Best Probiotics for Small Intestines

People who know how important the small intestine is to their overall health, ask us how they can support their small intestine with healthy bacteria. The best probiotics for small intestines is a much easier question to answer when you understand what the small intestines are, and what their job is. Then we can show you how the best probiotic for the small intestines supports this essential organ as part of the digestive tract and immune system. 

Small Intestine: What it is

The small intestine is actually fairly long: in most adults, the small intestine is about 20 feet long. Interestingly, the large intestine is substantially shorter than the small intestine, measuring about 5 feet. However, the small intestine is a much more narrow tube, which is how it got its name. The small intestine is basically a hollow tube that connects your stomach to your large intestine. 

Small Intestine: What it does

The primary job of the small intestine is to digest food as it moves from your stomach into your large intestine. While the food is traveling through the thin tube, critical work is being done. The small intestine does not break food down physically - the way the mouth does - but instead, it breaks food down chemically. Once the food is in small enough components, the lining of the small intestine actively absorbs nutrients out of your food. 

The small intestine is able to absorb protein, fats, and carbohydrates. These are all important components from food that give your body energy and allow it to function well. Additionally, with the food, the small intestine also absorbs essential vitamins/minerals like vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, and iron.

People who have problems with their small intestine almost always need nutritional support to ensure they’re staying healthy. Remember, eating healthy food is not the end of the story - it’s your body’s ability to absorb that healthy food that truly matters. 

Small intestine: What if it doesn’t work well?

Understanding that the small intestine is essential for your body to use the nutrients in your food, it becomes clear that it’s a major problem if this organ is not functioning well. If you eat healthy food with good fats, protein, and carbohydrates - but they pass through the small intestine without being absorbed - you are not benefiting from your healthy food choices. 

It’s estimated that 90% of your nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine. This is key to how critical it is for this organ to work as effectively as possible. The small intestine also absorbs water that your body needs. People whose small intestine do not work well may be malnourished, dehydrated, and/or suffer from digestive problems like diarrhea, constipation vomiting, dangerous weight loss, and pain.

Beyond the typical digestive problems we think of, there’s an incredibly serious consequence of the small intestines not working well: lowered immunity. We’ll explain in detail. 

Small intestine: the immune connection

Everyone thinks of the digestive system as the organs that are responsible for processing the food you eat. But many don’t know that the digestive system is far more than that. It’s also the center of the immune system. While it may sound strange, your immune system relies on trillions of bacteria that line your intestines to function. Some of these bacteria are beneficial strains that act as an army of defenders against ‘bad guys’ like viruses and dangerous bacteria. 

Best Probiotic Bacteria strain for the small intestine

Understanding the small intestine’s critical role in digestion and immunity, we’ll now show you which is the best probiotic for small intestines. One of the most commonly known species of beneficial bacteria is called Lactobacillus acidophilus, and it primarily lives on the walls of the small intestine. Healthy Trinity provides 5 billion colony forming units (cfu’s) of Lactobacillus acidophilus in every dose. 

Even people who don’t regularly take probiotics may have heard of acidophilus. It’s often recommended by health care providers to patients who take antibiotics. Since antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as the bad ones that they’re intended to treat, your body can suffer extensive losses of important bacteria during a course of antibiotics. Taking acidophilus has been shown to reduce bloating, diarrhea, and cramping associated with antibiotic use - according to Mayo Clinic. 

In addition to being found in Healthy Trinity, Lactobacillus acidophilus is also available to you in Megadophilus. This is the same product that’s included in Healthy Trinity (which is a combination of Megadophilus, Bifido Factor, and Digesta Lac). Some people even take Healthy Trinity and Megadophilus, if they find they do best with even more Lactobacillus acidophilus. 

Megadophilus is actually Natren’s very first probiotic supplement and the one that introduced the idea of probiotics to most of the USA. Our original - and most popular - Megadophilus is dairy-based. Although for those customers who cannot, or choose not to consume dairy, we offer a dairy-free version in veggie capsules, or in loose powder. Children over the age of 2, as well as adults, can benefit significantly from the Lactobacillus acidophilus in Megadophilus. 

Dangers of taking probiotics for the small intestine

When you take high-quality precision probiotics, you are taking an important step towards the health of your digestive system and immune system. But it’s essential to realize that not all probiotics are of the quality you want - in fact, very few are. Low-quality probiotics are often found to be contaminated, or contain elements like gluten, soy, GMOs, or filler. You cannot trust what you read on the label of a company that promotes hype over science. 

Taking the wrong probiotics can lead to illness, and potentially even death. The science of bacteria should not be taken lightly. That’s why at Natren, we produce precision probiotics that prioritize quality and science over everything else. Your safety, health, and trust are the most important factors to us.