“I’m big on gut health, I take a probiotic daily”.
I hear this a lot when people ask me what I do. It’s awesome. People are proud of taking ownership of their health and making moves to get healthier. And a lot more people are doing it. Probiotic use grew ~300% from 2009 to 2023. However, every time I hear this, I have to fight back a bit of laughter. Why? Because there are thousands of strains of bacteria in your gut, each with specific purposes and associations. And most probiotic products only utilize a small subset of strains. Additionally, everyone’s gut microbiome consists of trillions of bacteria (roughly 38 trillion to be specific), and a very specific amount of each species. Like a fingerprint, every gut microbiome is unique.
Quick pause: Probiotics are generally good. If you just realized you have no idea what specific probiotic strains you are taking, or if you even need them, you are not alone. The natural response right now will be to feel embarrassed, or even stupid. This is the wrong response. This article is meant to empower you towards better health, not shame you for past ignorances. Growth mindset > fixed mindset. Reading this article is a positive step forward for your health, great job getting here.
So why am I holding back laughter when people tell me they take a probiotic? Put yourself in my shoes, and for effect, let’s replace probiotics with something simpler – groceries.
Let’s pretend you stop at the grocery store on your way home. You’re in a hurry. This make-believe grocery store has large pre-packed black bags labeled “groceries”. You have no idea what’s inside, but you’re here to shop for groceries, so you figure why not, and you buy it. You walk through the door of your home proudly proclaiming “I’ve got groceries!” Your partner is confused why this requires a proclamation, but I digress.
You open the bag together to discover that the grocery bag has 2 gallons of milk, something you already have, and no fruits or vegetables of any kind, something you really needed. It also has 6 packages of chicken, which, combined with the milk is too much to fit in the fridge, so you’re forced to throw out 2 of the packs of chicken.
Some of you reading this have a partner who effectively grocery shops like this, so I apologize if my analogy is triggering some deep stirred emotions here.
Circling back to your gut. Your gut is like your fridge. You need certain probiotic strains depending on your current gut microbiome, health challenges, lifestyle and goals. Too much of a “good” probiotic can cause problems, just like getting none of a strain you really need.
Akkermansia is a good example. Having too little in your gut microbiome is linked to gut symptoms and metabolic issues (early research suggests it helps your body produce GLP-1). But too much Akkermansia can be problematic too. For example, higher levels have been associated with Parkinson’s and MS (note, research is very early on this). The same product could have drastically different effects on 2 different gut microbiomes.
Here’s the good news. You can test your gut microbiome. You can get a detailed snapshot of where your gut is over-represented, under-represented, strong and weak. An itemized list of what’s in your fridge that you can bring with you to the grocery store. Here's a look at my own gut microbiome from a test I took through Clarity Health last year:
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Since I’m not very creative, we’re going to keep hammering this grocery analogy. The fridge is only 1 component of what you need for the grocery store. You need to know what’s in your pantry, your recipe list for the week, your social plans, and what everyone is in the mood for.
Translating to gut health – If your fridge is your microbiome, then your pantry is your health history, your recipe list is your health goals, your social plans represent your lifestyle, and what you’re in the mood for represents your current health. At Clarity, we start with testing the microbiome. But we interpret your results within the context of your current health challenges, symptoms, lifestyle and goals. Your Clarity clinician uses all of this and distills it into a personalized, actionable care plan. Adjusted and refined after every visit.
Disclaimer: If a clinician recommended a probiotic for you, we always advise checking in with the provider who recommended it before making any adjustments.
Next time you go to the grocery store, think about all the different inputs that feed into your grocery list. And next time you see a pill bottle or drink advertising “probiotics”, I hope you have to hold back some laughter too.
