Gut bacteria and their forms of intake – this is what you should know

Med Today
Aug 11, 2024
3 min read

Are you plagued by constant digestive problems, frequently getting sick, and suffering from chronic energy deficiency? Then it's likely that your gut flora is out of balance. This imbalance can occur not only due to an unbalanced diet but also from high levels of stress or the use of medications like antibiotics – and this can have dramatic consequences.

The gut is the center of health, and gut bacteria are like its gatekeepers. If they don't function properly, it can affect nutrient absorption and the function of your immune system. How can you get this back under control? With probiotics. These are strains of bacteria that can drive out harmful bacteria from the gut and restore balance. Gut bacteria are available in the form of capsules, tablets, or powder. The following article will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of intake.

Gut bacteria as tablets, powder, or capsules – what works best?

No one likes swallowing tablets. That's why many manufacturers offer their dietary supplements in different forms. Gut bacteria are mostly available in the form of tablets, powder, or capsules. To give you a quick overview, we've summarized the pros and cons for you:

Gut bacteria tablets: The advantages of tablets lie in their long shelf life and cost-effective production. That's why gut bacteria in tablet form are often very inexpensive. But is that a good thing? Not necessarily. To give them their shape and ensure they disintegrate easily, almost all tablets contain fillers and excipients that have no positive impact on your gut. Quite the opposite – they can even irritate the gastrointestinal tract.
Gut bacteria powder: Is every tablet a struggle? You just can't swallow them? Gut bacteria in powder form can be easily dissolved in water and drunk. The downsides: Powders are not resistant to stomach acid and have a short shelf life, as gut bacteria are directly exposed to air and light. Additionally, you need to be careful with dosing. Gut bacteria powder is prone to over- or under-dosage.
Gut bacteria capsules: The capsule combines the advantages of tablets and powder, making it the best form of intake for gut bacteria. Due to their soft capsule shell, they are easy to swallow. At the same time, the capsule protects its contents from light and oxygen, ensuring good shelf life. However, cheap gut bacteria capsules often contain fillers and excipients. A general downside of capsules: The shell often consists of gelatin, making it unsuitable for vegans.

Why should they be resistant to stomach acid? For optimal effectiveness, gut bacteria should not be released in the stomach, as stomach acid would destroy them. Gut bacteria tablets and capsules should have an acid-resistant coating to ensure they only become active where you need them: in the gut.

PROBIOTIC – with DRCaps® and unique human biotic pattern

PROBIOTIC is a gut bacteria complex that goes a step further than most products. Developed in collaboration with gut experts and clinically tested by German and Japanese research partners and academic institutions, it contains exclusively human gut bacteria – just as they naturally occur in your body. The special DRCaps® ensure optimal effectiveness. These are acid-resistant hard capsules that ensure all bacteria benefit your gut. They are also vegan and free from fillers and additives – only human bacterial strains and high-quality prebiotics.

This is how Probiotic helps you sustainably and long-term to restore the balance of your gut flora. The positive effects can be significant: Digestive issues disappear, your immune system regains its defenses, and you get more energy. But that's not all that makes PROBIOTIC special.

High-quality prebiotics: Indigestible food components that can promote the growth and activity of gut bacteria are called prebiotics. PROBIOTIC contains two of them – acacia fiber and Nutriose. These are plant-based fibers that act as food for the good gut bacteria, helping them quickly settle in your gut. We deliberately avoid using the prebiotic inulin, as it ferments quickly and can cause bloating and diarrhea.
Strong gut bacteria: Human gut bacteria are resilient. They can deprive the harmful gut bacteria, responsible for the imbalance, of their living conditions and quickly drive them out of your gut.
Constant laboratory tests: Our commitment is to the highest quality standards. To meet this, we continuously examine the bacterial strains under a microscope.

Further Reading:

Jan Koolman, Klaus Heinrich Roehm: Color Atlas of Biochemistry. 3rd Edition, Thieme 2012. ISBN 978-3-13-169693-9.
T. Eriksson, S. Björkman, B. Roth, P. Höglund: Intravenous formulations of the enantiomers of thalidomide: pharmacokinetic and initial pharmacodynamic characterization in man. In: Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 52, No. 7, 2000, pp. 807–17. PMID 10933131.