Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Don’t Let Irritable Bowel Syndrome Get in the Way of Life

Science facts newsletter Recipe e-book Joke of day If you are feeling constantly gassy, or your stomach is bloated and you can’t lose your gut no matter how hard you’re exercising, if you have problems with excretion, such as suffering from constipation, diarrhea or both- you’re not alone. Gastrointestinal diseases which can cause the symptoms are very common, and one of the most prevalent in the developed world, with about 10-15% of people suffering from it, is irritable bowel syndrome (or IBS). 

Because it is poorly understood and shares a lot of symptoms with other, more serious gastrointestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, celiac, parasitic infections and even colon cancer, it would be best to rule out all other options before assuming you have IBS. 

What do we know about IBS?
The mechanism and causes of IBS are not fully understood, though it has been posited that infectious intestinal inflammation, genetics and psychological stress could all trigger IBS. It is twice as common in women, and onset is typically before the age of 45. Common symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation, a feeling of fullness, a protruding gut, not feeling relieved after going to the bathroom, depression and anxiety.

One thing to understand is that a distended gut in a person with IBS does not reflect fat. Typically, your abdomen will not feel flabby if a GI condition is a culprit- on the contrary, it will feel hard to the touch, and is often accompanied by a feeling of fullness which some describe as having an inflated balloon lodged in their abdomen. The most common explanation for this symptom is too much gas in the intestines.

While stress might trigger or exacerbate your intestinal troubles, the inverse is also true, and many people who have IBS also suffer from depression and anxiety. This correlation joins in a long list of riddles the medical world has yet to solve, but it could be due to constant pressure on the nervous system associated with the condition, the emotional hardship of dealing with this condition, or shame with regards to physical appearance, irregular excretions and gas.

IBS is not a life-threatening condition by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect life quality for the worse, and there is no known cure for it. That being said, there are several ways to manage it:

1. Medication

Some medicine and supplements have been shown to be effective in mitigating some of the symptoms of IBS. Laxatives work well for people whose IBS manifests in constipation, while antidiarrheals might relieve those who suffer from loose stool and diarrhea. 

Some antidepressants of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor family seem to have a positive effect on abdominal pain and other symptoms, independent of their effect on depression.

Antispasmodic medicine may relieve cramps and diarrhea in people with IBS, as well as relax the muscles in the colon. 

Soluble fiber supplements, such as that of the psyllium plant, have been effective in both bulking up the stool of those who suffer from diarrhea and help with excretion in case of constipation.

Several probiotics can also alleviate some symptoms of IBS. B. breve, B. longum and L. acidophilus are effective at reducing abdominal pain.

B. breve, B. infantis, L. casei, and L. plantarum may help with abdominal distention.

B. breve, B. infantis, L. casei, L. plantarum, B. longum, L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilus all improve flatulence.

2. Physical activity and stress relief

Exercise, and in particular, aerobic activities, are effective in reducing the symptoms of IBS. Recommended activities include swimming, jogging, walking and cycling. Additionally, yoga (and especially yoga that focuses on the lower abdomen) has been shown to help reduce stress and also help with IBS symptoms. Here is one such yoga exercise aimed at helping with IBS:

Meditation is another way to relieve stress, alleviate IBS symptoms and improve quality of life for people with IBS.

3. Therapy

Healthy mind, healthy body. In this case, it’s at least partially true, as psychotherapy and other forms of talk therapy (even without prescribed antidepressants) appear to improve quality of life among people with IBS and reduce symptoms.

The effect therapy has on one’s gastrointestinal health can be explained by the existence of the gut-brain axis, a two-way communication corridor between the nervous and gastrointestinal systems which informs both feelings of hunger and being sated, but can also affect gut flora in response to stress and trauma. Likewise, physical circumstances that affect gut flora (such as diet or disease) can have an adverse effect on your mental state.

4. Changes in diet

In many cases, IBS flares up in reaction to a “trigger food”. Such trigger foods contain carbohydrates known as FODMAPs, which are poorly absorbed in the small intestine, undergoing fermentation in the bowels. This causes a buildup of gas in the intestines which may cause bloating and flatulence. 

People with IBS may want to attempt to eliminate FODMAPs from their diet, and then slowly reintroduce them in order to find out which ones cause a flare-up. Giving up FODMAPs altogether is not advisable, as many of the foods that contain them, such as onions and legumes, provide valuable nutrients.


This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.   


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posted by G S Iyer at 4:22 AM 0 comments

Sunday, August 02, 2026

The best time to take probiotics, according to experts

Who amongst us doesn’t have digestive issues? Whether you’re dealing with bloating, IBS (a.k.a. irritable bowel syndrome), or other forms of poor digestive health, you can turn to probiotics for some relief. The known "beneficial bacteria” are vital in keeping our gut health in check and many experts recommend that you consider incorporating them somewhere in your diet.

But with that comes obvious logistical questions. How does one take probiotics correctly? What kind should you take? When is the best time to take probiotics? To answer all that—and more—we turned to two dietitians to break it all down for us. See what they had to say below on how to use this healthy bacteria to your advantage.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are living organisms that are found in certain foods, dietary supplements, and our gut. Known as healthy or good bacteria, they are responsible for balancing the gut microbiomes. They work together with prebiotics (which registered dietician at Centr Angie Asche, MS, RD, explains is the food probiotics eat for growth), to improve our gut health.

The benefits

Probiotics’ main function is to help you maintain your gut health. As Asche explains, they destroy harmful microorganisms and improve digestive issues such as constipation and diarrhea. But taking probiotics can also be great for your overall health.

“The benefits of probiotics go well beyond the gut,” says Megan Landrum, MS, RD, registered dietitian at Pendulum Therapeutics. “You can think about your gut as the gateway to the rest of your body and therefore a critical component of overall health. Probiotics convert the food you eat into important molecules that can impact everything from metabolism and mood to the immune system.”

The downsides

Probiotics are generally considered safe, but both Asche and Landrum warn that they are not all created equal—especially when it comes to supplements. Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate supplements, it’s on you to do your research when finding the best probiotic to take.

“Certain probiotic strains and formulations have more clinical data behind them and may lead to better health outcomes,” says Landrum. “So it is important to be discerning about which product you take.” She points to a probiotic like Akkermansia muciniphila, which she says is a strain that is shown to be important for gut barrier function. Compared to a generic multi-strain probiotic that might not have many studies to back it up, this specific strain may work better for you and your gut health.

“It’s important to ensure you’re taking a quality product, and also considering the type of strains it includes,” agrees Asche. “There are billions of strains of probiotics, and specific strains have been shown to have an impact on certain health conditions.”

How to take probiotics

Incorporating probiotics into your diet is fairly easy. Asche says probiotics are already found in foods such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, and tempeh. Another option is through supplements. As mentioned previously, you must pick probiotics that have been backed up by studies and made by known brands. “Look for a reputable manufacturer, one who also ideally has third-party testing on their products, and contains a variety of probiotic species or strains, as well as a high colony-forming unit (CFU) count (the number of microbes that are viable),” says Asche. “I personally use and always recommend Klaire Labs (SFI Health) Ther-biotic, which contains 12 probiotic species and 25 billion CFU.” 

If you’re looking to take a probiotic supplement, both experts agree that you should take it with food rather than on an empty stomach. Landrum explains that food helps reduce the amount of stomach acid that may destroy some of the probiotics you’re taking in. “This ensures that the probiotics capsule makes it past the stomach before opening,” she says. Asche says that most products you’ll find today are developed in a way that the probiotics can reach the intestines to avoid being affected by the acidic environment in your stomach. While there are probiotics that come in powder form, she says that the live bacteria will die when exposed to heat, so be sure to avoid mixing it in with hot liquids.

 

As for taking probiotics when you’re on other medications, such as antibiotics, the experts say that it should be safe to do so. “Specific strains, like Clostridium butyricum, have even been shown in clinical trials to improve antibiotic-associated GI symptoms when taken concurrently with antibiotics,” says Landrum.

“Antibiotics kill off both bad and good bacteria in your gut, so it’s usually a good idea to incorporate probiotics after a bout of antibiotics,” adds Asche. But always consult with your doctor or healthcare provider if you have any questions.

The best time to take probiotics

When should you take your probiotics? The answer to that is it depends. Asche says that the best time of day to take probiotics is whenever it’s best for you. “This is really more of a personal preference than anything,” she says. “Like any supplement, wherever you’re actually going to remember to take it daily [is when you should take it]. Find what works for you and don’t stress too much about taking [it] at a specific time of day.”

Landrum agrees and says that most studies don’t specify which time of the day a probiotic should be taken. But if you need some guidance, she recommends taking it with whatever meal or snack is most convenient for you.

 

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for food, medicines, exercises and so on.   

 

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posted by G S Iyer at 5:14 AM 0 comments