Have you heard of the dangers of spore-based probiotics? If you want to use probiotics to optimize your health, the last thing you want to do is take probiotics with potentially dangerous side effects. This is why it’s critical to understand why spore-based probiotics are bad.
First, let’s cover why probiotics can be good, and then we’ll show you the dangers of spore-based probiotics.
The Benefits of Probiotics
Before we cover why certain probiotics are bad, here are a few of the reasons many people say they take probiotics:
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Optimization of digestion: The ability to enhance the digestive process is one of the most well-known benefits of probiotics. Some people with constipation find that probiotics are able to make them regular, sparing them from painful side effects including hemorrhoids, fissures, and impaction. Instead of taking harsh laxatives, many are able to find long-term relief from constipation with regular probiotic use. Probiotics may also reduce gas and have been shown to counteract the unhealthy and uncomfortable digestive side effects of antibiotics.
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Provide relief from symptoms of yeast overgrowth: Having a yeast infection can be miserable. While you may not think of probiotics and yeast being related, probiotics may be able to control the overgrowth of yeast that leads to uncomfortable symptoms. For instance, GY-NA-TREN consists of a 2-part solution that many women turn to when they want a homeopathic vaginal treatment.
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May lower cholesterol: While scientists are still uncovering new benefits of probiotics, one that we’re thrilled to see is the ability to lower cholesterol. A review of 30 clinical studies showed some evidence that probiotics are beneficial in reducing the total cholesterol, as well as reducing bad cholesterol.
A Dangerous Type of Probiotics
Despite the benefits of probiotics, not all probiotics can give you these health boosts. It’s important that the probiotics you choose are from the safest of sources. Unsafe sources of probiotics can not only ruin any health benefits you’re hoping to get, but they can also make you sick.
One source of probiotics that Natren is particularly frustrated to see people touting, is soil-based probiotics. Soil-based probiotics are often referred to as spore-based probiotics. Look out for either name when you are choosing products for your health because they have the potential to cause more bad than good.
How could something from the soil be dangerous? At face value, soil sounds natural - it would be reasonable to assume that something ‘soil-based’ is organic and healthy.
However, spore-based probiotics - or soil-based probiotics - have a dubious health record when we look at the results of human consumption. Our founder, Natasha Trenev, has significant concerns about this kind of probiotics, backed by almost 40 years of scientific research.
The first problem with them is that they can take valuable space away from good bacteria. Let’s look at why that happens.
Good or Bad: A Fight for Space
When you look at the numbers surrounding probiotics, it may sound like your body has room for any and all bacteria. Our gut microbiota has tens of trillions of bacteria! That’s more than 10 times the number of cells we have in our bodies.
However, the reality is that our digestive tract only has a certain amount of space for bacteria to live. This space will be filled with some mix of good and bad bacteria, and healthy probiotics can help you shift the balance so that the good takes up most of the space.
When you take spore-based probiotics, those are taking away inhabitable space in the digestive tract that healthy bacteria could have had. Instead of taking this risk and worrying about spore-based probiotics side effects, fill your intestinal walls with bacteria you know is a good choice.
A Question of Quality and Safety
As a health-conscious consumer choosing a probiotic, are any two factors more important to you than quality and safety? At Natren, nothing is more important to us than these two pillars of our products.
If we had evidence that spore-based probiotics were safe and effective, we would support them. However, we have seen a concerning amount of variation and inconsistency in the reports about spore-based probiotics. Natren is a pioneer in research, education, and supplying healthy bacteria that you can trust.
Spore-based probiotics are bad for humans because we were not meant to consume them. These bacteria do not occur naturally in our bodies, and when we introduce bacteria into our bodies that we were not meant to ingest, this brings about substantial risks.
Can you find information on the internet that says that spore-based probiotics are good? Yes, of course. But remember that along with all the helpful information online, there are also incredibly dangerous articles that may sound like trusted clinical resources, but they are more false marketing than truth. When a company is trying to sell their product, they will not be warning you about potential spore-based probiotic side effects.
Spore-Based Probiotics: Do You Know What You're Getting?
Our founder is particularly concerned about the use of spore-based bacteria in custom blends or mixes of probiotics. Probiotics for consumers should be about science, not about experimenting with the unknown. Whether you’re getting unknown quantities, unknown strains, or unknown quality from a “cocktail mix” of probiotics - which often include spore-based probiotics - you are putting your health in danger.
Did you know that when a company sells a probiotic mix, they are not required to make each batch equivalent to the next? While it sounds unbelievable, this is the type of inconsistency you are paying for if you choose a dubious probiotic cocktail mix.
As we’ve warned before, you cannot count on the FDA to regulate the safety or efficacy of probiotics. You may see spore-based probiotics sold on the shelves of supposed health stores. That does not, however, mean that any reliable agency is verifying the efficacy, consistency, or safety of these products.
While the world of probiotics can be overwhelming, Natren is here to make your education, journey, and health easier. Our probiotic supplements are made with decades of true scientific research, as well as excellence far beyond any regulations. We want you to be healthy, safe, and happy with the probiotics you choose for yourself and your family. That is why we put the time and energy into warning you about why spore-based probiotics are bad. To learn more about true quality probiotics, visit us at natren.com.
