Cattyles, you might be interested in this little experiment done by BBC health, where they tried to measure the results of probiotic foods:

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-38800977

Bottom line: homemade kefir was by far the best, better than anything you can buy.

What cattyles said except it was acid reflex for my daughter and then IBS for my dog years later. The micro flora we added as well improved things to the point that DD has no more symptoms of acid reflux and has been healed ever since, for 20 years! Oh how time flies... We also used DGL but that's another story. :)

I started taking them about a 2 years ago due to dumping syndrome after gallbladder removal. The dumping syndrome has improved tremendously but I don't know if it would have resolved on its own. In any case I have not had a cold in almost 2 years either and I used to get colds a lot. This is all anecdotal but I plan to keep taking them.

Does anyone know the difference between "probiotics" and the "live cultures" that are listed as being in some yogurt brands? I have always assumed them to be the same or similar but I don't know that for a fact. I make it a point to buy yogurt that contains the live cultures.

Thank you for the article, writersblock. It's good to see outside confirmation for my admittedly biased research! I brought in two kittens about a year ago, Bucky and Sarah. Bucky has had varying degrees of diarrhea and loose stools his whole life. I started out with just 1/4 tsp of kefir milk daily and by the time I worked up to 1 tsp daily his poop was completely normal. We are going to stick with it. It's a small inconvenience to take care of the starter grains and keep them active by starting a new batch of milk every day. But it's worth it for the results.

I had c-diff a couple of summers ago and never EVER want to go through that again!! I started taking probiotics daily. I take the Reuteri pearls.

Junco, I'm pretty sure the live cultures in yogurt are strains of probiotic.

Yes, a probiotic pill may contain more different kinds of bacteria than yogurt does, but not necessarily. There really aren't any standards for that yet, since for one thing they know they still don't know every kind you need.

The cats do well on kefir? So do I ;0) I haven't been making it fresh though, I buy it at Trader Joe's.

DH prefers yogurt. He went through a several month period where he could often feel bloated and hopefully not TMI, but gassy. A little yogurt each day has completely resolved that without changing any of his favorite foods.

Yes we take them daily. So does my little dog she has always had stomach problems and daily probiotics really helped her. I also have bile dumping syndrome and the probiotics helps. I drink Kefir too.

Raven, how much do you drink daily? I've never been a milk drinker. But I have seen such great results that I want to try it. Do you blend it into a smoothie?

Smhinnb, I never knew there could be a connection with Parkinson's. My mother has Parkinson's and has been diagnosed with IBS. As long as I can recall she has had gut or intestinal issues as well as anxiety (though she denies the anxiety) And now her cognition/decision making is really becoming a problem. That connection is something new to look into! Thank you!

Thanks everyone for the comments. The more I read on the subject in general, I find it all so very interesting. And I realize how much I obviously don't know.

I didn't know what Kefir was until last night when I googled it. I'm not sure how I would make out with that, I really struggle with eating certain textures. Despite many attempts I still can't eat yogurt.

Well, if you read the BBC article I linked in a previous post, they also said that homemade pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi are very good. I don't have anywhere to ferment sauerkraut, so I go to a local urban farm and buy their homemade pickles, which aren't ultra pasteurized like the ones you get at the grocery store.

Part of the issue with probiotics is getting the bacteria safely past the stomach acids, so look for pills that are designed to break down in the gut.

There is also something called pre-biotics which are supposed to help feed the existing good bacteria in your gut.

Writersblock, I did read that last night, but there are only so many pickles you can eat (and sauerkraut too for that matter). I've never been exposed to Kimchi, so I'm not sure if it's something I would enjoy eating or not. I mentioned kefir specifically because so many people here have mentioned they make and use it, and it seems to be a bit of a gold-standard for naturally sourced probiotics. Luckily, there are significantly more items high in prebiotics that I eat regularly.

Smhinnb- you strain the grains out of the milk and use the grains to make new kefir. You don't eat the grains. I'm not sure I could drink the milk, though. I've never drank cows milk and just the thought of buttermilk makes me gag. The kefir milk smells very mild. I'm psyching myself out to try it.

For those not fond of dairy, kombucha is another alternative to kefir. You can make it yourself if you are inclined. I purchase a bottle every so often at Wal-Mart or a health food store. It is not cheap, but can be refreshing. My favorite is a ginger-blueberry flavor. Also, if one does not want dairy kefir, kefir can be made with coconut milk/water for those who would find that more palatable. I am not sure if coconut kefir is available commercially, though.

A couple of years ago I visited my son in South Korea. I ate kimchi every day while I was there. Normally when I travel overseas I will have a little tummy issue as I adjust to the time zone, new food, etc., but I had absolutely no problems while I was in South Korea.

As for kombucha, just remember that if you buy it in a chain store it's likely to be pasteurized, which neutralizes most of the probiotic effect. Check the label and if it is, look for another brand or make your own. Or buy locally-made, but at least around here, the price for homemade kombucha at the green market is insane.

Cattyles and others--this is very interesting. On searching for "yogurt vs kefir" I found many sites discussing the topic. The kefir contains many more strains which work in different ways in the gut, but both are helpful if the right ones are chosen. There is much discussion of how they are produced, how much sugar is added, how they are stored, and many other issues. Some of the sites have statements and conclusions that are questionable to me so all of it should be considered carefully.

For those of you taking the supplements, which ones do you use and how did you choose?

Thanks!

I love Kimchi but it's difficult find good Kimchi unless you have a Korean market or Korean restaurant that will sell you some. Our Whole Foods has a Korean woman in the kitchen so you can get the good stuff there. Some of the stuff in glass bottles is pretty good but not like in an authentic Korean restaurant.

You could make it yourself but the smell is really strong and stays around awhile.

For those of you taking the supplements, which ones do you use and how did you choose?

I asked the pharmacist and she just said that any of the ones that have to be refrigerated are usually more reliable than those that don't.

Part of the issue with probiotics is getting the bacteria safely past the stomach acids, so look for pills that are designed to break down in the gut.

I'm sure this is a stupid question - but will the bottle actually say something to that effect? How will I know they are designed to break down in the gut?

Edited: Google is my friend. Many supplements actually do specify that they have a 'enteric coating' which protects them while traveling through the acidic environment of your stomach.

I like kombucha too. I buy it @ Trader Joe's. FWIW 1 bottle is 2 servings. I buy 1 bottle weekly and drink 1/2 early in the day,over 2 days, since the high B vitamin content tends to interfere w/ my sleep.