Best Probiotics For Leaky Gut

What is a leaky gut?

Leaky gut referred to different conditions where the lining cells of the gut became inflamed, unhealthy, and increase permeability which then lets toxins, bacteria, and inflammatory cells enter the bloodstream.

When that happens our immune system detects it and activates a systemic reaction of inflammation to fight against those foreign materials.

What symptoms does it cause?

Local symptoms of the unhealthy gut lining

• Abdominal pain especially after eating
• Bloating, gaseous
• Altered bowel habits
• Feeling sick, nausea

General symptoms due to systemic inflammatory reactions 

• Fatigue, loss of energy
• Fever 
• Joint aches and pain
• Low mood 
• Headache

What causes a leaky gut?

Conditions affecting the Stomach and intestines

• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease ( Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease)
• Diarrhea
• Celiac disease

Systemic conditions

• Diabetes mellitus
• High cholesterol and Triglycerides
• Obesity 
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Aging 

How do probiotics help leaky gut?

Create  a healthy environment in the gut 

• Increasing the number of “good” bacteria 
• Fighting against the “bad” bacteria and removing toxins
• Regulate the inflammatory response in the gut 

Help  with the underlying condition

• Probiotics have been known to be beneficial for obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes – research

Which probiotics are actually effective for leaky gut?

General rules

• Multi strains are better than single strains in most the cases
• The CFU should be more than 30 billion
• Should be manufactured to withstand the gastric acid
• Shelf-stable ones are easier to store than those that require strict temperature

Specific buying considering for leaking gut

Not all probiotics are made the same. How to choose not the best but the most suitable one?

The best pieces of evidence are Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species.

They have been shown to reduce biomarkers of gut inflammation and permeability called zonulin.

No specific strain has yet been demonstrated to have superior effects.

Saccharomyces bollards have shown good effects in people with Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease by reducing inflammation and fighting bad bacteria.

Other things to consider 

• Diary free products
• Vegan products
• Environmentally sustainable production

Personal advice

• Do not rely on probiotics ONLY if you have these symptoms
• The main treatment is still the one that your doctor prescribed eg. Gaviscon, omeprazole, lansoprazole
• Sometimes these symptoms might need further investigations such as blood tests or camera tests
• Despite more evidence and theories coming out, currently, no clinical guidelines directly support the use of probiotics for this particular condition.
• The best probiotics source is still your diet.

Our Pick of Best Probiotics for Leaky Gut

VSL 3 for Inflammatory Bowel

VSL 3 for Inflammatory Bowel Probiotics is a premium product with multiple strains of microbiomes and very high amounts CFUs.

I particulary prescribe this for my patients who want a high-quality product with a shotgun approach.

This product contains the most promising strains from Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus ( three major groups of gut microorganisms) aiming to reduce inflammation associated with infection, or autoimmune such as inflammatory bowel diseases.

Some of my patients find it difficult to tolerate, especially in the first month of taking it but most people will find significant improvement of symptoms and most of the side effects are usually tolerable for most of my patients and goes away after taking it for few days.

Culturelle Ultimate Strength Probiotics

Culturelle Ultimate Strength Probiotics comes with 20 billion CFU of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG which is known to support gastrointestinal health by strengthing the barrier cells, removing the toxic bacteria thereby reducing the inflammation, and cells damage.

It also contains Inulin which comes is a strong dietary fiber and has excellent properties such as slowing the release of sugar thus helpful for maintaining blood sugar and providing regular bowel movement.

Optibac every day extra Probiotics

Optibac Probiotics is specifically focused on the specifies known to benefit gut health. It contains four main probiotic strains from both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium to help with various gut conditions.

Suitable for vegans, and people who are gluten, and dairy intolerant. The CFU dose is 20 billion which could be higher. The main highlight of this product is Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM which has the most evident when it comes to gut health and gut inflammation.

Garden of Life Colon Care Raw Probiotics

The Garden of Life is an established brand proteomics manufacturer and this is probably the best “all-rounder “ for gut health.

The best benefit is it contains mixtures of 33 probiotic strains with digestive enzymes which can help with symptoms such as indigestion, and bloating after eating.

In addition to that, some prebiotics is also added such as yogurt, and kefir which are both known to help even more diversification of the gut microbiome and also helps to regulate lipid, and blood sugar in the blood.

Balance one probiotic

Balanceone probiotics come with 15 Billion CFU, arguably one of the lowest doses however this particular brand has special tech in the capsule called “ timed release:” which means microbiomes are only released in the intestinal giving its maximum effect.

It does come with various strains of Lactobacillus including L acidophilus, L casei, Bifidobacterium including Brevis which will help to create an optimal bacterial environment to reduce inflammation, and repair intestinal epithelium.

Similar to Garden of Life, it also has some the prebiotics such as Guar Gum, turmeric, etc.

• Contains prebiotics
• 15 Billion CFUs Of Probiotic Bacteria
• 12 Proven Strains
• Shelf-Stable
• Time-Release Tablets – released slowly over 8-10 hours
• Prebiotic Included
• Tablets form which has been tested to show more resistance against stomach acid

Dr. Formualted Organic Fitbiotics

Dr Formulated Fitbiotics highlights 4G of prebiotic fiber which help regulation of bowel movement, weight reduction and reduce insulin resistance.

It also has a decent probiotics profile which includes all the essential strains with a total of 50 billion CFU.

The prebiotics combined with probiotics works together not only to deal with primary inflammation, and repair intestinal cells but also help with other causes of the leaky gut such as obesity, and diabetes mellitus.

Portion Master Gastrointestinal Support Probiotics Plus

Apart from the usual gut microbiomes, Portion Master Probiotics also comes with Bifidobacterium longum which has immune regulating properties showing benefits in conditions such as allergies, and eczema.

It has a decent 30 billion CFU which is just about the right dose for gastrointestinal conditions.