Should I take a probiotic? And other gut questions, answered
6/22/202613 min
Research shows that our gut microbiome -- the trillions of microbes that populate our intestines -- isn't just involved in digestion. It's intimately linked to our immune systems, mental health, cognition and more. If you want to improve the health of your gut microbiome, there are specific best practices that can help. This episode, NPR health correspondent Will Stone shares tips on probiotic supplements, microbiome tests, and the most important factor -- your diet.
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Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG are two examples of probiotic strains that have considerable evidence from randomized controlled trials. Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 for travelers' diarrhea and antibiotic-associated diarrhea and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG for antibiotic-associated diarrhea for children and adults, and also for upper respiratory tract infections.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Marielle Segarra· Host0:15
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Will Stone0:43
[upbeat music] Scientists know that our microbiome, it's not just involved in digestion. It's intimately linked with so much of our overall health. [upbeat music] It influences our immune system, our mental health, our cognition, and much, much more. Some of these links are only beginning to be fully revealed.
Marielle Segarra· Host1:11
You're listening to Life Kit. I'm Mariel SaGarra, and that was NPR health correspondent Will Stone. The gut microbiome is a way of describing the literally trillions of microbes that populate our intestines.
Will Stone1:24
A lot of these are bacteria, but we also have other, uh, organisms in there, fungi