One of the most common questions about probiotics is: when is the best time to take probiotics?
The best time for taking probiotic supplements is when your stomach is empty. This could be before breakfast or right before bedtime.
Best Time To Take Probiotics: A General Rule
The workstation of probiotics is the small and large intestines. However, they must pass through the stomach’s acidic environment before they can get there. The acid in the stomach is generally good as it kills the bad bacteria or viruses that could otherwise harm the body. However, the same acid is bad for probiotics.
Prolonged exposure to the stomach’s acidic environment harms the probiotics before they even reach their workplace. Therefore, first, you want to select strains that can withstand acidity. Second, take your probiotics when the stomach is empty so that the probiotics can move past the stomach fast and reach the intestines in less time.
Stomach acid is generally secreted 30 minutes into a meal. Generally, the best time to take probiotics is 30-60 minutes before breakfast or bedtime. Mind you, if you have a habit of eating dinner close to bedtime, you’ll have to be sure there is a 2-3 hour gap between your last meal and the probiotic supplements. This time gap helps ensure that the probiotics would reach the intestines fast.
Why Take Probiotics?
The key health benefits of probiotics include:
- Supports immune system readiness and balance
- May support weight loss with diet and exercise, especially belly fat
- Promotes healthy gut flora
- It may support heart health by promoting healthy cholesterol levels
- Produces beneficial postbiotics and digestive enzymes
- It may relieve symptoms of digestive discomfort, such as bloating and gas
For more information on the best probiotics for bloating, click here.
How To Take Probiotics To Improve The Survival Of The Bacteria
The way you take your probiotics matters. Most people take their supplements with water. Fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K are usually taken with a glass of milk. Similar principles that suggest certain foods improve their survival can apply to probiotics. Studies on the intake of probiotics suggest that microorganisms tend to survive better if taken with low-fat milk when compared to water.
Synbiotics– a combination of prebiotics and probiotics– show even better survival when compared to taking probiotics alone. We consider this, and therefore, all BiOptimizers probiotic supplements are synbiotics.
Bottom line: choose synbiotics over simple probiotics and take them with a glass of low-fat milk.
Taking Probiotics With Prescription Medicines
If you are on prescription medicines for certain health conditions, it is best to consult your doctor before using probiotics. Some medications, like antibiotics and certain antifungals, may interact with specific strains of probiotic bacteria, so these drugs must not be taken along with probiotics. Moreover, it would be best to consult your healthcare provider before starting probiotics if you are taking drugs that suppress your immune system, such as steroids.
If your doctor suggests probiotics use along with the prescription medicines, apply the same 2-hour-gap rule unless they advise a different timeline.
Should You Space Out Probiotics And Vitamins?
You might be concerned about taking probiotics and your morning vitamins simultaneously. Don’t worry; you can take these two together. Some probiotics may even work better when taken with vitamins. For example, omega-3 improves the delivery of probiotics. Similarly, probiotics seem to work better when taken with vitamin D.
Using probiotics also improves the levels of certain micronutrients such as zinc, vitamin B12, calcium, folate, and iron. Provided the positive effect of probiotics on vitamin absorption, it is best to take your morning supplements and probiotic pills.
Certain herbs, such as oregano oil, wormwood, and garlic, have antimicrobial activity. So, you should take these at least two hours away from your probiotics.
Should You Take Probiotics With Digestive Enzymes?
Probiotic supplements that produce digestive enzymes can be taken with food. For example, our P3-OM prebiotics and probiotics supplements produce protein-digesting enzymes to help break down the proteins you eat. So, P3-OM can help optimize your digestion when taken with food.
Supplementation with probiotics and enzymes helps improve nutrient availability in the gut. The digestive enzyme supports the breakdown of food molecules, while at the same time, probiotics positively contribute to the gut microbial environment. Since both works in synergy, you can take probiotics that produce digestive enzymes or take them with a digestive enzyme supplement like MassZymes.
Tips To Support Your Gut Bacteria
Taking probiotics on an empty stomach is a great way to improve your gut health and obtain an optimal balance of gut microbes. However, there are also some other ways to support gut health, including:
- Eating a balanced diet
- Using fermented food
- Avoiding refined sugar
- Adding probiotic foods to your diet
- Exercising
- Getting enough high-quality sleep every night
Bottom Line
The best time to take probiotics and synbiotics (pre + probiotics) is on an empty stomach. You should take them 30-60 minutes before breakfast or right before your bedtime.
Probiotics are a great way to achieve good gut health. Start optimizing your health with probiotic supplements today.
