What are friendly bacteria?
If you're new to the world of friendly bacteria, also known as live cultures*, it can be very confusing. In simple terms, we all play host to trillions of tiny micro-organisms, most of which reside in our gut. Some of these are friendly towards their host, and some are not! It's normal to have a mix of good and bad bacteria in the gut microbiome, but an ideal balance is to have more good than bad. Modern living can affect this delicate balance, which is why many people take live cultures supplements containing friendly bacteria to help complement the natural gut microbiome. If you would like to find out more about good bacteria, head over to the Probiotics Learning Lab.
Should I take friendly bacteria in capsules, tablets, liquids, gummies or powders?
Live cultures come in many different formats. Should you choose friendly bacteria capsules, tablets, pills, or powders?? Are gummies effective? Are liquid supplements better? Don't worry, if you buy your friendly bacteria supplements from a trusted specialist company, all formats will be equally as effective, so just choose the format and strains which suit you best.
Find out more about which is the best friendly bacteria supplement.
Is it ok to take friendly bacteria supplements every day?
Yes! It is both safe and recommended to take your friendly bacteria supplement on a daily, ongoing basis. Research10,11.12 suggests that good bacteria only colonise in the gut for a few weeks, so it's a good idea to have a regular intake of live cultures.
Can I open friendly bacteria capsules?
It's absolutely fine to open Optibac live cultures capsules and take the contents directly into the mouth or in cool, non-acidic food/drink, without any effect on the viability of the friendly bacteria. Encapsulated live cultures from other brands may need to remain in their capsules, however, so best check with the manufacturer.
Do Optibac sell friendly bacteria vitamin supplements?
We certainly do! Optibac have a range of supplements with added vitamins and minerals for both adults and children. You can choose products with added Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin B1, Calcium, and Zinc. For more information, visit our Added Nutrients section.
To find out where else you can buy the Optibac Probiotics award-winning range of live cultures*, visit our FAQ pages.
References
- Dronkers, T. M. G., Ouwehand, A. C. and Rijkers, G. T. (2020) ‘Global analysis of clinical trials with probiotics’, Heliyon, 6(7). doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04467.
- Probiotics. (2022). NHS Retrieved 31 March 2022, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/probiotics/
- Markowiak P and Śliżewska K (2017) Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics on Human Health. Nutrients, 9(9): 1021
- Patole et al. (2014). Effect of Bifidobacterium breve M-16V® supplementation on faecal Bifidobacteria in preterm neonates- a randomised double blind placebo controlled trial . PLoS one, 9 (3): e89511.
- Sudha, M. R. et al. (2018) ‘Efficacy of Bacillus coagulans Unique IS2 in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in children: a double blind, randomised placebo-controlled study’, Beneficial Microbes, 9(4), pp. 563–572. doi: 10.3920/BM2017.0129.
- Gawronska, A. et al. (2006) ‘A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of Lactobacillus GG for abdominal pain disorders in children’, Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 25(2). doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2006.03175.x.
- Slykerman R et al. (2017). Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 in pregnancy on postpartum symptoms of depression and anxiety: a randomised double blind placebo controlled trial . EBioMedicine, 24, 159-165.
- Evans M. et al., (2016), ‘Effectiveness of Lactobacillus helveticus and Lactobacillus rhamnosus for the management of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in healthy adults: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial’. British Journal of Nutrition, 116(1):94-103. doi: 10.1017/S0007114516001665. Epub 2016 May 12.
- Morelli L. et al., (2004), ‘Utilization of the intestinal tract as a delivery system for urogenital probiotics’. J. Clin. Gastroenterol., 38(6 Suppl): S107-10.
- Mimura, T. et al. (2004). 'Once daily high dose probiotic therapy (VSL#3) for maintaining remission in recurrent or refractory pouchitis'. Gut, 53(1): 108-114
- Morelli L et al., 2004. 'Utilisation of the intestinal tract as a delivery system for urogenital probiotics'. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology; 38(6): 107-110
- Jacobsen et al., 1999. 'Screening of probiotic activities of 47 strains of Lactobacillus spp. by in vitro techniques and evaluation of the colonisation ability of 5 selected strains in humans'. Applied and Environmental Microbiology; 65 (11): 4949-4956
+ An independent survey on probiotics of 1,000 people across the UK, August 2020. See T&C's for more details.
*Friendly bacteria, also known as ‘live cultures’ or ‘probiotics’, are good bacteria which live in the gut and are considered to be vital for good digestive and overall health2,3. We must refer to probiotics as 'live cultures' or 'friendly bacteria' throughout our website due to European legislation guidance.
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