Probiotics After Bariatric Surgery

Written by Bailey Opsal, RN and medically reviewed by Dr. Stephen Boyce, MD

It’s no secret that gut health is an important part of health and wellbeing. And one of the biggest factors in gut health? Improving your microbiome.

Your microbiome is a collection of all the microbes living within your body. These microbes help digest food, manage immune functioning, and assist in producing essential vitamins. Improving your microbiome is an important part of health.

Healthy gut microbiome

But, after bariatric surgery, your gut microbiome changes. This is because of alterations created in the gastrointestinal tract from surgery.

Want an easy way to improve your microbiome and restore gut health? Take probiotics after bariatric surgery.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are microorganisms that improve the microbiome in your digestive tract. They are live and nonpathogenic, often referred to as “good” bacteria because they counter the illness-causing bacteria that can be present in your gastrointestinal system. Often taken in supplemental form or by eating certain foods, probiotics are an easy way to improve gut health.

It may seem weird at first to put living bacteria into your body. But your gut has housed bacteria since birth! So taking a probiotic, which contains “good” bacteria, is an easy way to improve the health of your digestive tract.

Probiotics support your digestive system in a variety of different ways, including decreasing the pH in your intestine, decreasing colonization of pathogenic organisms, and supporting your body’s immune system. Plus, taking a probiotic is considered safe and is recommended by many doctors!

Probiotics After Bariatric Surgery

Even better, one study found that probiotic supplementation supports weight loss goals and is associated with no side effects.

Probiotics after bariatric surgery can be taken two ways: a supplement or by eating certain foods.

Food sources include:

  • Yogurt
  • Sauerkraut
  • Kefir
  • Pickles
  • Miso
  • Kombucha
  • Kimchi
Probiotics After Bariatric Surgery

While fermented food sources like the ones above are a great way to improve your microbiome, not everyone eats these regularly. That’s where supplementation comes in.

Probiotic supplements contain a wide variety of healthy, gut healing strains of microbes depending on which supplement you choose.

Some common strains include:

  • Bifidobacterium longum
  • Bifidobacterium bifidum
  • Lactobacillus rhamnosus
  • Bifidobacterium breve
  • Bifidobacterium lactis
  • Lactobacillus lactis

One value to be aware of when looking at probiotic supplements is CFUs, or colony forming units. This is the number of living microorganisms in one serving of a probiotic supplement. CFUs indicate the number of viable cells within the supplement, but a higher number does not always improve the health benefits of the product. CFUs can range from 1 billion CFUs to 50 billion CFUs.

Looking for a great probiotic to take after bariatric surgery? Bari Life Multi-Probiotics contains eight bacterial strains in each capsule, resulting in 15 billion CFUs. With just one capsule each day, you’ll have enough good bacteria to restore normal balance in the digestive system after bariatric surgery.

Probiotics and bariatric surgery

After bariatric surgery, the gastrointestinal tract is changed and an alteration in your gut microbiome occurs. This is what makes probiotics after bariatric surgery so essential.

Probiotics help restore normal gut microbiome after bariatric surgery

Not only do they support the creation of vitamins, such as Vitamin B-12, they also help curb any unwanted gastrointestinal symptoms that may arise after bariatric surgery.

Still not convinced? Probiotics after bariatric surgery supports weight loss.

According to the Stanford University School of Medicine, probiotics after bariatric surgery improves weight loss outcomes. With a focus on restoring the lining in the gut and increasing the “good” bacteria within the digestive tract, probiotics decrease GI inflammation and subsequently support weight loss after bariatric surgery.

Should I take probiotics after bariatric surgery?

Still not convinced to take probiotics after bariatric surgery? You have no reason not to!

With no side effects and the potential for radical changes in your gut health, taking probiotics after bariatric surgery is an easy way to promote weight loss and improve the health of your gastrointestinal tract. They are also an easy way to minimize any unwanted GI side effects after surgery.

Another reason to take probiotics? To restore balance in your digestive system after the alterations of bariatric surgery!

As the gastrointestinal tract changes after surgery, vitamin synthesis can change. This is why taking a multivitamin after bariatric surgery is so essential. But probiotics should also be an essential part of your post-surgical supplements, as they support vitamin synthesis and introduce “good” bacteria within your gut.

Choosing a probiotic after bariatric surgery

After learning about the benefits of probiotics after bariatric surgery, you may be wondering how to choose the best probiotic for you. This is a great question.

The best probiotic is:

  • Created with you in mind
  • Easy to take every day
what makes a good probiotic for bariatric patients

Make sure the probiotic you decide on is tailored to your specific needs and easy to take every day. It needs to be convenient and specific for you.

Bari Life has a great once-daily probiotic made specifically for post-bariatric surgery patients. Since it was created with bariatric patients in mind, it contains everything you need to improve your gut health and promote weight loss after surgery.

Bari Life’s probiotics

probiotics 60 count mockup

With only one capsule a day, each serving of Bari Life’s Multi-Probiotics Blend contains 15 billion CFUs, enough to restore the normal balance of good bacteria in the digestive system after bariatric surgery.

With its diverse and unique combination of good bacteria, this supplement is uniquely designed to improve gut health and promote weight loss after bariatric surgery. Because it’s made specifically for bariatric patients, you know you’re getting exactly what you need to support your gut health after surgery.

Another benefit? It contains lactobacillus acidophilus. Through years of experience, we’ve discovered that a common problem that can occur in some patients after bariatric surgery is difficulty digesting lactose. By integrating this strain into the Multi-Probiotics Capsule, lactose digestion improves, decreasing any unwanted side effects after surgery.

Ready to restore your gut health, minimize unwanted gastrointestinal symptoms after surgery, and maximize weight loss? Start taking a probiotic!

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