reduce the risk of eczema in their children.

Although studies have shown that no conclusions can be drawn about allergy prevention in general, they are beginning to correlate leaky gut with allergies.

The 4 main types

Of the hundreds of different strains of bacteria, fungi, and yeast that naturally occur in the gut, there are 4 main probiotic strains that are the most common.

bifid bacteriaUEIt is the first bacteria to enter your body when you are a baby. Their main job is to help humans digest food.

lactobacilliIt is a very common probiotic found in the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and female reproductive tract. Promotes the growth of good bacteria. However, if you have onemilk allergyYou do need to be careful when taking this type of probiotic, more on that below.

Individual organisms likeCoagulating bacillus, Clotting bacillus, miBacillus subtilisThey are super resistant organisms that help you absorb nutrients optimally.

Yeast,Saccahromyces boulardiimicandid albicans, helps in the digestion of food and also prevents the growth ofHelicobacter pyloriBacteria that cause ulcers. If you have a yeast allergy, you should avoid these types of probiotics, more on that below.

How do probiotics work?

Probiotics essentially work by killing off all the bad bacteria in your gut and allowing only the good bacteria to grow and live in your gut. The good bacteria make it undesirable for the bad bacteria to survive.

Probiotics also produce certain acids that prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.

When your gut is in balance, you will notice many benefits, especially better digestion. This is because the bad bacteria produce acids that negatively affect our health, unlike probiotics that produce many useful things. There is4 main waysHow do probiotics help us:

1. Probiotics produce useful short-chain fatty acids
2. They metabolize tryptophan, help you feel calmer, and stimulate the lifeguards in your GI tract to help you fight bacteria before they can spread through your body and make you sick.
3. It reduces inflammation and keeps the intestine healthy so that it can self-modulate the immune response and cell proliferation.
4. Intestinal histamine-2 receptor activation. This is very beneficial for those of us with allergies as it is a natural antihistamine!

Probiotics trigger an immune response in the body, which is the first reaction cells in the gut to keep you healthy by killing bad bacteria before you get sick.

The role of probiotics is to balance the intestinal flora and then maintain that balance.

In summary:Taking probiotics helps you digest food, prevents bad bacteria from overwhelming your gut and making you sick, creates vitamins for your body to digest, breaks down and absorbs medicines and nutrients, and supports the other good bacteria in your gut (and in other places) . so bad bacteria don't have a chance to establish themselves.

When should probiotics be taken?

Since you want the probiotics to survive passage through stomach acid, you should take them in the morning with breakfast. Stomach acid is lowest in the morning and you just ate. This should help the probiotics get through the stomach and into the intestines where they can start working!

probiotics and allergies

For people with allergies and autoimmune diseases, taking probiotics can be very beneficial. Clinical studies have found that a person with an allergy often has excessive intestinal permeability, also known as a leaky gut.

This is when there are large spaces in the intestine that allow large particles to pass through. When digestion and intestinal flora are shut down, the body has stronger inflammatory responses that stimulate immune cells to act and create a perfect environment for more autoimmune diseases.

Taking probiotics helps combat the buildup of leaky gut.

This, of course, is in addition to the benefits of taking probiotics already mentioned. The fourth reason is particularly important.

Taking a probiotic helps your body naturally produce H2, a type of histamine blocker, which prevents your IgE from getting as high and your mast cells from making less histamine.

This leads to a reduction in allergy symptoms.

This is especially true for people with environmental allergies.

Taking Probiotics for Milk Allergies

As mentioned above, if you have a milk allergy, you should be careful when taking probiotics with Lactobacillus probiotics.

There are a few names and types of this probiotic. His name is:

• lactobacilli
• Lactobacillus casei
• Lactobacillus breve
• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• There's another guy you should knowStreptococcus thermophilus

These are milk-based, gram-positive anaerobic bacteria found in your gastrointestinal system. They are often found in milk-based products.

You need these bacteria to digest dairy products like milk, yogurt, cheese, kefir, etc. They are very beneficial for the body.

However.These bacteria are grown in a milk medium.. So if you're super allergic to dairy or very sensitive to milk, you might want to do this.Avoid any probioticsthat has somethinglactobaciloin them.

These bacteria themselves are not found in dairy products, which is why many are labeled dairy-free. In my experience, people with severe dairy allergies can still react to growing up in this dairy environment.

This is my favorite probiotic for anyone with a milk/dairy allergy.since it does not contain milk.

Taking Probiotics for Yeast Allergies

As mentioned above, if you have a yeast allergy, you should be careful when taking a probiotic along with a yeast probiotic.

There are a few types of yeast to be aware of and they are called:

• Saccahromyces boulardii
• Candida albicans

Normally, this type of yeast is found in our body in small amounts and helps in the digestion of all foods. They are also good for preventing gastrointestinal problems caused by an overgrowth of the Helicobacter pylori bacteria.

However. This is a yeast probiotic and if you are allergic to yeast I would suggest avoiding it in your probiotics. The probiotics themselves are a type of yeast, so they have the potential to trigger an allergic reaction if you ingest them.

This is my favorite probiotic for people with yeast allergies.since it does not contain yeast.

Frequently Asked Questions About Probiotics

If I am allergic to dairy/wheat/gluten, can I take a probiotic and eat dairy/wheat and be fine?

NO. Allergic reaction is an IgE reaction in the body and no matter what probiotic or enzyme you are taking, the food will always cause an allergic reaction.

If I'm lactose intolerant, can I take a probiotic and be fine?

Taking the lactase enzyme separately from a probiotic can help digest the milk you consume.

Lactase enzymes are packed with enzymes that help you digest dairy products if you are lactose intolerant.

A probiotic gives you extra bacteria to help you digest, but it doesn't work quickly. A real lactose pill works faster.

Do I need to refrigerate the probiotics?

This depends on your type of probiotic. most require refrigeration. Soil-based probiotics generally do not require refrigeration. However, always follow the directions for your unique probiotic.

Will taking probiotics affect my medication?

Probably not. There is no prescription for probiotic dosages and there is no daily requirement. Most drugs do not have a negative effect on probiotics. In fact, if you are taking antibiotics, some doctors recommend that you take probiotics to help your gut regenerate! As always, if you have any questions, please consult your doctor.

Probiotic Recommendations

With that in mind, these are the things I look for when choosing a probiotic that is free of all forms of dairy and yeast.

Be sure to look for companies that specifically talk about each and every line. What exactly is in each probiotic pill? By knowing exactly what is in there, you can choose one that is safe.

Remember, more is not always better. More strains and more CFU are not always better. It depends on how sensitive you are. Start with a smaller dose and see how it goes.

my best choice

The best anti-allergy probiotic -Amy Myers MD - Primal Earth Adult Probiotic

Non-GMO, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Corn Free, Yeast Free, Artificial Sweeteners Free, Keto & Paleo

This probiotic is a great option for allergies. They are soil based probiotics that are not dairy or wheat based and are safe for most people with allergies.

It can also help with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and will not make SIBO worse.

Learn more about Amy Myers MD Probiotics.

Best Non-Dairy Probiotic -Ancient diet based on the last soil organism.

Dairy Free, Tree Nut Free, Soy Free, Grain Free

This is a great option for those who are highly sensitive and highly allergic to dairy, as it does not contain Lactobacillus strains.

A combination of various soil organisms, including yeast, this blend supports healthy intestinal function. The good thing about this one is that it is a mix of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. This makes them more powerful and balanced for the intestine.

These probiotics are not technically labeled free of allergenic ingredients because they are manufactured in facilities that may contain these allergens.

Learn more about Ancient Nutrition probiotics.

The best probiotic in the grocery store -Cultural

Wheat free, egg free, tree nut free, peanut free

This probiotic has been clinically studied for over 30 years. I love that it's one tablet a day, comes in a blister pack (no refrigeration required), and is vegetarian.

This probiotic contains lactobacilli, so be careful if you are extremely sensitive to dairy. However, if you don't have a problem with milk, this is a great option.

Learn but culturally sober.

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