Are Probiotic Sodas and Other Probiotic Drinks Worth the Hype?
Key takeaways:
Probiotic drinks provide a source of probiotics in beverage form. And probiotics may have health benefits such as improving gut function and boosting immune health.
Some types of probiotic drinks can be good for you. But many are high in added sugar, which reduces some of their potential health benefits.
You can work probiotics into your diet in a variety of ways, so it isn’t necessary to consume probiotic drinks.
Table of contents
You might already be familiar with probiotics — live yeasts and bacteria that may provide health benefits after you ingest them. These days, there’s increasing awareness of probiotics’ potential health benefits for your gut and beyond. As a result, more and more food and beverage manufacturers are finding ways to include probiotics in their products.
Probiotic sodas and other fermented drinks have become very popular. But what are these drinks — and are they good for you?
What’s in probiotic drinks?
As their name implies, probiotic drinks contain probiotics. These probiotics may be found naturally in the beverage, such as in the fermented drinks kombucha or kefir. Or the probiotics may be added.
The number and type of probiotic in these drinks varies based on the product and brand. There are many types of probiotic drinks on the market, including:
Sodas
Juices
Teas
Drinkable yogurts
Natural ways to improve gut health: Yes, dietary changes matter. But reducing stress and sticking to exercise habits also help boost the gut microbiome.
Foods rich in probiotics: Adding probiotics to your diet doesn’t necessarily require supplements. These foods are loaded with probiotics and offer vitamins and minerals.
The best probiotics for women: Probiotics may improve health conditions that affect women. Here’s how to choose the correct strain for your health concern.
What do probiotic drinks help with?
The purpose of probiotic drinks is to provide your body with a dose of beneficial probiotics. The potential benefits include:
Promoting a healthy gut microbiome
Boosting your immune system
Regulating blood sugar and insulin
Probiotic drinks can also help with a range of health conditions, such as:
Supporting digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis
Helping prevent or reduce increased body fat
Lowering cholesterol levels
Supporting mental health and brain function to improve conditions such as depression, autism, and Alzheimer’s disease
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Other health benefits of these drinks are:
Improving nutrient absorption from the foods you eat
Reducing the side effects of antibiotics, including diarrhea
Helping to improve skin health
Are probiotic drinks good for you?
They can be, thanks to their many potential health benefits. But the health benefits of any probiotic drink depend on the type and number of probiotics in the drink.
There are hundreds of different probiotic strains. Seven “core” probiotic strains are most often used in probiotic products. Each strain serves a different purpose. A drawback of many commercial probiotic drinks is that they often only contain one or two strains. And it’s impossible to know if a meaningful number of probiotics is present in some of these beverages.
Sugar and caffeine
Some probiotic drinks are high in added sugars, which takes away from their health benefits. That’s why it’s important to read the nutrition label before buying to help you make the best choice.
Also, some probiotic drinks contain caffeine. Kombucha is made with tea, so it naturally contains caffeine, and some brands add more. Still, the caffeine in probiotic drinks is usually much less than the80 mg to 100 mg of caffeine in a cup of coffee.
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Some of the newer probiotic sodas on the market contain caffeine. One example is the probiotic soda brand Olipop, which sells 17 flavors. Of those, 14 are caffeine-free, and 3 contain 50 mg of caffeine.
Probiotic drinks vs. foods vs. supplements
Given all the different probiotic products out there, it can be confusing to compare them. Here are some of the main differences between probiotic drinks, probiotic foods, and probiotic supplements.
Probiotic drinks
Probiotic drinks provide a source of probiotics in beverage form. Their probiotic content varies quite a bit. For example, commercial probiotic sodas generally provide a small number of probiotic bacteria from one or two probiotic strains. Kefir, on the other hand, is a probiotic-rich beverage that often contains many probiotic strains.
Probiotic foods
Probiotic foods are foods that contain probiotics. In some foods, the probiotics naturally occur from fermentation — such as in sauerkraut, miso, or kimchi. In other cases, probiotics are added to packaged foods like snack bars.
Usually fermented probiotic foods provide more probiotics — and more types of probiotics — than foods with probiotics added to them. When you eat probiotic foods, you also benefit from the food’s valuable vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Probiotic supplements
Probiotic supplements are designed to provide a high number of probiotics from multiple strains in a single dose. There are several different kinds of probiotic supplements. Most provide a much higher dose of probiotics than what you’d find in a drink or food. This may make them a better choice for people who’re trying to treat specific health issues — or who don’t otherwise get probiotics in their diet.
But it’s important to remember that supplements aren’t regulated. So it’s hard to know if the label matches the actual content in the supplement. And, when possible, it’s preferred to get your nutrients from food rather than from dietary supplements.
Can you drink probiotic drinks every day?
There are no known risks with having probiotic drinks every day. Still, you should always pay attention to how your body feels after having probiotic drinks. And if you’re already taking probiotic supplements, you may want to avoid drinking probiotic drinks every day.
Taking high doses of probiotics isn’t known to cause serious harm in healthy people. But it may cause more digestive side effects like gas or bloating. This is especially true if your body isn’t used to probiotics.
Who should not drink probiotic drinks?
Probiotics are generally safe for most people to take. But research suggests that a few categories of people may be at a higher risk of side effects from taking probiotics.
Speak with your healthcare professional first if you:
Have a weakened immune system
Have certain gastrointestinal conditions
Are older than age 65
Want to give probiotics to your infant or young child
What to look for in a probiotic drink
With the variety of probiotic sodas and other probiotic drinks on the market, nutritional content varies. Here are some things to look for when buying probiotic drinks.
1. A low amount of added sugar
Eating a lot of added sugar can be harmful to your body in several ways. This includes potential harm to your gut. Research suggests that eating lots of sugar causes changes in your gut microbiome. This can cause inflammation in your intestines and can contribute to health issues such as metabolic disorders.
As mentioned above, some probiotic drinks are high in added sugars. This makes them more like a soda disguised as a healthy beverage. And this can counteract the positive health benefits of the probiotics they also contain.
Some probiotic sodas and juices contain around 12 g of added sugar. Drinkable yogurts contain closer to 14 g of sugar per serving.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends no more than 48 g of added sugar per day.
So, a probiotic drink with added sugar uses up lots of your daily recommended added sugar allowance.
2. A variety of probiotics
As mentioned, different strains of probiotics do different things in your body. So a drink with just one type of probiotic isn’t likely to be as helpful as those that contain multiple strains.
Look for drinks that contain at least two different types of probiotic strains:
These are common strains that have been researched for health. In general, the wider variety of probiotics included in a drink, the more potential health benefits it can offer.
The bottom line
Probiotic drinks may provide some health benefits. They can be a convenient way to introduce probiotics into your diet. Still, probiotic drinks such as probiotic sodas aren’t necessary to add to your diet. They may be a healthier alternative to traditional soda. But they can still be high in added sugar. They also may not contain a meaningful number of probiotics. If you drink probiotic beverages, try to choose brands that are low in sugar. Also, look for a variety of probiotic bacteria types in order to reap the most health benefits.
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References
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