Medically reviewed by Onikepe Adegbola, MD, PhD
The human body consists of a natural system of good and bad bacteria in balance. Any deviation from this balance may cause you to fall ill. An increase in the number of unhealthy bacteria or a decrease in good bacteria can cause you to have health issues.
Probiotics are good bacteria and yeast present naturally in your body and can also be taken in supplements. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are examples of the most common bacteria used to manufacture probiotic supplements. In addition, Saccharomyces Boulardii is a type of yeast used in making probiotics.
What Are Natural Probiotics, And How Do They Work As Health Supplements?
The human body consists of a microbiological environment composed of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and protozoa. Every individual has a different microbiome. Even twins differ in microbiome composition.
Probiotics help increase your beneficial microbiome. They help maintain the body’s health and balance. Our microbiome benefits our bodies in the following ways:
- Good bacteria help digest food easily.
- It helps control the growth of harmful bacteria. This prevents you from falling ill.
- Good bacteria help break down medications and facilitate their absorption.
- They also help sustain the lining of the gut, urinary tract, and vaginal walls to keep the harmful bacteria from harming them.
- In most people, the naturally occurring good bacteria of the body is sufficient to maintain its health.
Dietary probiotics can be obtained from the following:
- Yogurt, fermented foods like pickles, kimchi, sourdough bakery items, cottage cheese, and soups, fermented drinks like kefir and buttermilk
- Different types of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and spices are high in antioxidants and fibers to feed the good bacteria.
What Happens When You Stop Taking Probiotics?
Below are some conditions that arise from the halt in the consumption of probiotics.
- Reducing or stopping dietary probiotics can lead to illnesses as our food provides us with a regular dose of good bacteria and yeast. It also gives the nutrition required to help them thrive. In most cases, the excellent microbiome of our body is maintained naturally. However, environmental (poor lifestyle, smoking, too much alcohol, and no physical activity) and health (disease and disorders) factors can imbalance the natural body bacterial count.
- Decreasing foods containing natural probiotics can cause abdominal issues: a decrease in your beneficial bacteria, which helps digest food by releasing enzymes, can cause gas and bloat. You may experience severe flatulence and indigestion.
- Stopping natural probiotics in your diet can also lead to constipation and food mobility issues along the gastrointestinal pathway.
- Absorption and distribution of nutrients and medications: Reduced consumption of foods that contain good bacteria can also lead to decreased absorption of many medications (especially medicines used for gastrointestinal disorders).
- Skin problems: The beneficial microbes on your skin help maintain a barrier and also feed on the harmful bacteria and viruses that we are exposed to. A sudden drop in their count can make the skin more susceptible to outside infections. Stopping diet-related probiotics can make your skin dry, itchy, or flaky.
- Atopic dermatitis causes thickened, itchy skin which oozes on the edges. It can start from childhood and is closely associated with allergies like hay fever and asthma.
- Eczema is a chronic skin inflammation leading to the skin reacting severely in the presence of allergens.
- Fungal infections of the skin.
- Bacterial/fungal infections of the vagina.
- One of the first symptoms of bacterial imbalance in the urinary tract is a burning sensation when passing urine, constipation, and gas.
- It is also found to increase blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol.
- Certain types of microbes are found to be associated with brain functions. A study titled “Benefactions of probiotics for human health: A Review,” published in the Journal of Food and Drug Analysis, explains how these ‘psychobiotics’ help reduce cholesterol and stress levels.
- The absence of bacterial colonies from the gut system plays a role in increasing stress and depressive behavior.
- Immunity levels see a drop. This makes your body more susceptible to infections from outside as well as inside (caused due to build-up of harmful bacteria in the body).
What Are Supplemental Probiotics, And How Do They Help?
Living strains of bacteria and yeast are used in the production of probiotics. They are available in the form of tablets, liquids, syrups, and powders. Their main function is to increase the number of good bacteria in the body.
Supplemental Probiotics can be used in the treatment of :
- Diarrhea (treated with antibiotics), constipation, and Inflammatory bowel syndrome
- Yeast infections
- UTI (urinary disorders)
- Lactose intolerance
- Atopic dermatitis, eczema
- Common cold, sinusitis, ear infections
- Septic infections in children
- Antibiotic treatment
- Prophylactic coverage before significant surgeries
- Improve gastrointestinal health in cases of infections, ulcers, flatulence, and acid reflux
- Help normalize blood pressure and cholesterol levels in the blood
- Boost immunity
- Blood glucose tolerance and type-2 diabetes control
It should be kept in mind that the storage and treatment of supplemental probiotics can also hamper their efficacy.
As every individual’s microbial makeup differs, probiotics work differently for everyone. As they are a regular part of our diet and are naturally present in our body, taking supplemental probiotics does not cause harm in most cases. They either improve the condition they are taken for or do not have any effect at all.
What Happens When You Stop Taking Supplemental Probiotics?
- If a person has been taking probiotics to recover from an illness, stopping the probiotic supplements can cause the symptoms or the illness to return.
- Many patients treated for schizophrenia and taking probiotics of the lactobacillus family show signs of better cognitive health and memory. Stopping the probiotics abruptly has shown that the symptoms return to the pre-treatment phase.
- As taking probiotic supplements to change your gut flora, it is an obvious outcome that the beneficial flora will gradually decrease once you stop taking the probiotics. Though probiotics help relieve symptoms, it does not cause permanent changes. The body microbiome will return to its original makeup once you stop taking the probiotics. You will start experiencing the same symptoms or discomfort (gas, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea) you had before starting the probiotics.
- As per the study, “Abrupt suspension of probiotics administration may increase host-pathogen susceptibility by inducing gut dysbiosis,” published in Scientific Reports, and it is found that taking probiotics does not have very long-term benefits. For example, suppose you have been taking probiotics to help with an infection. In that case, the positive effect of the probiotic will start to wear off within 1-3 weeks. After that, the body will most likely return to its original bacterial count.
- Stopping Probiotics, which help skin conditions like dermatitis and eczema, can cause the skin to return to its earlier state. It is advised to taper down on the dose of probiotics if you want to stop them. This will help you and your doctor decide whether you can stop them without severe changes in your health.
- Sudden and abrupt withdrawal of probiotic supplements after prolonged use can cause the count of beneficial bacteria to drop sharply, leaving your body more susceptible to bacterial/yeast infections.
To summarise, it can be safely said that it is always advisable to have an all-around balanced meal that consists of natural probiotics. This helps maintain the normal gut flora and microbiomes in different body parts. Naturally-occurring good bacteria are important for the maintenance of good health.
Supplemental Probiotics are beneficial for adults and children with health issues. However, the research on the benefit of probiotics on normal healthy adults is limited. In cases of probiotic supplementation, medical advice is necessary to consume safe and beneficial probiotics. It is also essential to speak to your doctor to stop or decide on the required doses of probiotics to be taken daily.
Liu, Z., Liu, W., Ran, C., Hu, J., & Zhou, Z. (2016). Abrupt suspension of probiotic administration may increase host-pathogen susceptibility by inducing gut dysbiosis. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 23214. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep23214
Nordqvist, J. (2020, June 18). Probiotics: Health benefits, sources, supplements, and more. Medicalnewstoday.Com. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264721
Probiotics: What you need to know. (n.d.). NCCIH. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-know
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