I take both probiotics and prebiotics and they cleared up my acne! It took about a month. I still can’t believe it. I had read a study about acne and probiotics, but I didn’t know if it would work for me.

These good bacterium are not snake oil remedies. They really work! I eat either yogurt or take a probiotic supplement on the days I don’t have yogurt, and I also take prebiotic gummy fibers (candy-like supplements). I’ll never stop taking them now. To have clear skin without buying special skin care preparations is just so wonderful.

Now when I lose weight on 5:2, I’ll have both the body and skin I’ve always wanted! ha ha!

Just resurrecting an old thread from 2013 started by Jeanius, (where is she now?).
I noticed on Amazon that a new book by Michael is published on or about the 11th May, called “The Clever Guts Diet”. More and more research has been done on gut microbes and the effect such microbes have on our health. Having discovered a very good nutritionalist who raised my awareness of gut microbes I urge posters to look out for the book. Knowing how Michael researches his subjects I am sure this will be a must have book for any one interested in their health.
Good Luck out there.

Recent episode of “Trust me I’m a Doctor” featured one their 6 week experiments. 1 group used probiotics, 1 group ate old fashioned/non-processed rolled oats (porridge, musli style, etc), last group ate fermented foods (sourkrout, Kim chee, kefir). One of the presenters did all 3.
End of trial – all the groups benefited. IIRC, oatmeal improved the ratio/# of the very beneficial gut bacteria, probiotic used increased the # of that specific strain, fermented stuff gave a boost to a range of good gut bacteria. Summary, they all produced positive results (range of responses per group). Presenter had the biggest boost. Recommendation was to incorporate non-processed rolled oats & fermented foods into your diet//no need to spend more for “probiotics” unless you have a dietary issue.
As always, those tests are short duration & not scientifically “valid” – size too small, etc.

Thanks for the info re “Trust me I’m a Doctor” bcjmmac I will look it up. I have mentioned in another thread some time ago a book by Giulia Enders “GUT”. A highly readable “Funny and Informative” book on our gut. A very good nutritionalist I see, Angela Beecroft suggested it as a good informative read. You will never sit on the toilet the same way and not think of this book if you read it. Medication such as antibiotics and anti histamenes can impact in a negative way on gut bacteria. There is growing research into our gut and its impact on our health. Many readily available foods we already eat are good for our gut. It is mainly information we need to ensure we are feeding our gut bacteria on a daily basis.
Good luck out there.

Good article.

thanks for good info

One of the best sources of probiotics is home fermented sauerkraut, if you like the stuff. What you buy in jars and cans in the store have most of the probiotics killed off during processing. If they were active, they would probably explode the container because it continues to ferment. I ferment sauerkraut because I love the taste of it. It takes nothing more than shredded cabbage and salt, carefully neared, and a couple weeks time.

Here’s some info on a comparison between sauerkraut and probiotic pills:

http://www.naturalnews.com/045720_probiotics_digestive_health_sauerkraut.html

Sauerkraut versus probiotic capsules
Making sauerkraut is an age-old process that produces a taste profile that is considered unpalatable to many. The sour characteristics are noticeably different from the sugar addiction which society has grown accustomed to, and as a result most have opted for probiotic capsules in order to get the good bacteria without having to ingest what is typically a shunned food.

Unfortunately, the two formats are not comparable, and recent research has proved it.

A 4-6-ounce serving of homemade sauerkraut that was recently analyzed in a lab showed that it contained literally 10 trillion bacteria! To provide perspective, 2 ounces of raw sauerkraut made at home had more probiotics than a 100-count bottle of probiotic capsules. To look at it another way, 16 ounces (2 cups) of sauerkraut is equal to eight bottles of probiotics! Even one of the more popular and potent brands of probiotics “only” provide 50 billion active bacteria in a 3.5-ounce bottle.