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probiotics - take with or w/o food?!?!?!

453 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  tm2840
i'm so confused - articles and experts opinions seem to differ, as do the directions on different brands' labels. is there any real evidence that probiotics should be taken with food? without food? please help me. (and please forgive me if this has been covered ... and point me in the right direction ...) thank you!
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I take mine right before I eat! so with food.
Mine says to take it before meals so I just take it 30 min before I plan to eat.
We take it with food that the bacteria can feed on.

Generally we take it at breakfast time, so we have whole rye toast and yogurt anyway. I think that should do it.

Bacteria (Probiotics) is a part of the food chain so I would think it fits right in with food. Me thinks!

NO???
Quote:

Originally Posted by Gitti
Bacteria (Probiotics) is a part of the food chain so I would think it fits right in with food. Me thinks!

NO???
this is along the lines of what i was thinking. i read to take with food, as the food will dilute the stomach acids which will destroy the bacteria before they happily make their way to the intestines. THEN i read that you should take it on an empty stomach, because that is when stomach acids are at a minimum, thereby allowing the bacteria safe passage through the stomach to the intestines.

so confused.
Goes to show you no one has ever followed those little critters down the throat and out the wazoo....everyone is guessing.

So, maybe take it one day with food and the next on an empty stomach. This way you got both ends covered.

Pun intended.
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2
Quote:

Originally Posted by Gitti
So, maybe take it one day with food and the next on an empty stomach. This way you got both ends covered.

Pun intended.

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hmm...i've always heard to take it about 20 minutes after eating. who knows, right? i usually take mine at bedtime. now i'm confused...
Mine say they have a special coating that isn't dissolved until the capsule hits the intestines, past all the stomach acid. So I haven't worried much about the "when." But I'd say with food makes sense. Even 20 minutes after eating, while the stomach is closer to done with digestion, the intestines are going to be working on that food a while. JMO though.

Now that's a whole different topic! How long the whole digestion process takes. I've read anywhere from 6 hours to 3 days! Go figure. Maybe that's the difference between, say, broccoli and Wonder Bread!
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