If robust gut health is one of your top wellness goals, chances are you take a probiotic every day—or have considered doing so. Is it advisable to stick to one probiotic supplement to diversify your gut, or would it be better to swap up your strains? And, other than changing your probiotics on a regular basis, are you losing out on other opportunities to improve your gut health even more? We sought advice from two RDs who specialize in gut health.
First, a quick review of probiotics.
Are you new to the world of probiotics or looking for a fast refresher? “Probiotics are living microorganisms that are in your guts and provide health benefits when consumed,” says Nutrition Rewired’s Erin Kenney, MS, RD, LDN, CPT. “The primary benefits of probiotics include improved digestion, immune system, and mental health support, reduced inflammation, and lowered risk of certain diseases.” They can be found not only in nutritional supplements but also in certain fermented foods and beverages.
Probiotic ingestion contributes to increased intestinal diversity. And when it comes to getting your fill of diverse strains, the more is (generally), the merrier because different types can have varied therapeutic benefits on the body. “Consuming a variety of probiotics can help ensure that the gut microbiome is populated with a diverse range of beneficial bacteria, which has been shown to be important for maintaining a healthy gut and overall health,” notes Kenny. In contrast, she observes that a lack of microbial diversity in the gut might lead to many different health issues, including but not limited to IBD and allergies.
How frequently should probiotics be rotated?
Given that a diverse gut is a healthy gut, it appears that introducing new strains by rotating your probiotics is a good idea. Is there, however, a certain deadline or schedule that you should keep in mind?
“If you want to get a continuous beneficial effect from your probiotics, you should change probiotics every three months or with the seasons,” explains Savvy Stummy’s Paulina Lee, RD, LD. “If you take the same probiotic all year, it may lose its effectiveness and even contribute to gut dysbiosis by disrupting the very diversity you were attempting to create,” Lee claims that following her three-month rotation cycle will give you a greater chance of maintaining heightened gut defenses and potentially avoiding probiotic resistance.
Is probiotic rotation *always* necessary?
While it may be advantageous to vary the types of probiotic strains you consume, Kenney points out that evidence on the requirement of doing so is limited. However, certain people, such as those with chronic digestive difficulties, may benefit more from rotating their probiotic doses than others.
She adds that there are other types of probiotic classes, such as yeast-based, spore-based, and lactobacillus/bifidobacterium (i.e., broad-spectrum) blends. “There may be benefits to using certain types of probiotics for short periods of time when healing an underlying gut imbalance and then switching to another kind during the repopulation stage,” Kenney says. “For example, if someone has small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), they may not tolerate a broad-spectrum probiotic during treatment and should instead use a spore-based or yeast-based probiotic to support symptom management.” Furthermore, she claims that short-term use of lactobacillus probiotics can help those who have difficulty digesting lactose in dairy products.
“There may be benefits to using certain types of probiotics for short periods of time when healing an underlying gut imbalance, and then switching to another kind during the repopulation stage.”
Kenney adds that including a new probiotic in your regimen may also be advantageous if you’re making a significant food shift. “If someone is switching to a lower carbohydrate diet, a lactobacillus/bifidobacterium blend may be beneficial,” she says, “because they are not consuming whole grains and fruits, which feed the healthy bacteria in the gut to support regularity.” However, unless her clients fall into one of these categories, Kenney does not usually recommend cycling probiotics.
Timetable
Following that, despite Lee’s suggested probiotic rotation timetable, she emphasizes that supplementation isn’t an exact science. “We have a lot of research to back up the benefits of probiotics,” Lee says, “but the application of different strains on different disease states is still being evaluated.” While research indicates that some strains colonize the gut after delivery, “the number of viable bacteria that can colonize will depend on many factors, such as dosage and probiotic formulation, as well as the individual’s gastric pH, intestinal motility, and prior gut microbiota composition.”
Furthermore, Lee cites evidence indicating that long-term usage of the same probiotics can still be effective (including one study in post-colectomy patients who experienced reduced inflammation by supplementing with the same blend for nine months).
“While there is a lot of research to back up the benefits of probiotics, the application of different strains on different disease states is still being evaluated.”
Overall, the optimum probiotic routine will most likely differ depending on the individual. “The type of probiotic and the length of time may vary depending on the individual, their lifestyle, medical history, and other factors that impact health,” Lee explains. She recommends consulting with a healthcare expert to determine the best-personalized plan for your specific needs.
How to Increase Gut Diversity
It will ultimately be up to you (and your healthcare team) to determine whether changing your probiotics every 90 days, seasonally, or based on changes in your diet and/or health state makes sense. However, there are certain tried-and-true methods for supporting gut variety that do not entail supplementation.
1. Increase your consumption of fermented and probiotic foods.
“A daily intake of fermented foods containing live microbes, such as kefir, miso, sauerkraut, and kimchi, can provide a wide variety of probiotic strains that bring diverse, beneficial bacteria into the gut,” Lee explains. To effortlessly elevate your go-to meals with the fermented fare, Kenney suggests adding kimchi to scrambled eggs or kefir to a fruit smoothie.
2. Eat a diverse plant-forward diet.
“Eating colorful fruits and veggies that contain polyphenols—like flavonoids and carotenoids—can feed healthy gut bacteria, especially Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia muciniphila,” which is inversely associated with inflammation and metabolic disorders, according to Lee.
She also recommends focusing on prebiotic meals as one of the greatest methods to preserve intestinal variety. “Prebiotic foods feed our healthy gut bacteria, allowing them to produce metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, which can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress,” explains Lee. Garlic, dandelion greens, onions, bananas, barley, and flax seeds are among her favorites.
However, consuming more plant-based foods, in general, is always beneficial to your gut and overall health.
3. Follow the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle.
Aside from dietary issues, adhering to the fundamentals of a healthy life can help your gut thrive. “Moderate levels of physical activity can boost beneficial bacteria in the gut,” says Kenney. You should also discover healthy ways to manage stress, such as through yoga or meditation, and get enough sleep each night. “Stress can reduce gut diversity, [as can] sleep deprivation,” she adds.