Probiotic Questions

Hi all,

I am Pre-Op. My surgery is May 04 with Dr. Reed in Guelph.

I have been trying to research Probiotics to take Post-Op but am having trouble.

Most articles out there are sponsored by the manufacturers or retailers themselves so are hardly accurate.

A Stanford University Study stated:

The study showed that at three months, the probiotics group registered a 47.6 percent weight loss, compared with a 38.5 percent for the control group.

The study also found that levels of vitamin B-12 were higher in the patients taking probiotics--a significant finding because patients often are deficient in B-12 after gastric-bypass surgery. The probiotics group had B-12 levels of 1,214 picograms per milliliter at three months, compared with the control group's levels of 811 pg/mL.

The Probiotic used in the study was just a regular bottled one called Nature's Pride. Not refrigerated, 20 Billion CFU Count from 10 strains

A lot of people in WLS Groups say to take Align. But I am sceptical because it is only 1 Billion CFUs from only 1 strain.

Does anyone have any good information on the best Probiotics to take?

Hello,

I don't have the answer for you however I have never heard about taking probiotics post op. That may be a great question to ask the nurse when you go for your pre op at Guelph. Only one I have ever tried years ago was Bio K and you can get it in some grocery stores in their healthy refrigerated section. However like I said a great question for the nurse at your pre op appointment.

Good Luck,

Laura

Good morning!

I also don't have a question for you!

There are a whole lot of vitamins, water, protein liquid and progressive food to take post op.

Definitely ask the nurse during your next visit...

I would however consider researching protein rich yogurt with probiotics in them!

Good luck!

I think probiotics are good for everyone to take all the time.

I have also read studies that prove that BariatricPal surgery changes gut flora. This is part of why our tastes change. Gut flora is now being touted as the biggest predictor of health, weight and happiness. The bacteria in our guts can be tied to everything including anxiety and depression. TWH is currently doing a large study. Hey are trying to figure out how and why the gut changes.

I personally believe that following BariatricPal surgery we have a massive window of opportunity to completely change our gut health. I circulate a variety of probiotics and will continue throughout this before and after surgery process.

Can you tell me the products that you like?

I drink a strawberry Bio-K every morning. I also used to make Kefir however now I just purchase it and add that in here and there. I also purchase Kombucha. For actual pills, I haven't found any one to be better than another. I am just trusting the process. I do look for ones that have lots of human strains. Also 50 Billion vs 10 billion. But I mix and match. I feel like switching it up might be helpful rather than settling on one type.

Haha!! You sound exactly like me! I'm obsessed with the whole concept of the gut flora changes post surgery and have been doing so much reading on this topic. Also drinking Kefir and taking probiotics, though recently found that if taking them it's also important to take a good prebiotic because they need food to flourish! Otherwise they pass through your system in a couple of weeks and I think that's why so many people say they didn't think they worked. So insoluble plant fibre like apple peels feed them, and also prebiotics. I'm also going to be careful not to eat any meat post surgery that could be tainted with antibiotics and steer clear of artificial sweeteners (which I just cut out) as they're both really bad for killing off the good gut bacteria. I'm still doing lots of research but I think maintaining the new found better microbes that result from the bariatric surgery could be key in long term success. It's so fascinating to me!

We will need to talk microbes ;-). I would love to hear of any really great articles you have read or any other interesting facts you have on this. I feel so strongly about this and like you, don't want to mess this up!

I have read that the pills only temporarily change your gut flora and have trouble colonizing. That the best chance of actually changing gut flora is through food like you mentioned. Good prebotics but also fermented food. I love kimchi in restaurants however I am still looking for a jarred oen I love. Miso soup is another one. I am also doing lots of roasted garlic and broccoli is a good prebiotic as well.

We definitely need to talk! I don't know why the Drs or programs for WLS don't at least touch on this because it seems to me that there's enough research to prove that microbes and the resulting changes in them have a significant impact on why WLS works. This is why I'm interested in what I should be doing to improve this outcome or at least trying to find out what to avoid. I need to learn more and picked up the book "The Good Gut". I will let you know how it is! If you want to PM me your email I can send you some articles I've read on this topic too. My hunch is, from what I've read so far, that we are going to learn that more and more these little microbes play a bigger role in weight and overall health than we could have imagined.