Are Your Probiotics Really Doing Anything? Signs They Might (& Might Not) Be

We don't know about you, but we like to multitask around here. But taking on multiple projects at once or juggling careers, family, and hobbies is still nothing compared to the many varied kinds of tasks that our gut microbiome takes daily. That's right; we said "gut" because the group or microorganisms there command not only digestion but immunity, inflammation, and metabolism, and even influence the brain, lungs, heart, and liver, according to the Cleveland Clinic. 

Being so influential in our bodies means that if the microorganisms are even a little off-balance, it may cause a domino effect on the rest of our organs and bodily functions. The good news is, with the help of probiotics, you may be able to help keep any bad bacteria that might have ended up in your system under control. Healthline lists many benefits to having a good probiotic balance, including improving mental health, minimizing or eliminating allergies and eczema, improving immunity, and even losing weight.

Although some foods provide us with "good" microorganisms — both probiotics and prebiotics — many of us take extra supplements to boost our bodies, and if you're taking supplements, you want to make sure that they're doing something. While many factors can contribute to health issues — and probiotics alone may not be able to fully combat them — they may be able to help in several ways. So what changes can you expect if your probiotics are working? And what kinds of side effects could probiotics produce if they're not jiving just so with your body?

Most of us know that you can treat an infection with antibiotics, but did you know that you may be able to crowd out bacteria simply by providing more good bacteria? In recent years, as more and more studies have been done with probiotics, we've learned about their potential for helping our bodies prevent or even treat infections.

A 2012 study published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One found that the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus paracasei could help inhibit the growth of another bacteria, Listeria, which could prevent or at least lessen the spread of infection in our organisms. Listeria is a quite common bacteria that can be found in improperly cooked meats, especially poultry. The CDC notes Listeria as the "third leading cause of death from foodborne illness" in the U.S., with "an estimated 1,600 people" getting the infection per year. 

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health reports over 20 different ways that probiotics may be helpful in varying kinds of infections in the body, which different researchers studied in recent years. A 2017 review found that probiotics could help treat Clostridium difficile infections in the colon; a 2016 review found that probiotics may help treat periodontal disease, which is brought about by repeated gum infections; and a 2015 review of a dozen studies found evidence to suggest that probiotics could lessen the impact of upper respiratory infections.

We did tell you that probiotics are a whole-body thing, right? Case in point — if your probiotic levels are off, you may start seeing it on your skin. Acne, rosacea, eczema, and even just basic inflammation could be more pronounced or even flare up on you if your gut isn't balanced correctly. This doesn't mean that all acne, eczema, rosacea, or inflammation is caused by bad bacteria, though, as there are several other factors that could contribute to common skin problems. 

According to Healthline, there is ground for belief that "using probiotics in both pill and topical form" could assist in not only treating but preventing "skin conditions including eczema, acne, dry skin, and UV-induced skin damage." Research has also shown that even with age, as changes to the pH levels and skin health occur, probiotics can help combat it and keep the skin in a healthy balance.

Are you generally moody, on edge, anxious, or depressed? While there are many factors that could be at play here, studies show that probiotics could help with that. Healthnews reports that around 95% of the serotonin that's available in our bodies is "provided by the gut," — so if you're not happy, try adding probiotics to your daily regimen. Plus, Johns Hopkins Medicine says that it's been found that those with irritable bowel syndrome, which is linked to poor gut health, among other things, also have higher instances of depression and anxiety.

A review in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, & Health found that, although it "warrants further investigation," participants of 7 studies that used prebiotic and probiotic therapy were able to alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety. With that being said, probiotic supplements for mood stabilization have been one of the least studied of the probiotic benefits and the types of probiotics that are effective and just how much still needs to be studied.

This one just goes hand in hand with better digestion and regular bowel movements. If you've got those two covered, your bloating issues may go away on their own. Probiotics are also helpful in absorbing and delivering the components of the food that you ingest. When vitamins are being delivered efficiently, your digestive system may function better.

Healthline also says that probiotics can help to "lower the pH level in your colon," which could be a factor to "help stool move faster through it" when the proper amount of probiotics are present in your gut.

The punctual elimination of stool means that your body can have fewer digestion issues to deal with, and since stool stays put less, you may also have less gas to deal with in your gut. So far, though, only probiotics under the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera have been thoroughly tested for their efficacy against bloating.

This is actually a two-way street — the health of your microbiome can affect your sleep, but the quality of your sleep can also affect the health of your gut. Let's take it from one end. Research has shown in recent years that an "imbalance" in the good and bad bacteria in our guts can lead to "leaky gut" syndrome, says Sleep Advisor.

Your leaky gut will then allow the release of "endotoxins and lots of other inflammatory compounds" that will then trigger your "fight-or-flight response." And it can happen at any time of the day — even at night.

Translation? That means no sleep for you. Or at least, not good sleep. Because how are you supposed to fall asleep if your body is telling you that there's danger and you need to run or battle? And if that wasn't enough to keep you up at night, an unhealthy gut is also not producing enough serotonin, which means not enough melatonin either.

Not only is your brain's processing power potentially increased with probiotics, but it can also affect your moods and, thus, your overall demeanor. Harvard Health Publishing reports that a study from the journal Gastroenterology found that even just eating a small number of probiotics during a four-week period led participants to react more calmly "when exposed to images of angry and frightened faces compared to a control group."

It's no wonder, either, since most of the serotonin in our bodies is produced in the gut. Probiotics thus work in more than one way to keep your anxiety at bay — it can help your body to produce more of the "happy hormone" while at the same time naturally easing any anxiety you currently have. Although this science is not quite solid yet, and there is still a lot of research to be done before strong conclusions are drawn, there is a lot of potential for probiotics to be a supportive superfood for your mental health.

Depending on the kind of probiotics you take and your body's sensitivity or inclinations, they could induce headaches due to something called biogenic amines (per Healthline). Biogenic amines are compounds that are formed when "protein-containing foods age or are fermented by bacteria." This means that yogurts, cheese, or sauerkraut can all be possible sources of biogenic amines.

The headaches you can experience from ingesting food that naturally contains probiotics are due to the fact that biogenic amines "increase or decrease blood flow," which can, in turn, cause headaches. Fortunately, this can be remedied easily. 

Consider taking probiotics in supplement form instead of from foods, which may remedy any headache problems you might be experiencing if they're related to biogenic amines. Healthline also suggests keeping a "food diary" so that you can connect your food intake to any headaches you might have throughout the day.

There is some risk that taking certain probiotics could have the potential to irritate already-present allergies. Some strains of probiotics can produce histamine once inside the intestinal tract, which could spell trouble for those that have a low histamine tolerance (via Hyperbiotics).

In theory, it could be argued that you should just stay away from strains that produce histamine in the body, but there hasn't been enough research in that area to give conclusive data yet. A few strains, such as Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus hilgardii, and Streptococcus thermophilus, have been identified to produce histamines in the body. Still, there could also be others that haven't been studied as closely yet.

Additionally, you could be experiencing more allergy symptoms due to the additives in the probiotic supplements that you're taking. Some supplements contain dairy, soy, or eggs, which could be a trigger for those sensitive to these ingredients. Look for probiotics that don't contain any allergy-triggering ingredients, and consider changing your supplement if you feel like it's doing more harm than good.