More and more people are beginning to understand the importance gut health has towards overall health.  Many have begun to experiment with various forms of probiotics in order to try and help improve the health and function of the gut.

In particular, those with a candida overgrowth can benefit tremendously by improving their gut microbiome and increasing overall diversity in the gut.

Those with candida overgrowth often times suffer from a gut dysbiosis.  This simply means that their gut lacks diversity and is typically overrun with bad bacteria. 

However, should those with candida overgrowth take a probiotic in order to help reverse a candida overgrowth?  Also, how safe are these probiotics when taken long term? Can they cause adverse reactions in the body?

These are all questions we hope to answer in this post.  In fact, by the end of this post you will be able to make a better decision if a probiotic supplement is right for you and which one is best for candida overgrowth.

The Problem with Probiotic Supplements

Although they can be useful, there are a lot of downfalls that come with taking a probiotic supplement.  For one, most probiotics that come in a pill are typically already dead.  It’s not uncommon for many of these supplements to sit on the shelves for months before being used.

In fact, many of the strains of probiotics included in these supplements lack the ability to survive past the body’s stomach acid.  These probiotics are simply neutralized by the stomach acid before having a positive effect on the gut.

Furthermore, many probiotic supplements often times are lacking in diversity.  They simply contain way too much of one particular strain.  There are up to 1000 different species of bacteria present in a healthy human gut.  Unfortunately, most of the popular probiotics on the market only contain between 50-100 strains.

When these supplements are taken long term, you risk developing an imbalance between the various bacteria within the gut.  It’s important to understand that the body loves balance; anything that disrupts this balance can lead to negative health.

Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Candida

Lactobacillus Acidophilus is species of beneficial bacteria that ferments sugar into lactic acid.  This bacteria is capable of growing at an extremely low PH and is able to survive past the body’s stomach acid.

This particular strain of bacteria is used extensively by health practitioners when trying to combat a candida overgrowth in the body.  Research has shown that Lactobacillus Acidophilus has anti-fungal properties and can be used to help inhibit the growth of candida albicans in the body (1).

However, although Lactobacillus Acidophilus may be beneficial for candida, there are better strains of bacteria in our opinion for fighting against candida overgrowth.  In fact, many of the bacterial strains that we recommend occur naturally right in the soil (more on this below)!

Histamine and Probiotics – What they Don’t Tell You

One of the secrets that often doesn’t get talked about by those promoting probiotics for better gut health is the excess amounts of histamine many of these probiotics produce in the gut.

In our experience, those suffering from a candida overgrowth almost always suffer from some form of histamine intolerance.  This is because candida naturally stimulates the mast cells in the gut which causes the body to produce high amounts of histamine (2).  Overtime, this excess histamine in the body can cause the individual to become extremely hypersensitive to the this compound.

Common signs of histamine intolerance include:

• Bloating
• Itchiness
• Red rash
• Small red bumps
• Nervousness
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea

Many who begin taking a probiotic supplement for the first time may notice that they begin to develop some of these symptoms.  However, due to mis-information, you will most likely be lead to believe that these symptoms are a result of pathogenic bacteria “die off.”

We highly urge you to discontinue a probiotic supplement if you begin to develop any of these symptoms.  It’s extremely important to always listen to your body.  If something makes you feel worse, chances are it’s not good for you.  Don’t ignore the warning signs and attempt to push through it!

The Best Probiotic for Candida

To be honest, we personally don’t encourage the use of probiotics.  However, in extreme cases, they can be useful for rebalancing the gut microbiome.  That being said, we don’t not recommend the common probiotic supplements you find at most health food stores.

The only probiotic supplement we believe anyone with candida overgrowth should take are Soil Based Probiotics.  Soil Based Probiotics contain live microorganisms that have originated from the soil.

These soil based microorganisms are extremely beneficial for both our intestinal health and overall health.  Centuries ago, we would have been naturally exposed to these friendly microorganisms through both food and naturally being outdoors.

Unfortunately, due to our modern society and sanitation methods, most are no longer in contact with these friendly bacteria.  Many have found immense improvements in their digestion after introducing a soil based probiotic into their regime.

Unlike typically probiotics which get destroyed by the body’s stomach acid, soil based probiotics are extremely robust and have the ability to grow and thrive in an extremely low PH environment.  Also, soil based probiotics are low histamine producing and are typically safe for those with histamine intolerance.

For those interested, we recommend Ancient Nutrition SBO Probiotic and Prebiotic Supplement.  It’s 100% pure and contains no synthetic ingredients or fillers.  It’s by far the best probiotic supplement on the market and the only one we recommend.

Beyond Probiotics

As mentioned previously, a probiotic supplement can be good for those dealing chronic and intense digestive problems such as candida overgrowth.  However, we highly urge you to begin to look into diet.

When the diet is correct, there is no need for a probiotic supplement in our opinion.  Unfortunately, due to the high amount information available, it can be hard to determine what the best diet is for optimal health.

In fact, despite popular belief, if you suffer from a candida overgrowth, fruits and vegetables should be kept to a minimum.  This means vegan and vegetarian diets are out of the question if you wish to truly recover from a candida overgrowth. 

Luckily, we’ve gone over the best foods to be eating if you suffer from candida overgrowth and why fruits and vegetables could be causing more harm than good.  You can access all this information on our Diet Protocol Page.

Natural Sources of Probiotics

For those looking to increase their probiotic intake naturally, consider introducing fermented foods into your diet.  Fermented foods such as miso, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, pickles, and natto are all great options for introducing more probiotics into your system.

In fact, it’s been estimated that a tablespoon of sauerkraut contains around 6 billion live microorganisms!  Also, due to the high amounts of lactic acid present in fermented foods, they are naturally a great source of the candida fighting Lactobacillus Acidophilus bacteria strain.

Like soil based probiotics, these microorganisms are capable of surviving in high acid environments such as the stomach.  However, it’s important to take note that fermented foods are typically high in histamine and may not be a good option for those with histamine intolerance.

For the best possible results and to save on costs, make your own fermented foods at home.  If you’re unable to make your own fermented foods at home be sure that you always buy products that are raw and unpasteurized.  Pasteurized fermented foods have no value and their beneficial bacteria has been killed off by the heating process.

Should you Take Probiotics for Candida?

In our opinion, a quality probiotic supplement such as the one recommended above can be beneficial for those dealing with chronic candida overgrowth and digestive problems.  However, for best results, the probiotic supplement should be used in tandem with proper diet.

Once a proper diet is in place and the gut is rebalanced, you may find that you no longer need a probiotic supplement.  When this occurs, begin to incorporate small amounts of fermented foods into your diet for all your probiotic needs!