Like probiotics which are naturally occurring and contained in food items, probiotic supplements promote a cleansing in the body's intestinal systems that can help thwart the growth of unfriendly microorganisms such as Candida. These supplements come in capsule, powder, liquid, and tablet form. It is recommended to take probiotics on an empty stomach, from 20 minutes up to an hour before a meal, for maximum benefits. There are many pros to taking probiotics.

Probiotics were found to be effective in treating symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), stress, and Candida via studies. A study done in Ireland reviewed how taking Bifidobacterium infantis, a probiotic supplement, affected symptoms of IBS. The final result was that taking the supplements were found to be just as effective as taking the FDA-approved drugs of Zelnorm and Lotronex, which are on the market to treat IBS. The supplements used in the research study were of liquid variety.

It should be noted that a different probiotic, Lactobacillus salivarius, was also tested for its effects on IBS, and it was found to not be effective in treating the condition. With this said, it is important to note that different types of probiotics are out there, and what may help one condition may not necessarily aid another.

In addition to IBS, probiotics were also found to be helpful in treating gastrointestinal symptoms related to stress. The probiotic used in the study was meant to survive the effects of gastric acid, which tends to destroy friendly bacteria like probiotics before they even have a chance to be helpful. Lactobacillus acidophilus was used in this probiotic, and half of the research participants did report a near 50% decrease in signs and symptoms of stress like nausea and pain within the abdominal area.

Candida was also successfully treated through the use of probiotic supplements. Candida is the pesty microorganism which causes such maladies as yeast infections. In particular, acidophilus supplements are the probiotics of choice to combat yeast. Acidophilus replenishes the micro flora of your large intestine that can be destroyed by antibiotics and vaginal creams. These probiotics will eat up the very same nutrients that otherwise would have been ingested by yeast or other bad microorganisms.

Cons exist in addition to pros for using probiotic supplements. There have been concerns that pricey probiotic supplements may not be any more effective than the live probiotics found in foods like yogurt. Some foods are very effective as probiotic supplements in promoting digestive health. Then again two factors come into play. Type of strain and number of organisms present. Furthermore, naturally occurring probiotics are thought to be more likely to survive harsh stomach acids than those in supplemental form. In addition, probiotics can tend to be high priced if used on a long-term basis. Compare information on the bottle thoroughly to insure adequate number of micro-organisms and if refrigeration is needed.

There are a number of pros to taking probiotic supplements. The positive aspects of using probiotic supplements are that they have been proven to alleviate IBS, stress symptoms, and yeast complications. However, their cost and their effectiveness as compared to probiotics occurring in food items have brought them under some criticism as well. People will have to evaluate probiotics in both their natural and supplement forms and decide which are best for them based on all of the facts currently available. Of special note are the soil based organisms, SBO's in Body Biotics, as they don't need refrigeration and most resilient in adverse conditions.