Don't Listen to People Who Say Supplementing Probiotics is Objectively Beneficial

You’ve probably seen someone on social media say that everyone should take probiotics.

Worse, maybe even a doctor told you that.

It sounds reasonable, right? Probiotics = good bacteria = good for you?

Not exactly. And definitely not always.

Once you actually understand how the microbiome works, this kind of one-size-fits-all advice falls apart.

Supplementing probiotics is not objectively good for everyone.

In some cases, it will do more harm than good.

Your microbiome depends on a delicate balance between different types of microbes. Not just good vs. bad.

Even “good” bacteria play different roles and they’re not all interchangeable.

Just because a strain is classified as a “probiotic” doesn’t mean it’s right for you, right now.

You can also have too much of a good thing. Abusing supplements with a certain types of probiotic bacteria can lead to inflammation, imbalances and symptoms like gas, bloating, brain fog, reflux, fatigue, etc.

Here’s what most people dishing out this advice don’t say: different probiotic strains have completely different effects.

Some support immunity. Some help maintain balance and keep pathogens out. Some support metabolic health. Some lower inflammation.

These people also don’t tell you that if you already have plenty of probiotic bacteria, adding huge amounts through a supplement can throw everything out of balance, trigger inflammation and completely disrupt digestion.

This is why throwing random strains of bacteria into your gut for the sake of “supporting gut health” with a probiotic is terrible advice.

Can probiotics be helpful? Absolutely… when they’re used properly.

That means understanding what your gut actually needs, which strains (if any) are low and how much of them you actually need.

A lot of people who are dealing with digestive issues as a result of microbiome imbalances assume that they need a probiotic to help. But what many of them don’t realize is that they also need to address what is causing the imbalances.

This could be from obvious things like sedentary lifestyle, poor diet or stress. But it often involves issues like pathogen overgrowth, low immunity, liver disruptions and irregular bowel movements.

And if you’re dealing with any kind of gut overgrowth (like SIBO, H. pylori or Candida), taking a probiotic supplement can actually make your symptoms much worse. Which is why a lot of people who do this experience terrible boating, gas or bowel movement issues.

What’s the right approach?

Stop guessing.

If you think you’re dealing with microbiome issues, analyze your situation, run a stool test or get other lab work done to understand what’s actually going on.

From there, you can figure out:

• If probiotic levels are low… and if so, which ones

• What is causing the disruptions in your microbiome

Otherwise, you’re just guessing, and hoping you landed on the right strain, at the right dose, at the right time.

If there are underlying issues causing low probiotic levels like pathogen overgrowth, inflammation, liver congestion, or immune dysfunction, just supplementing more bacteria won’t fix the root problem.

This was the mission behind building PARADYM.

Too much of the advice and the health products out there are entirely surface level and focused on putting band-aids on symptoms. We wanted to create tools that actually focus on the deeper issues disrupting the gut like immunity, liver detoxification and pathogens.

If you’re interested in checking out the formula + research on it you can find it here. And as a subscriber, you’ll always get 15% off with code NICK15.

Another issue with blanket probiotic advice is the idea that probiotic supplements are the best (or only) way to increase bacteria levels in the gut.

Again, not accurate.

There are several studies showing fermented foods and fiber from your diet (fruits, veggies, resistant starches) can effectively increase probiotic levels and diversity in the gut.

Fermented foods usually provide far more strain diversity than most probiotic supplements provide, which is usually 3-5 strains. While fermented foods like kefir can contain dozens of different strains.

This isn’t a “don’t ever supplement probiotics” post.

It’s a “don’t blindly take them and expect magic” post.

If someone is telling you that probiotics are objectively beneficial for you to use, they probably have no idea what they’re talking about.

Probiotics can be helpful… when used in the right context.

Avoid the trap of following surface level, generalized advice that can end up putting you in an even worse situation.

— Nick