Probiotics are good bacteria and yeast that when ingested, promote a healthy gut and improve digestion. Other benefits include an immunity boost, weight loss as well as increased serotonin production that can help with depression. Probiotics can be found in fermented foods with yogurt being the most popular choice. Additionally, over-the-counter probiotic supplements are also gaining traction among probiotics lovers. If you want to know which is better or which one can give you more of the good bacteria, it is important to see the pros and cons of your choices.
What is Yogurt?
From a regulatory point of view, Yogurt is a milk product obtained by fermentation of milk-specific microorganisms, which shall be viable, active, and abundant in the product Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles.
Yogurts which add specific strains of friendly bacteria to their products are becoming ever more popular. You can find these on most supermarket shelves these days, and the choice is vast. These yogurts can be a great way to take a specific probiotic strain, but it’s worth paying attention to other ingredients such as sugar or sweeteners, which may also be added to these foods.
Differences between Yogurt and Probiotic Supplements
Yogurt
- Most popular yogurt has sugar levels comparable to soft drinks.
- Leading brands generally contain well-researched strains.
- Can add up if taking a prolonged period.
- Require refrigeration and use a lot of packaging due to daily disposal.
Probiotic Supplements
- Most high-quality Probiotic supplements are free from sugar.
- Quality probiotics will contain well-researched strains that are targeted.
- It depends but they can be better valued over long periods.
- Many supplements do not require refrigeration and one pack can last weeks or months.
Why Probiotic Supplements are better than Yogurt?
Yogurt is a great health food with plenty of nutritional benefits, including calcium and protein. It’s even more famous for being a ‘probiotic food’ and yes, it does indeed contain probiotic bacteria as a result of the fermentation process. However, while yogurt can provide health benefits to some degree, it simply can’t be relied upon as an effective source of probiotics.
Several factors can cause the yogurt to fall short of delivering the quality of probiotics that would benefit your gut.
1. An Uncertain Collection of Strains
Every yogurt contains lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, but the other strains in your yogurt are not standardized in the same way that probiotic supplements are. They may or may not include various forms of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, or even yeast.
Every species and strain of probiotic bacteria has its unique role to perform in your body. You may be missing out on some of the most beneficial strains if you stick to yogurt.
2. No Standardized Potency
Probiotic supplements are carefully standardized to contain certain amounts of each strain of bacteria. That means that you can reduce or increase your dose as necessary. For example, if you start a course of antibiotics you might find that doubling your daily probiotic dose will help to reduce the digestive side effects.
3. High Sugar Content
Many of the yogurt products you’ll find in supermarkets are not health foods at all; they’re just sweet treats loaded with added sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and other undesirable ingredients that may have more of a detrimental effect on your gut than a beneficial one. (2)
The strains of probiotic bacteria in these yogurt products are supposed to benefit conditions such as indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but the high sugar content may completely cancel out those benefits.
4. High Levels of Histamine
Yogurt and other fermented dairy products tend to be quite high in histamine. For histamine-sensitive individuals, large amounts of dietary histamine can cause hives, itching, and inflammation. If you suspect that you are histamine-sensitive, probiotic supplements are a way to boost your gut health without increasing your exposure.
5. Poor Survivability
Your stomach is a highly acidic environment, and this acidity is a crucial part of your digestion and immunity. But that very same acidity will destroy the vast majority of probiotic bacteria in your food.
Probiotic supplements can use technologies like delayed-release capsules and time-release tablets that protect bacteria on their journey to the gut.
