What Are The Side Effects Of Too Much Probiotics?

What Are The Side Effects Of Too Much Probiotics?

When you decide to take any new supplement it can spark worries regarding safe dosage, and fears regarding side effects and then make you question how long it will take to see the results. We can understand how confusing it can be when you have so many questions, so we will do our best to answer as many as possible. We would like to begin by saying that yes, probiotics are safe to take regularly and typically pose no long-term side effects even if you accidentally exceed your dosage. 

Whilst no supplement is completely risk-free, you can feel rest assured knowing that over-dosing on probiotics or experiencing any adverse side effects (long term) is not going to happen very easily. Let us explain why… 

What are the adverse side effects of taking Probiotics?

Probiotics are believed to be very safe for daily consumption as they have little to no risks even when they come in a higher dosage. This is because they are a natural supplement used to help support and improve the gut's overall health. Probiotics are not medicine and therefore do not contain any artificial ingredients or unnecessary bulking agents. Probiotics are not common to over-dose on so long as you understand CFU dosages and source your probiotics from a reliable retailer like Wellgard. 

Whilst it is not considered common to over-consume probiotics in a harmful amount, too much can cause minor short-term side effects that may not be very pleasant to experience…  

  • Mild stomach upset and discomfort. These side effects should not cause any concern, as it can be a sign of the probiotics working, but if they persist, you may want to reduce your dosage or seek further medical advice to help you find a suitable one. 
  • Temporary Constipation. Another uncomfortable side-effect may occur if you over-consuming probiotic capsules or supplements. This should be temporary, but again if persists might mean you want to lower your dosage or reduce the number of daily capsules. 
  • Flatulence. Again this is not a cause for major concern, but in fact, the beginning of your body processing new probiotic supplements to help break them down and do their magic. 

These side effects are usually early when beginning a course of new probiotics and should not last very long. If you have any pre-existing allergies or take any regular prescription medication you may want to check with a pharmacist that everything is safe to take together. This may not be necessary for everyone, but always worth checking if you are at all uncertain. 

How many Probiotics is too much?

When it comes to the number of probiotic capsules you are recommended to take per day, then just one capsule is considered a more than suitable dosage and is typically advised as all you need. There can be short-term side effects, like stomach upset or constipation, that may arise if you take more than the suggested daily amount of capsules per day. Therefore, it is always advised to follow the instructions that your chosen probiotic brand has provided to make sure your dosage is sufficient enough for your needs as well as safe to take daily. 

We advise people to take just one of our Wellgard probiotic capsules per day and that recommendation is the same across all three of our formulations (children, teens and adults). It is important to not over-exceed the dosage as our diets can also have foods high in natural probiotics therefore taking too many capsules might be considered unnecessary. 

What is the maximum amount of Probiotics you can take in a day?

The recommended daily dosages for probiotics depend on age and the intended purpose for taking them. Probiotic supplements typically have the recommended daily dosages clearly stated on their packaging as dosage may differ based on the brand and retailer. However, you can typically expect the daily recommended CFU dosage to be similar for each age group and purpose. 

  • The maximum amount of Probiotics for Infants and Children:

Whilst there is no generic or set recommendation for how much probiotics children and infants are advised to take, you can expect to find child-friendly probiotics with an average of between 2-5 billion CFU per dosage. One capsule a day is more than sufficient for supporting gut flora and imbalances.

  • The maximum daily dosage for Teenagers and Adults:

You can expect to find probiotics for teens and adults around the 12 billion CFU dosage, which again is a suitable dosage for one capsule a day. This will be more than enough to help replenish colonies and maintain a healthy and balanced gut microbiome. 

Can taking Probiotics daily be harmful? 

The gut houses trillions of microbiota including fungi and bacteria that collectively come together to make up our bodies' microbiome. Probiotics are made up of live, stable bacteria that are intended to help rebalance your gut flora and boost overall gut health. Probiotic supplements must be formulated with live, stable cultures so that you are not consuming dead bacteria as they will offer no benefits to the gut microbiome or colonies whatsoever. However, this would typically only arise when probiotic supplements are past their expiration date; so that is always worth remembering to make sure your probiotics are stable and effective. 

Therefore, so long as the probiotic capsules you intend to take are made up of stable and natural ingredients then they should be virtually risk-free and not harmful for daily consumption! 

If you still have questions regarding the safety of probiotics then you can head over to the Health Insiders blog catalogue where you can browse until you find a post that has more answers. You can also connect with our Wellgard experts through social media and drop them a DM on Instagram if you have a personal question or query you would like assistance with. Stay tuned for regular blog posts as you may find that our next blog post is exactly what you wanted clarification on…