How long before eating should you take probiotics? Is it better to take them in the morning or evening? Can you take them continuously? We provide the answers to these and other questions.
Probiotics are ‘friendly bacteria’ which are normally already present in the human body.
Taking probiotic supplements to boost your levels of beneficial microorganisms is a very effective way of helping to maintain balance in your gut microbiota and support your health in general (1).
But they need to arrive in your gut in the right condition in order to deliver these health benefits…
It’s a frequently-asked question: what time of day should you take probiotics? Morning or evening?
The truth is it doesn’t really matter whether you take your probiotics in the morning or evening. What’s important is the viability of your supplement (2):
For convenience, it’s easier to take your probiotics in the morning, 15-30 minutes before breakfast (but make it a light breakfast, not brunch). That way, your probiotics will retain their efficacy.
However, if you think you’ll forget to take them in the morning, or find they give you a few side-effects at first (such as gas) which are harder to cope with during the day, then you can carry on taking your probiotics in the evening. Just make sure you do so before a light dinner or with a light snack just before bed (when you’ve had a few hours to digest your dinner). You thus have a few different options.
First and foremost, it’s important to follow any instructions on the probiotic label.
If there are no specific recommendations, it’s a good idea, as explained above, to take your probiotic in the 30 minutes before – or indeed with - a light meal or snack.
Generally speaking, probiotics are not one-off cures, so you shouldn’t expect to see an immediate effect in the hours following supplementation.
That’s why we talk about a course of probiotics: it’s more a long-term ‘treatment’ designed to rebalance the gut flora.
Thus it usually takes several weeks of supplementation, alongside an appropriate diet, to feel the first effects of probiotics.
There’s still the question of how long a course of probiotics should last, and how many times a year to take them. Firstly, the period of probiotic supplementation depends on the reason you’re taking them:
Whatever the circumstances, it’s important to follow the recommendations for each probiotic formulation to optimise benefits.
No. It’s better to take breaks from time to time, rather than continue supplementing with probiotics for long periods without interruption. This is for two main reasons:
And if your problems persist after taking one or more courses of probiotics, be sure to consult your doctor.
To end, here are 4 examples of effective probiotic supplements and formulations:
References
1 Days
The shipping & delivery is quite efficient to me !
LEUNG Wing Chau
3 Days
Easy to deal with, good website and excellent product
STONEHOUSE Kim
3 Days
Well from my placing order to delivery !!!
DILLON Patrick M
4 Days
Site easy to handle, Information clear and simple, price affordable, quick delivery
Paulo Teixeira
6 Days
Bon service
Keith Ross
8 Days
Excellent product and delivered at a good price
Jim
9 Days
I bought super ashwagandha, super Maca, and adrenal support. Very good products. It helps with thyroid and adrenal gland problems. Fast delivery, happy customer!
LIEBENS Kim
10 Days
Speedy and efficient service (via FedEx).
Barry Humphries
11 Days
The ordered item quite efficiently delivers to me !
LEUNG Wing Chau
12 Days
Just perfect
Leny bermondsey
12 Days
Very good, and very efficient.
Mo
13 Days
Excellent and thrustworthy!
KLAVENES Bjorn
20 Days
I am very happy with the products, they are clean and strong. You get real improvment in health. But your resent change with the desing of packets is stylish but not attractive. Also I wish back the fast delivery.
MU
22 Days
On time,always help full
Isuf Koci
26 Days
Very prompt service. Website easy to use. Delivery quick. Product is worth every penny. Happy customer 👍🏾
Sheba Kelleher