Gut diseases and poor gut health are silently destroying the quality of life for millions of people. Diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), leaky gut, and chronic autoimmune problems are more than ever before.
Go to any drugstore or health department and you will find hundreds of bottles that will cure your gut health instantly. But the reality is that the supplement market is filled with myths and wrong products. A lot of companies are doing smart marketing to sell probiotics that are low dose and will die in your stomach acid.
If you are going to spend your money on gut health supplements, you must be aware of what is actually supported by scientific evidence and what is a waste of time.
Why Is Gut Health So Important?
In your gut, there are trillions of microorganisms, collectively referred to as the gut microbiome. These affect everything including nutrient absorption, immunity, metabolism, and even mental health. However, when this balance is upset (a condition known as dysbiosis), it may help cause such problems as bloating, fatigue, inflammation, and chronic disease.
The fact that gut health is directly related to the immune system is one of the largest causes of gut health being a concern. About 70 percent of your immune system is found in your gut, and thus a healthy gut is a powerful defense mechanism.
Studies indicated that diet has the potential to modify these gut microbiome quickly, affecting metabolic health in a matter of days. If your gut is unhealthy, you may experience:
- Bloating
- More inflammation even without obvious gut issues
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Acid Reflux
- Poor energy
- Blood sugar spikes
- Hormonal imbalances
- Weak immune system
- Headache
- Poor dental health
- Nervousness
- Depression
Why Do You Need Gut Health Supplements?
Gut Health Supplements are given when your gut might be in need of additional help, which food might not offer. Ideally, whole foods would provide you with fiber, natural probiotics, and all nutrients that maintain your gut lining. However, the truth is that most individuals in the modern world are exposed to low quality of diet, stress, antibiotics, infections, and environmental toxins.
Because of modern agricultural activities, erosion, stressful lifestyles, and excessive exposure to antibiotics, your microbiomes are already under attack. Furthermore, if you already have a compromised gut lining, you may struggle to break down and absorb the nutrients from even the healthiest meals.
In order to restore proper functioning of your digestive organs, your doctor may recommends using gut health supplements that will rebuild your gut microbiome, feed the healthy bacteria, and repair the lining.
Common Gut Health Supplements that Actually Works
You must understand that every supplement functions on a different aspect of your gut health. Your provider will take into account 3 layers before ordering you supplements like microbiome balance, gut barrier repair, or digestion. Because the best results come from choosing the right supplement for your exact problem. Among the best gut health supplements are:
1. Probiotics
Probiotics are living bacteria that introduce live bacteria directly inside your gut. The market myth however is that all probiotics are created equal. There are a lot of commercial probiotics that have strains that are killed at your stomach acid before they even get to your gut.
Research also shows probiotics can improve gut balance and inflammation markers. However, its performance is dependent on the strain and not only on the brand. You may need probiotics if you have IBS (bloating, diarrhea, irregular stools), frequent infections, poor diet. Others might require it after antibiotics.
You should look for spore-based probiotics strains like Bacillus coagulans or Bacillus subtilis. Due to their natural protective coating, they not only survive the stomach acid but actually get to your intestines alive and crowd out the bad bacteria.
Also note that, when you have SIBO, traditional probiotics can even cause more bloating by supporting the bacteria in the wrong location. So, it is important to select the right strain under proper guidance.
Some of the most researched strains are:
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus: It is appropriate in case of diarrhea and to enhance your immunity.
- Bifidobacterium longum: This strain is ideal to treat bloating, IBS, and inflammation.
- Saccharomyces boulardii: It is taken for antibiotic recovery or improving gastrointestinal infections.
2. Prebiotics
Prebiotics are special plant fibers that cannot be digested by your body. Instead, they serve as fertilizer to your good gut bacteria. When good bacteria eat prebiotics, they produce a short-chain fatty acid called butyrate. The primary source of fuel your intestinal cells require to fix the intestinal lining and maintain it in a tightly closed state is butyrate.The probiotics will not survive or do their job without the prebiotics.
Several over-the-counter prebiotics contain chicory root or inulin that are infamous in causing colossal gas and bloating.
Rather, find Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum (PHGG). Scientific research indicates that PHGG is extremely mild, it actually boosts positive bacteria, and it does not result in painful fermentation.
The most suitable ones are:
- FOS (Fructooligosaccharides)
- GOS (Galactooligosaccharides)
- Psyllium husk (This is most studied one)
The 5-10g per day dose is effective and the powder form is generally superior to capsules. Studies also indicate that prebiotics have the potential to enhance the microbiome in only 7 days.
3. Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is one of the best-studied and effective supplements that can be used in case you experience IBS, cramping, and abdominal pain. Peppermint oil is a source of menthol that literally relaxes the smooth muscles of your digestive system.
Research indicates that it is very effective at reducing painful intestinal spasms and making the passage of gas through your system easier.
You need to select an enteric-coated peppermint oil capsule. If you take regular peppermint oil, it will dissolve in your stomach and cause severe heartburn.
The enteric coating makes the capsule go through the stomach and burst in your intestines precisely where the spasms are occurring.
4. L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is a type of amino acid that is the major building block of the cells that line your intestines. This is one of the strongest gut health supplements that you can include in your routine in case you have a leaky gut.
It literally feeds the gut cells to multiply more quickly and seal the so-called tight junctions damaged by inflammation, stress, or unhealthy eating.
You should go for a pure L-Glutamine powder, without artificial sweeteners. Putting 5 grams of it in water on an empty stomach twice a day provides your gut with the raw materials with which it can work to rebuild.
Please note that this supplement is not for everyone. Your provider will use it as a targeted repair tool.
5. Zinc Carnosine
Zinc Carnosine is another highly superior, clinical-grade supplement for actually patching your damaged stomach and intestinal lining.
Zinc Carnosine is a chelated zinc complex that is attached to the carnosine amino acid. It activates the migration of gut cells to the wound and enhances the mucus production significantly to cover the region against stomach acid and enzymes.
You need zinc acr if you have:
- Gastritis
- NSAIDs
- Ulcers
You are supposed to find a product with 75mg of Zinc Carnosine. This is commonly marketed as a trademarked name PepZin GI. Use it on an empty stomach 20 minutes before a meal to enable it to coat and heal the stomach lining properly.
Tips to Choose the Best Gut Health Supplement
- Check the Expiration Date: Probiotics are living things. A bottle may display a 50 Billion CFUs on it at the time of production, yet after it has been in a hot warehouse a year, the bacteria are dead before you even purchase the bottle. Purchase only brands that assure their CFU count by the precise expiration date.
- Keep Prebiotics and Probiotics separate: Do NOT purchase a supplement that combines live probiotics and pre-biotic fiber in a single capsule. The moisture inside the fiber will wake up the bacteria inside the bottle, and they will die on the shelf.
- Read labels: Look at the list of other ingredients. Do not buy a bottle full of artificial dyes, additional sugar, chemical binders, or wheat and dairy warnings.
- Take One Supplement at a Time: Try to avoid five new pills on Monday. Add one new supplement and take it regularly 2-4 weeks. This is the sole method of knowing whether it is actually working or it is causing side effects.
- Find the Pill that Matches Your Symptom: No more general gut health pills. Enteric-coated peppermint oil should be purchased in case of cramping. In case you have reflux, purchase DGL or Zinc Carnosine. Be specific.
- Know Your Fridge Rules: When you purchase a probiotic which needs refrigeration, do not leave it in a hot car, or in a stuffy suitcase. Unless you travel a lot, buy shelf-stable spore-based probiotics instead.
Once you have selected the appropriate supplements, you can start with one at a time in order to monitor the precise reaction of your body. You need to be patient with the process. Gut healing is a long process and thus improvements can be felt in 4-6 weeks.
A single three-day dose of high-quality probiotics or herbal formulas, is not going to restore a gut that has been sick for decades. You need to combine targeted supplements together with a nutrient-dense diet, good chewing, and reduced stress to start seeing real healing.
But hidden issues like H. pylori, parasites, severe yeast overgrowth, or stubborn bacterial imbalances can stop your gut from healing. At Kairos Health and Wellness in Texas, Lola, one of our functional nurse practitioners, uses advanced functional medicine testing to find these hidden stressors and build a custom treatment plan for you.
Take the first step today and get your gut health back.