Probiotics — do they survive your stomach acid?
Probiotic labels promise live cultures reach your gut. But do they actually survive your stomach acid?
- Claim
- PROBIOTICS SURVIVE ACID
- Catch
- OFTEN KILLED
- Verdict
- TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR
Researchers expose probiotic strains to simulated stomach acid and bile, then check how many survive to reach the intestine. Survival varies widely by strain.
Many common strains die in the stomach. Only some survive well, especially with enteric coatings or when taken with food. Most products don't guarantee live delivery.
Labels list billions of CFU at manufacture — not how many survive to your gut. Benefits are also strain and condition specific.
The catch: stomach survival is strain specific and often poor, and human data is limited and mixed. Labels overstate what reaches your gut alive.
SOURCES
- Probiotic gastric transit and survival studies (strain dependent; see ISAPP guidance on probiotic survival).
- International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP). What is a probiotic? isappscience.org.
For information only, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before starting supplements.
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