February 25, 2025 • 22 mins
Can understanding your pediatric health history unlock the secrets to a better gut? Join Dr. Enrico Dolcecore in this enlightening episode as we explore the intricate world of probiotics and gut health. We promise you’ll gain a fresh perspective on why cycling through different probiotic strains is essential and how prebiotics play a crucial part in nourishing your gut flora, particularly after antibiotic use. Discover the complex relationship between diet and gut health, and why a balanced diet starting from birth can lay the foundation for a robust microbiome. We’ll clear up common misconceptions and arm you with the knowledge to foster a harmonious gut environment.
Through in-depth discussions, Dr. Dolcecori underscores the significance of early dietary habits such as breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, and how these choices impact gut microbiota development. Home-cooked meals loaded with probiotics like fermented foods could be your ticket to a more diverse and healthy gut. We also touch upon personalized health strategies, like stool testing, and why caution is advised for those with severe conditions like ulcerative colitis when considering probiotics. Rounding off with practical tips, this episode is your guide to integrating probiotics into your routine for enhanced digestion, immunity, and mental health, emphasizing the power of a mindful diet over reliance on supplements alone.
- Follow us on our social media on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok
- Check us out at FullLifeTampa.com
- Contact us at info@fulllifetampa.com
- Leave a review here
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to another episode of Living a Full Life.
I am Dr Enrico Dolcecori.
Thanks for joining us this week.
This week's podcast is allabout probiotics and the gut
biome.
There's a lot of misconceptionabout the gut biome and
probiotics and we as a cultureforget about them.
We'll get on this wholeprobiotic thing because we
(00:23):
listen to something on the radioand then we forget about it for
a long period of time.
And there's anothermisconception thinking that
probiotics are needed everysingle day.
But understanding whatprobiotics are is going to give
you a better rule of thumb perse on how to use them in your
life.
And I think we're in a gutepidemic of real poor gut health
(00:47):
for most Americans, most people.
And that's what leads toindigestion, stomach pain,
bloating, constipation, going tothe bathroom too frequently,
irregular stool all of thethings that the gut does can
tell us about overall functionin the body, and it comes from
this biosis that we're supposedto build in.
(01:09):
A healthy diet really is whereit comes from.
By eating a healthy diet webuild a healthy biome in the gut
and it starts right from birth.
Right, we talk about this Ifyou listen to some of our old
podcasts about colic and infants.
We talk about breast milk andhow important that is to build
the microbiome early in life,and if we didn't get breastfed,
(01:31):
then what we can do throughfoods to get there, and really
the processed food epidemicwe're in the pandemic I should
call it.
I mean it's absolutely horrible.
We mainly eat processed foods.
We just don't get the biomebuildup that we need to.
So understanding how probioticswork and breaking down
prebiotics and even postbioticscan really help us build our gut
(01:53):
in a healthy way and alsorelieve a lot of symptoms.
This is the solution for a lotof people.
Along with a revamp of the diet, can really help rebuild gut
health, which can eliminate alot of the gut issues that are
out there.
That's the whole point of thispodcast.
So let's dive into whatprobiotics really are and simply
(02:16):
gloss over the biome.
There's a couple podcasts fromlast season about the gut biome
that where we dive right into itand maybe we'll do another one
again.
But let's talk about probiotics.
That's what today's all about.
So the definition of aprobiotic is having a live
bacterial benefit from.
Whatever we take usually comesin pill form or powder form, but
(02:39):
it's a live beneficial bacteriathat you introduce orally into
the gut to help the good floracontinue to flourish.
In our gut there's differentstrains of probiotics so you
always want to mix and matchwhat you take.
So if you've been taking onetype of brand and you take it
every day and you've been takingit for months or years, it's
pretty much maxed out itscapacity in your gut.
(03:01):
You probably have enough ofthose bacteria because you've
been doing it so frequently.
So, like lactobacillus,bifidobacterium, saccharomyces,
all these other good flora thatare in there, there's tons of
them.
We want to cycle through them.
So we want to have to have 10billion, 50 billion cultures
that we cycle.
So once you buy a bottle andyou finish it, you take a little
bit of a break so the flora candie off, the overgrowth of
(03:24):
flora can die off, and then youcycle a new probiotic and you
kind of do this quarterly maybe.
Let's say it takes you twomonths to finish a bottle of
probiotics or a powder ofprobiotics.
Then you'd stay off of it fortwo months and then cycle
through another one, a new one,and introduce that to the gut.
And being sensitive to it is anormal thing.
So some probiotics you'll reactbetter to and other ones you'll
(03:46):
feel bloated or you'll feelsome symptoms from that.
You probably don't want tocontinue the ones that give you
symptoms, but you do want towrite down what was in that one
that you bought that createdsymptoms in you, because it may
be a link to an overgrowth ofthat particular one or a
conflict of interest of howbacteria work together in a
(04:06):
symbiosis.
So it's a very complexunderstanding of the gut and we
still haven't really scratchedthe surface about the gut biome.
But a lot of health science isgoing towards the gut because
understanding it more is goingto uncover a lot of the future
biotech that we get in thefuture.
Even medicine and helpingpeople in the future is going to
(04:29):
come from the gut.
And we're there, we're on thesurface, scratching and
understanding this.
So playing with the, with theprobiotics, can be an insight on
how your guts actuallyfunctioning.
The difference betweenprobiotics, prebiotics and
postbiotics I think there's alot of confusion about that.
Probiotics are something youjust take regularly, like a
(04:51):
supplement.
Prebiotics are consideredpre-digestive things that you
can take, like even digestiveenzymes or prebiotics that you
take to build up to probiotics.
So prebiotic would probably beused after a course of
antibiotics, for example.
Let's say you got an infectionor a virus or whatever, maybe
probably an infection with fever.
You went to the doctor likehere we're giving you some
(05:11):
antibiotics along with someFlonase or whatever it is, so
you get better.
You take the seven to 10 daycourse of antibiotics.
That antibiotic will mostlywipe out your gut bacteria
completely.
That's what antibiotics do, isthey kill it all.
So then you're depleted with avery scarce microbiome.
This is where you want to bringin a prebiotic to help nurture
(05:36):
more flora to come back in,instead of diving right back
into a probiotic.
There's some studies that showtaking a probiotic with your
antibiotics could be beneficial.
However, the antibiotic isstill going to kill off all of
the good flora Makes sense andbad, for it's going to kill off
everything, because that's whatantibiotics do.
So that's that.
And then postbiotics are after,usually after meal or a cycle.
(06:00):
After a probiotic cycle of two,three months, you would take a
postbiotic to help again withthe flora and overgrowth of the
bacteria that you're building in.
That, remember, when youintroduce 50 billion cultures
and you take that every day tohelp supplement your diet,
you're going to build up theflora, which is good, but then
we can get to what's called anovergrowth.
(06:20):
Once we get to an overgrowth ofcertain bacteria in the body, it
can create waste and gas andother products that come off of
it as well.
As they start to overgrow, theystart to die off.
They have to do that.
That's the cycle of bacteria.
Once they've eclipsed theirspace and used up the food
sources, they have to die off.
That's the way it is.
It's a growth, growth, growth,growth, growth until there's die
(06:42):
off.
So that's how bacteria work intheir environments.
And when they're in the gutthey only have so much resources
to work with.
And then, when you gotthousands of different strains,
it becomes complicated, kind oflike the world we live in
Thousands of different speciesliving on earth in harmony,
right, that's the whole point ofthe gut as well.
So why do we need probiotics?
(07:03):
Here's the science behind it.
It really helps with digestivehealth.
Our bacteria make up 90% of thetotal digestion that we do.
The other are some enzymes andacids that our body produces to
help break down food.
The rest of it, the 90%, isbroken down by the bacteria in
our gut.
So it helps break down food.
It helps also absorb thenutrients and it prevents
(07:26):
bloating.
Break down food.
It helps also absorb thenutrients and it prevents
bloating.
So having a good flora willactually show up, with people
that have less symptoms ofbloating or report less symptoms
of bloating after any meals.
Bloating typically means adysbiosis in that biome.
For sure, bloating is probablythe most obvious symptom.
If you eat any meal and youbloat, it's because the bacteria
(07:46):
are just not right.
So digestive health is the bigplayer with the probiotics and
then immune system support aswell.
70% of immune function is inthe gut.
We forget about that.
Our gut pretty much guides ourimmunity and a healthy gut leads
to a healthy immune system aswell.
The flora that plays a role inthe gut also plays a role in our
(08:10):
immune support.
Really important how those twothings dive together.
That's why when we're notfeeling well, our appetite is
cut as well.
It's connected to the gut.
We just don't want to eatbecause we're trying to recover.
It's the connection between theimmune system.
The immune system then switchesover to killing whatever
bacteria or viruses are in thebody during that time of being
(08:30):
sick and symptoms and thenreturns back to gut focus after
we're healthy.
So that's where loss ofappetite comes into play with
our immunity, mood and mentalhealth as well.
The gut brain connection is very, very real.
Neurotransmitters likeserotonin are based off of gut
activity.
Real Neurotransmitters likeserotonin are based off of gut
(08:50):
activity.
So that's where we have likesugar cravings or food and food
makes us happy and all thosegood things makes me happy and
that's because of the serotoninrelease there as well.
So those are the things thatare connected between the brain
and the gut, the gut and theimmunity and the gut itself for
digestion and also it's prettymuch the cursor for all
inflammatory chronic diseasesout there.
(09:12):
A healthy gut can prevent mostof these chronic diseases that
we have out there.
The link between gut health andconditions like obesity,
diabetes, autoimmune diseasesand even cardiovascular diseases
are all linked back to the gutand its inflammatory states.
Very interesting stuff thereand I hope I've built up the
(09:33):
importance of why we want tolook at this and how probiotics
can be a highly useful tool tohelp regulate and support
healthy digestive system.
So the gut biome we don't wantto dive into a whole 40 minute
podcast about the biome.
We have that let's.
Let's just kind of go into it.
You know what it's?
A diverse ecosystem.
(09:54):
That's really what it is Abacteria inside of the
intestines, with all of themplaying different roles.
Some bacteria actually aresustained in the gut that could
poison you in high consumption,like E coli.
E coli is prevalent in the gut,in the intestine, and it's
there for a reason.
The E coli actually lives offof some of the waste, die-off
(10:16):
waste, byproducts of otherbacteria.
It's crazy how they all worktogether so they actually take
the waste products and then makeother gas products from that as
well.
Usually certain gases aremethane and some other things
that are made from the wasteproducts of bacteria in there,
but they play a role in breakingdown other waste products from
(10:37):
other bacteria.
It's an amazing diversitythat's in our guts.
So diet, lifestyle andantibiotics play a big gut role
here.
So our lifestyle and how activewe are definitely supports the
gut, and then our cycles ofantibiotics also play a huge
role.
Having a pediatric healthhistory plays a big role, even
(10:58):
for you as an adult to look backand understand what your
pediatric health history was allabout.
Were you you breastfed?
Were you bottle fed?
Were you a cesarean sectionborn?
Were you naturally born?
Which way was your gut built inthose first few months of your
life?
It plays a big role.
Then how did you cycle throughantibiotics in your life?
(11:18):
If you're an 80s kid like me, Imean every ear infection,
everything there is antibiotics,antibiotics, antibiotics.
All the time.
The banana flavored antibiotic,all the amoxicillin all the
time the thing was like okay,banana, it tastes like banana
and that wrecks your gut.
It definitely wrecks it.
And did my parents doprobiotics at the time?
(11:39):
No, no.
I think my saving grace in myhousehold was having immigrant
parents who made home-cookedmeals 95% of the time.
We never ate out, we never hadfast food, never went through a
fast food chain at all, neverdid anything.
If we did go out to celebrate abirthday, it'd be at a
restaurant, an Italianrestaurant or a Chinese
restaurant or something that weall enjoyed as a family.
(12:00):
Otherwise, we cooked at home.
That was probably the savinggrace for that, because we ate a
lot of veggies.
We ate a Mediterranean diet,which helped with the probiotics
.
We had sauerkraut, we hadpickles, we had the stuff that
gave us the bacteria.
I think in my theory, becauseotherwise I have no idea how my
family and my relatives livedfor so long.
(12:21):
I have nothing to tell you.
I have no idea how they alllived to 100 and above.
I have no clue.
On my dad's side, even my Greekside, they have aunts and
uncles that are approaching 100,and they're on no meds.
It's unbelievable and I've beenstudying it and trying to
understand it.
But diet plays a huge role inthis.
So we need to understand theimportance of microbial
(12:43):
diversity and why probiotic canplay that role.
Because of the complexity ofthe gut.
This is why probiotic can playthat role.
Because of the complexity ofthe gut.
This is why probiotic makeslife so simple.
That's why we need it isbecause at least we're doing
something to cultivate thebiosis in our gut.
At least we do something.
So if you've forgotten aboutyour probiotic for the last year
or two, go get one, any one.
Just start with something andjust listen to how you feel.
(13:06):
Yes, it could be normal to havea side effect to it, like
bloating or discomfort or that.
Probably not the best probioticfor you, and they're not that
expensive.
So if you find one that's notgood, give it to your spouse.
Let them test it as well, notbecause you got bloated and you
want to make them bloated.
This isn't a.
This isn't, you know, acompetition.
But maybe it does well fortheir gut, then they can take it
(13:27):
.
But having a probiotic plays agreat role and then naturally it
comes through the foods that weeat.
So I brought up a coupleexamples of fermented foods.
You can ferment anything andthat will have more probiotic,
like sauerkraut.
A properly fermented sauerkrauthas more probiotic than
anything that can beencapsulated or in powder form.
(13:48):
It's going to have trillions ofbiotic properties to it
Trillions, so you can't even buythis.
So that's where this stuffplays a big role.
I love the Americans when wetalk about this stuff.
Once in a while you'll find onethat I love sauerkraut, but
most people are like sauerkraut,sauerkraut.
I don't care what you ferment,ferment whatever you want.
(14:09):
But fermentosis, or fermentingthings, is how you build biotics
inside of.
The fermenting process is wherebacteria love to live, and the
nice thing about the fermentingprocess is you get the good
bacteria.
It kills the gram.
The gram negative bacteria, thebad stuff that you know can can
hurt us the gram negativebacteria, the bad stuff that can
(14:31):
hurt us.
So that's great.
So fermenting plays a big rolein that.
So kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir,miso soup all that good stuff
have great probiotic sources inthem.
Just find organic and cleansources of that as well.
So you want to be takingprobiotics on a cycle.
Now this is where we get into alittle bit of medicine here.
So to give you advice over apodcast, I can't do it.
It's not going to work becauseeach person is a little bit
(14:53):
different.
But there's a couple things youneed to take into consideration
is what are your symptoms?
First off, if we're dealingwith something severe like
ulcerative colitis ordiverticulitis, be careful
taking any probiotics.
We don't want to disrupt thegut lining.
It's already inflamed.
You're already in pain.
It may cause more pain.
So be careful with this.
Work with a doctor functionalmedicine doctor that can analyze
(15:13):
your gut flora and check that.
And here's a PSA for everyoneEveryone should get a stool test
at some point in their adultlife to measure out and map out
where the strains of bacteriaare in your body and your gut.
You need to, otherwise you haveno idea what you're feeding or
what you're not feeding, orwhich are the good guys or which
(15:34):
are the bad guys or how many ofeach.
It's like this biosis that wewant to create of peace and
harmony in the gut.
It's just like the wishes andhopes of Earth.
Right, we want to live in peaceand harmony around the world,
all people living together andall species, right?
Well, good luck with that.
And then the gut is the samething.
So that's the theory that wewant to get to, but it's not.
(15:56):
It's a war in there all the timebecause you get these growths
of bad bacteria that grow there,cause a lot of symptoms like
candida, h pylori there's awhole bunch of things out there.
The bad guys that can grow evenE coli can grow cause a lot of
pain and discomfort and actuallyattack the good flora.
Then, with courses ofantibiotics, alcohol and a lot
(16:18):
of the processed foods, we killoff the good bacteria as well.
They don't stand a chance.
So the bad guys start to growin there and they take over.
And then we have to build ourarmies back up from scratch,
fight them off, and it's this,it's this constant war that goes
on in the gut.
But that's what homeostasis isall about pulling things back to
(16:38):
the middle, pulling them backto health.
That's the point there.
Um, so some myths aboutprobiotics.
Let's go through.
These are the probably three orfour things I hear in my office
all the time.
All probiotics are the same.
Can I take any one.
No, different strains havedifferent benefits and that's
again.
Maybe a stool test can guideyou into the right direction.
So when you work with afunctional medicine doctor let's
(17:00):
say you work with Dr Hafer atour office you would get it onto
a call, you would get the stooltests at your home, you would
do it, you would ship it off.
Fedex picks it up the nextmorning and in two weeks you've
got your results and it goesthrough all of them.
Then we know which strains andwhich probiotics you need.
That is the best way to do it.
So not all probiotics are thesame and there's no one shelf
(17:22):
probiotic that's best foreveryone.
So there's that too.
So that's why you have to playwith the ones that work.
So if you take one and you feelbetter, that's a good one for
you.
That's the one where you'rehitting probably the right
things.
So that's great.
That's why you can cyclethrough a bunch of them.
Myth number two you only needyogurt for gut health.
I love this one.
No way.
Yogurts don't have enoughactive cultures.
I don't care whichadvertisement you watch on
(17:43):
television, they do not haveenough that are worth you
consuming the yogurt in thefirst place.
They're filled with sugar,they're processed and you're not
getting much of a nutritionalbenefit from them.
I'm not a big fan of them atall.
It gives you something, itgives you something, and the sad
truth is our American childrenare not getting any good food.
This is the standard of healthnow.
(18:05):
So them eating a little bit ofyogurt is like, oh, it's kind of
a win for them.
But for most of you listening tothis podcast, you're probably
on the health train anyways,trying to stay well and healthy
so that you're 91 years old andon the golf course or on a
cruise ship like me.
That's my goal.
People ask me what's yourdefinition of health?
I want to be 94 years old, andchoosing which cruise to take,
not choosing which nurse in thenursing home, is going to wipe
(18:28):
my butt.
Simple, to the point, right.
That's what I think health andvitality is all about.
Getting to that point.
More probiotics equals betterresults.
Again, no, we could end upcreating a little bit of a mob
attack in the gut if we do that.
So quality and strain diversitymatter more than quantity.
(18:49):
So watching the label andseeing 10 billion or 50 billion,
don't just buy the 50 billion,because it's more than the 10
billion.
That's not a logical way ofputting probiotics into your
body, so that's a myth as well.
Probiotics work instantly?
Definitely not.
These bacteria need tocultivate and grow and you may
not get symptoms right away oryou may not feel better right
(19:09):
away.
So listening to the probiotic,usually getting a 30-day supply,
is always a great one.
I like those small bottles.
There are 30 capsules in them.
You take them.
It's going to take you two,three weeks to even notice
anything.
But be consistent with them.
Take them seven out of sevendays a week, as recommended on
the side of the bottle.
Typically it's a few hoursbefore a meal or around meals.
(19:30):
That's typically how you takeyour probiotics.
Um, and then just monitor, seehow you feel, see if it's making
you feel better or feel worse.
And probiotics alone can fix gutissues?
No, they absolutely cannot.
It's all comes back to diet.
A diverse diet of everything isrequired to feed all the
bacteria and good flora in ourgut.
(19:52):
They are all put there for apurpose, and there's species of
bacteria that only eat meatproducts.
They only eat and break downmeats.
There's those.
Then there's ones that onlybreak down fructose.
Then there's other ones thatonly break down dextrose.
Then there's ones that onlybreak down fiber.
(20:14):
Then there's ones that onlybreak down fish strains, fish
proteins Some of them only have,like seafood.
So there's a whole bunch ofthem in there waiting for a
diverse diet and differentvegetables.
A lot of vegetables that comefrom the ground actually have
their own enzymes, so as soon asyou start to chew them, they
(20:35):
start to break down themselves.
They're pre-made with their ownenzymes.
So once they fall off the treeor once they fall off the vine
and they're sitting there, theydecompose quickly because they
have their own enzyme inside ofthem that decomposes them.
Most living organisms do thatas well, so that's pretty cool
stuff.
It's all made in a symbioticrelationship, so diet is the
(20:55):
most important thing there.
Okay, probiotics are essentialfor digestion, immunity and
mental health.
Gut diversity matters supportedwith diet, lifestyle and the
right probiotics.
Rotate probiotic strains anddon't rely only on supplements,
and be aware of myths and chooseprobiotics wisely.
(21:17):
Typically, if you need any help, working with a functional
medicine doctor is just a guidedlight into a dark forest.
It works really well.
They can guide you in the rightdirection.
I hope you learned something onthis podcast today, but
definitely if you haven't beentaking a probiotic in a while.
Go get one for sure.
They're safe, they're effective.
The worst thing that can happenis you get a little bit of a
(21:38):
side effect to it and then youjust stop it.
Not a big deal, go get one.
It helps with your digestiveflora, it helps with digestion,
it helps with mood, it helpswith everything as.
Welcome to another episode of Living a Full Life.
I am Dr Enrico Dolcecori.
Thanks for joining us this week.
This week's podcast is allabout probiotics and the gut
biome.
There's a lot of misconceptionabout the gut biome and
probiotics and we as a cultureforget about them.
We'll get on this wholeprobiotic thing because we
(00:23):
listen to something on the radioand then we forget about it for
a long period of time.
And there's anothermisconception thinking that
probiotics are needed everysingle day.
But understanding whatprobiotics are is going to give
you a better rule of thumb perse on how to use them in your
life.
And I think we're in a gutepidemic of real poor gut health
(00:47):
for most Americans, most people.
And that's what leads toindigestion, stomach pain,
bloating, constipation, going tothe bathroom too frequently,
irregular stool all of thethings that the gut does can
tell us about overall functionin the body, and it comes from
this biosis that we're supposedto build in.
(01:09):
A healthy diet really is whereit comes from.
By eating a healthy diet webuild a healthy biome in the gut
and it starts right from birth.
Right, we talk about this Ifyou listen to some of our old
podcasts about colic and infants.
We talk about breast milk andhow important that is to build
the microbiome early in life,and if we didn't get breastfed,
(01:31):
then what we can do throughfoods to get there, and really
the processed food epidemicwe're in the pandemic I should
call it.
I mean it's absolutely horrible.
We mainly eat processed foods.
We just don't get the biomebuildup that we need to.
So understanding how probioticswork and breaking down
prebiotics and even postbioticscan really help us build our gut
(01:53):
in a healthy way and alsorelieve a lot of symptoms.
This is the solution for a lotof people.
Along with a revamp of the diet, can really help rebuild gut
health, which can eliminate alot of the gut issues that are
out there.
That's the whole point of thispodcast.
So let's dive into whatprobiotics really are and simply
(02:16):
gloss over the biome.
There's a couple podcasts fromlast season about the gut biome
that where we dive right into itand maybe we'll do another one
again.
But let's talk about probiotics.
That's what today's all about.
So the definition of aprobiotic is having a live
bacterial benefit from.
Whatever we take usually comesin pill form or powder form, but
(02:39):
it's a live beneficial bacteriathat you introduce orally into
the gut to help the good floracontinue to flourish.
In our gut there's differentstrains of probiotics so you
always want to mix and matchwhat you take.
So if you've been taking onetype of brand and you take it
every day and you've been takingit for months or years, it's
pretty much maxed out itscapacity in your gut.
(03:01):
You probably have enough ofthose bacteria because you've
been doing it so frequently.
So, like lactobacillus,bifidobacterium, saccharomyces,
all these other good flora thatare in there, there's tons of
them.
We want to cycle through them.
So we want to have to have 10billion, 50 billion cultures
that we cycle.
So once you buy a bottle andyou finish it, you take a little
bit of a break so the flora candie off, the overgrowth of
(03:24):
flora can die off, and then youcycle a new probiotic and you
kind of do this quarterly maybe.
Let's say it takes you twomonths to finish a bottle of
probiotics or a powder ofprobiotics.
Then you'd stay off of it fortwo months and then cycle
through another one, a new one,and introduce that to the gut.
And being sensitive to it is anormal thing.
So some probiotics you'll reactbetter to and other ones you'll
(03:46):
feel bloated or you'll feelsome symptoms from that.
You probably don't want tocontinue the ones that give you
symptoms, but you do want towrite down what was in that one
that you bought that createdsymptoms in you, because it may
be a link to an overgrowth ofthat particular one or a
conflict of interest of howbacteria work together in a
(04:06):
symbiosis.
So it's a very complexunderstanding of the gut and we
still haven't really scratchedthe surface about the gut biome.
But a lot of health science isgoing towards the gut because
understanding it more is goingto uncover a lot of the future
biotech that we get in thefuture.
Even medicine and helpingpeople in the future is going to
(04:29):
come from the gut.
And we're there, we're on thesurface, scratching and
understanding this.
So playing with the, with theprobiotics, can be an insight on
how your guts actuallyfunctioning.
The difference betweenprobiotics, prebiotics and
postbiotics I think there's alot of confusion about that.
Probiotics are something youjust take regularly, like a
(04:51):
supplement.
Prebiotics are consideredpre-digestive things that you
can take, like even digestiveenzymes or prebiotics that you
take to build up to probiotics.
So prebiotic would probably beused after a course of
antibiotics, for example.
Let's say you got an infectionor a virus or whatever, maybe
probably an infection with fever.
You went to the doctor likehere we're giving you some
(05:11):
antibiotics along with someFlonase or whatever it is, so
you get better.
You take the seven to 10 daycourse of antibiotics.
That antibiotic will mostlywipe out your gut bacteria
completely.
That's what antibiotics do, isthey kill it all.
So then you're depleted with avery scarce microbiome.
This is where you want to bringin a prebiotic to help nurture
(05:36):
more flora to come back in,instead of diving right back
into a probiotic.
There's some studies that showtaking a probiotic with your
antibiotics could be beneficial.
However, the antibiotic isstill going to kill off all of
the good flora Makes sense andbad, for it's going to kill off
everything, because that's whatantibiotics do.
So that's that.
And then postbiotics are after,usually after meal or a cycle.
(06:00):
After a probiotic cycle of two,three months, you would take a
postbiotic to help again withthe flora and overgrowth of the
bacteria that you're building in.
That, remember, when youintroduce 50 billion cultures
and you take that every day tohelp supplement your diet,
you're going to build up theflora, which is good, but then
we can get to what's called anovergrowth.
(06:20):
Once we get to an overgrowth ofcertain bacteria in the body, it
can create waste and gas andother products that come off of
it as well.
As they start to overgrow, theystart to die off.
They have to do that.
That's the cycle of bacteria.
Once they've eclipsed theirspace and used up the food
sources, they have to die off.
That's the way it is.
It's a growth, growth, growth,growth, growth until there's die
(06:42):
off.
So that's how bacteria work intheir environments.
And when they're in the gutthey only have so much resources
to work with.
And then, when you gotthousands of different strains,
it becomes complicated, kind oflike the world we live in
Thousands of different speciesliving on earth in harmony,
right, that's the whole point ofthe gut as well.
So why do we need probiotics?
(07:03):
Here's the science behind it.
It really helps with digestivehealth.
Our bacteria make up 90% of thetotal digestion that we do.
The other are some enzymes andacids that our body produces to
help break down food.
The rest of it, the 90%, isbroken down by the bacteria in
our gut.
So it helps break down food.
It helps also absorb thenutrients and it prevents
(07:26):
bloating.
Break down food.
It helps also absorb thenutrients and it prevents
bloating.
So having a good flora willactually show up, with people
that have less symptoms ofbloating or report less symptoms
of bloating after any meals.
Bloating typically means adysbiosis in that biome.
For sure, bloating is probablythe most obvious symptom.
If you eat any meal and youbloat, it's because the bacteria
(07:46):
are just not right.
So digestive health is the bigplayer with the probiotics and
then immune system support aswell.
70% of immune function is inthe gut.
We forget about that.
Our gut pretty much guides ourimmunity and a healthy gut leads
to a healthy immune system aswell.
The flora that plays a role inthe gut also plays a role in our
(08:10):
immune support.
Really important how those twothings dive together.
That's why when we're notfeeling well, our appetite is
cut as well.
It's connected to the gut.
We just don't want to eatbecause we're trying to recover.
It's the connection between theimmune system.
The immune system then switchesover to killing whatever
bacteria or viruses are in thebody during that time of being
(08:30):
sick and symptoms and thenreturns back to gut focus after
we're healthy.
So that's where loss ofappetite comes into play with
our immunity, mood and mentalhealth as well.
The gut brain connection is very, very real.
Neurotransmitters likeserotonin are based off of gut
activity.
Real Neurotransmitters likeserotonin are based off of gut
(08:50):
activity.
So that's where we have likesugar cravings or food and food
makes us happy and all thosegood things makes me happy and
that's because of the serotoninrelease there as well.
So those are the things thatare connected between the brain
and the gut, the gut and theimmunity and the gut itself for
digestion and also it's prettymuch the cursor for all
inflammatory chronic diseasesout there.
(09:12):
A healthy gut can prevent mostof these chronic diseases that
we have out there.
The link between gut health andconditions like obesity,
diabetes, autoimmune diseasesand even cardiovascular diseases
are all linked back to the gutand its inflammatory states.
Very interesting stuff thereand I hope I've built up the
(09:33):
importance of why we want tolook at this and how probiotics
can be a highly useful tool tohelp regulate and support
healthy digestive system.
So the gut biome we don't wantto dive into a whole 40 minute
podcast about the biome.
We have that let's.
Let's just kind of go into it.
You know what it's?
A diverse ecosystem.
(09:54):
That's really what it is Abacteria inside of the
intestines, with all of themplaying different roles.
Some bacteria actually aresustained in the gut that could
poison you in high consumption,like E coli.
E coli is prevalent in the gut,in the intestine, and it's
there for a reason.
The E coli actually lives offof some of the waste, die-off
(10:16):
waste, byproducts of otherbacteria.
It's crazy how they all worktogether so they actually take
the waste products and then makeother gas products from that as
well.
Usually certain gases aremethane and some other things
that are made from the wasteproducts of bacteria in there,
but they play a role in breakingdown other waste products from
(10:37):
other bacteria.
It's an amazing diversitythat's in our guts.
So diet, lifestyle andantibiotics play a big gut role
here.
So our lifestyle and how activewe are definitely supports the
gut, and then our cycles ofantibiotics also play a huge
role.
Having a pediatric healthhistory plays a big role, even
(10:58):
for you as an adult to look backand understand what your
pediatric health history was allabout.
Were you you breastfed?
Were you bottle fed?
Were you a cesarean sectionborn?
Were you naturally born?
Which way was your gut built inthose first few months of your
life?
It plays a big role.
Then how did you cycle throughantibiotics in your life?
(11:18):
If you're an 80s kid like me, Imean every ear infection,
everything there is antibiotics,antibiotics, antibiotics.
All the time.
The banana flavored antibiotic,all the amoxicillin all the
time the thing was like okay,banana, it tastes like banana
and that wrecks your gut.
It definitely wrecks it.
And did my parents doprobiotics at the time?
(11:39):
No, no.
I think my saving grace in myhousehold was having immigrant
parents who made home-cookedmeals 95% of the time.
We never ate out, we never hadfast food, never went through a
fast food chain at all, neverdid anything.
If we did go out to celebrate abirthday, it'd be at a
restaurant, an Italianrestaurant or a Chinese
restaurant or something that weall enjoyed as a family.
(12:00):
Otherwise, we cooked at home.
That was probably the savinggrace for that, because we ate a
lot of veggies.
We ate a Mediterranean diet,which helped with the probiotics
.
We had sauerkraut, we hadpickles, we had the stuff that
gave us the bacteria.
I think in my theory, becauseotherwise I have no idea how my
family and my relatives livedfor so long.
(12:21):
I have nothing to tell you.
I have no idea how they alllived to 100 and above.
I have no clue.
On my dad's side, even my Greekside, they have aunts and
uncles that are approaching 100,and they're on no meds.
It's unbelievable and I've beenstudying it and trying to
understand it.
But diet plays a huge role inthis.
So we need to understand theimportance of microbial
(12:43):
diversity and why probiotic canplay that role.
Because of the complexity ofthe gut.
This is why probiotic can playthat role.
Because of the complexity ofthe gut.
This is why probiotic makeslife so simple.
That's why we need it isbecause at least we're doing
something to cultivate thebiosis in our gut.
At least we do something.
So if you've forgotten aboutyour probiotic for the last year
or two, go get one, any one.
Just start with something andjust listen to how you feel.
(13:06):
Yes, it could be normal to havea side effect to it, like
bloating or discomfort or that.
Probably not the best probioticfor you, and they're not that
expensive.
So if you find one that's notgood, give it to your spouse.
Let them test it as well, notbecause you got bloated and you
want to make them bloated.
This isn't a.
This isn't, you know, acompetition.
But maybe it does well fortheir gut, then they can take it
(13:27):
.
But having a probiotic plays agreat role and then naturally it
comes through the foods that weeat.
So I brought up a coupleexamples of fermented foods.
You can ferment anything andthat will have more probiotic,
like sauerkraut.
A properly fermented sauerkrauthas more probiotic than
anything that can beencapsulated or in powder form.
(13:48):
It's going to have trillions ofbiotic properties to it
Trillions, so you can't even buythis.
So that's where this stuffplays a big role.
I love the Americans when wetalk about this stuff.
Once in a while you'll find onethat I love sauerkraut, but
most people are like sauerkraut,sauerkraut.
I don't care what you ferment,ferment whatever you want.
(14:09):
But fermentosis, or fermentingthings, is how you build biotics
inside of.
The fermenting process is wherebacteria love to live, and the
nice thing about the fermentingprocess is you get the good
bacteria.
It kills the gram.
The gram negative bacteria, thebad stuff that you know can can
hurt us the gram negativebacteria, the bad stuff that can
(14:31):
hurt us.
So that's great.
So fermenting plays a big rolein that.
So kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir,miso soup all that good stuff
have great probiotic sources inthem.
Just find organic and cleansources of that as well.
So you want to be takingprobiotics on a cycle.
Now this is where we get into alittle bit of medicine here.
So to give you advice over apodcast, I can't do it.
It's not going to work becauseeach person is a little bit
(14:53):
different.
But there's a couple things youneed to take into consideration
is what are your symptoms?
First off, if we're dealingwith something severe like
ulcerative colitis ordiverticulitis, be careful
taking any probiotics.
We don't want to disrupt thegut lining.
It's already inflamed.
You're already in pain.
It may cause more pain.
So be careful with this.
Work with a doctor functionalmedicine doctor that can analyze
(15:13):
your gut flora and check that.
And here's a PSA for everyoneEveryone should get a stool test
at some point in their adultlife to measure out and map out
where the strains of bacteriaare in your body and your gut.
You need to, otherwise you haveno idea what you're feeding or
what you're not feeding, orwhich are the good guys or which
(15:34):
are the bad guys or how many ofeach.
It's like this biosis that wewant to create of peace and
harmony in the gut.
It's just like the wishes andhopes of Earth.
Right, we want to live in peaceand harmony around the world,
all people living together andall species, right?
Well, good luck with that.
And then the gut is the samething.
So that's the theory that wewant to get to, but it's not.
(15:56):
It's a war in there all the timebecause you get these growths
of bad bacteria that grow there,cause a lot of symptoms like
candida, h pylori there's awhole bunch of things out there.
The bad guys that can grow evenE coli can grow cause a lot of
pain and discomfort and actuallyattack the good flora.
Then, with courses ofantibiotics, alcohol and a lot
(16:18):
of the processed foods, we killoff the good bacteria as well.
They don't stand a chance.
So the bad guys start to growin there and they take over.
And then we have to build ourarmies back up from scratch,
fight them off, and it's this,it's this constant war that goes
on in the gut.
But that's what homeostasis isall about pulling things back to
(16:38):
the middle, pulling them backto health.
That's the point there.
Um, so some myths aboutprobiotics.
Let's go through.
These are the probably three orfour things I hear in my office
all the time.
All probiotics are the same.
Can I take any one.
No, different strains havedifferent benefits and that's
again.
Maybe a stool test can guideyou into the right direction.
So when you work with afunctional medicine doctor let's
(17:00):
say you work with Dr Hafer atour office you would get it onto
a call, you would get the stooltests at your home, you would
do it, you would ship it off.
Fedex picks it up the nextmorning and in two weeks you've
got your results and it goesthrough all of them.
Then we know which strains andwhich probiotics you need.
That is the best way to do it.
So not all probiotics are thesame and there's no one shelf
(17:22):
probiotic that's best foreveryone.
So there's that too.
So that's why you have to playwith the ones that work.
So if you take one and you feelbetter, that's a good one for
you.
That's the one where you'rehitting probably the right
things.
So that's great.
That's why you can cyclethrough a bunch of them.
Myth number two you only needyogurt for gut health.
I love this one.
No way.
Yogurts don't have enoughactive cultures.
I don't care whichadvertisement you watch on
(17:43):
television, they do not haveenough that are worth you
consuming the yogurt in thefirst place.
They're filled with sugar,they're processed and you're not
getting much of a nutritionalbenefit from them.
I'm not a big fan of them atall.
It gives you something, itgives you something, and the sad
truth is our American childrenare not getting any good food.
This is the standard of healthnow.
(18:05):
So them eating a little bit ofyogurt is like, oh, it's kind of
a win for them.
But for most of you listening tothis podcast, you're probably
on the health train anyways,trying to stay well and healthy
so that you're 91 years old andon the golf course or on a
cruise ship like me.
That's my goal.
People ask me what's yourdefinition of health?
I want to be 94 years old, andchoosing which cruise to take,
not choosing which nurse in thenursing home, is going to wipe
(18:28):
my butt.
Simple, to the point, right.
That's what I think health andvitality is all about.
Getting to that point.
More probiotics equals betterresults.
Again, no, we could end upcreating a little bit of a mob
attack in the gut if we do that.
So quality and strain diversitymatter more than quantity.
(18:49):
So watching the label andseeing 10 billion or 50 billion,
don't just buy the 50 billion,because it's more than the 10
billion.
That's not a logical way ofputting probiotics into your
body, so that's a myth as well.
Probiotics work instantly?
Definitely not.
These bacteria need tocultivate and grow and you may
not get symptoms right away oryou may not feel better right
(19:09):
away.
So listening to the probiotic,usually getting a 30-day supply,
is always a great one.
I like those small bottles.
There are 30 capsules in them.
You take them.
It's going to take you two,three weeks to even notice
anything.
But be consistent with them.
Take them seven out of sevendays a week, as recommended on
the side of the bottle.
Typically it's a few hoursbefore a meal or around meals.
(19:30):
That's typically how you takeyour probiotics.
Um, and then just monitor, seehow you feel, see if it's making
you feel better or feel worse.
And probiotics alone can fix gutissues?
No, they absolutely cannot.
It's all comes back to diet.
A diverse diet of everything isrequired to feed all the
bacteria and good flora in ourgut.
(19:52):
They are all put there for apurpose, and there's species of
bacteria that only eat meatproducts.
They only eat and break downmeats.
There's those.
Then there's ones that onlybreak down fructose.
Then there's other ones thatonly break down dextrose.
Then there's ones that onlybreak down fiber.
(20:14):
Then there's ones that onlybreak down fish strains, fish
proteins Some of them only have,like seafood.
So there's a whole bunch ofthem in there waiting for a
diverse diet and differentvegetables.
A lot of vegetables that comefrom the ground actually have
their own enzymes, so as soon asyou start to chew them, they
(20:35):
start to break down themselves.
They're pre-made with their ownenzymes.
So once they fall off the treeor once they fall off the vine
and they're sitting there, theydecompose quickly because they
have their own enzyme inside ofthem that decomposes them.
Most living organisms do thatas well, so that's pretty cool
stuff.
It's all made in a symbioticrelationship, so diet is the
(20:55):
most important thing there.
Okay, probiotics are essentialfor digestion, immunity and
mental health.
Gut diversity matters supportedwith diet, lifestyle and the
right probiotics.
Rotate probiotic strains anddon't rely only on supplements,
and be aware of myths and chooseprobiotics wisely.
(21:17):
Typically, if you need any help, working with a functional
medicine doctor is just a guidedlight into a dark forest.
It works really well.
They can guide you in the rightdirection.
I hope you learned something onthis podcast today, but
definitely if you haven't beentaking a probiotic in a while.
Go get one for sure.
They're safe, they're effective.
The worst thing that can happenis you get a little bit of a
(21:38):
side effect to it and then youjust stop it.
Not a big deal, go get one.
It helps with your digestiveflora, it helps with digestion,
it helps with mood, it helpswith everything as.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com