5 probiotics for women, recommended by dietitians

When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more. Taking probiotics can have a variety of potential benefits including help with digestive issues, a better mood, and improved cardiovascular health.

Getty/Moyo Studio Probiotics can help maintain a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria in your body. Probiotics can help treat many conditions related to the gastrointestinal tract. Different supplements have various strains of bacteria and yeasts for helping certain conditions.

Probiotics may help women maintain good bacteria in their gut. Not only are they found in certain foods like yogurt or fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi, but you can also take them in supplement form.  Potential benefits of taking probiotics include improved cardiovascular health, a better mood, and help with digestive issues like IBS.

They’re also good for your microbiome, which is made up of trillions of microorganisms (including bacteria and yeasts) that naturally live in your body.  Most microorganisms live in your gut, and although some bacteria and yeasts are helpful, others are harmful. For instance, when you have an infection, you have more bad bacteria in your body, which upsets the balance between good and bad.

 But probiotics introduce good bacteria to help correct that balance. “The main role of probiotic supplements is to provide more good bacteria to your microbiome,” says registered dietitian and founding partner of nutrition marketing firm AFH Consulting, Katherine Brooking. Though there are a variety of available supplements, some are targeted to address specific issues common among women.

Below are nine, dietitian-recommended supplements worth taking. Who can benefit from taking probiotics?Research shows that probiotics may help treat many conditions that are common among women, including:Traveler’s diarrheaDiarrhea associated with antibioticsInflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)ConstipationHay feverYeast infectionsUrinary tract infectionsUpper respiratory infectionsGum diseaseLactose intoleranceEczemaAlthough much research has been conducted on probiotics, some of it has not produced conclusive evidence of efficacy. But probiotics are generally considered safe, according to the Cleveland Clinic, so they may be worth trying.

If you have a chronic health condition, it’s always best to check with your doctor before taking a supplement.  Quick tip: The risks of taking probiotics are higher if you have a weakened immune system (such as people undergoing chemotherapy), if you have a critical illness, or if you’ve had surgery recently. You should check with your health care provider before taking a probiotic.

“Probiotic supplementation and treatments using probiotics are strain and dose specific, which means that just any supplement of probiotic isn’t necessarily going to treat a certain condition,” says registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Southern Fried Nutrition Services, Sherry Coleman Collins. “It needs to be the specific strain that’s been researched in the right amount in order to make a difference. ” You should talk to your doctor or registered dietitian to find out the right strains of probiotics for your condition, Brooking says.

 “Anytime someone struggles with gastrointestinal conditions, there’s a potential opportunity for probiotics,” Collins says. For example, “IBS is a notoriously difficult-to-treat condition, and there’s some research showing that probiotics might help. They won’t help everybody, but if they can provide relief for some people, I’ll use it.

” For help picking out the best probiotics for women, I asked the two dietitians I spoke to for a few recommendations. Here are their suggestions:1. Culturelle Digestive Daily Probiotic CapsulesCFU: 10 billionStrains: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GGThis daily probiotic is good for travelers’ diarrhea and IBS-related symptoms.

It’s been studied extensively, and it’s a good supplement to start with because of its relatively low dose, Collins says.  It also offers 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU), which are the number of live and active microorganisms in each serving (and the main metric you’ll find on all probiotic supplements). 2.

VSL No. 3CFU: 112. 5 billionStrains: Multiple strains of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus.

Collins says she often uses this probiotic with patients who have ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). “Some patients take very strong medications that can strip their gut,” and this probiotic from VSL can help restore it.  This supplement’s high CFU means that more of it can survive in the GI tract, which is important because stomach acid can sometimes kill probiotics.

But most are made so that they can get to the intestines, where they do their work, Brooking says. It’s recommended this probiotic be used under medical supervision, and that it’s refrigerated to keep the probiotics alive. 3.

Florastor Daily Probiotic SupplementCFU: 5 billionStrains: Saccharomyces boulardiiFlorastor supplements contain Saccharomyces boulardii, a probiotic yeast that helps manage diarrhea and symptoms of IBD. However, research is mixed and more is needed. Collins recommends it for people who have diarrhea associated with taking antibiotics, too, as it can restore the good bacteria in your gut.

 “Saccharomyces boulardii may help ease antibiotic-associated diarrhea and even prevent extreme cases caused by infections,” Brooking adds. 4. Life Extension – Florassist Probiotic Women’s HealthCFU: 25 billionStrains: L.

helveticus LAFTI and L. plantarum ROSELLAlong with promoting digestive health, this supplement is a good choice for improving immune response, too, so it may benefit people who tend to get sick often, Brooking says.  She adds that it also helps maintain healthy vaginal flora.

Probiotics aren’t intended to treat active vaginal infections, but this particular supplement “can cultivate a healthy environment that may help prevent infections. ” 5. NOW Probiotic-10 25 BillionCFU: 25 billionStrains: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium breve, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus salivarius, and Bifidobacterium longum This probiotic from NOW contains a blend of 10 different strains of bacteria.

Supplements like this that contain 10 or more different strains can be beneficial to your gut health, Brooking says.  Because it’s not manufactured with wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish or tree nut ingredients, it’s also a good option for people with allergies to those substances.  “If you have mild GI troubles, lactobacillus acidophilus or lactobacillus casei may help restore gut flora,” and Lactobacillus acidophilus may also help with yeast infections, Brooking says.

  What else to considerSome people prefer to get their probiotic supplement in drink form rather than in capsules. Probiotic drinks are widely available, but they need to be refrigerated (similar to some probiotic capsules). Here are a few drink options Collins recommends:Activia Probiotic Dailies come in an 8-pack of small bottles, and this drink contains the probiotic B.

Lactis. DanActive Probiotic Dailies contain Lactobacillus casei. GoodBelly Probiotic Shots contain Lactobacillus plantarum and are available in dairy-free options.

Yakult Nonfat Probiotic Drink contains the unique probiotic strain L. Paracasei strain shirota. Because it’s different from other probiotics, Collins recommends it for folks who’ve had trouble finding a probiotic that works.

Quick tip: It’s important to ingest prebiotics, as well, since they act as a source of food for probiotics and help support their growth once they get into your system, Brooking says. Prebiotics can be found in foods such as apples, berries, and oats, or through supplements. Insider’s takeawayProbiotics can help maintain a healthy, balanced microbiome, and they have the potential to help with some conditions common among women, including IBS, yeast infections, and traveler’s diarrhea.

However, not all probiotics will work for everyone. With some conditions, “[probiotics] seem to be very personalized, and what works for one person may not work for someone else,” Collins says. She adds that she may start a patient on one probiotic product and see how it goes for six or eight weeks, and then try something else if it doesn’t work.

 It can take time for a probiotic to change the overall dynamic in the gut, so you may need to wait a few weeks to see real benefits, Collins says. It’s also important to take them consistently and according to the package directions. Read the original article on Insider.