What Are The Symptoms Of Low Probiotics?

The body needs probiotics! Probiotics can offer a vital source of multiple strains of bacteria that your body needs to function both correctly and healthily. If your body is (naturally) low in probiotics or probiotic bacteria, it can negatively affect your digestive system and overall gut health. Believe it or not, the body knows when it’s low in probiotics or needs more probiotic bacteria; it even has its way of alerting you of a deficiency. When your stomach feels inflamed or bloated and you are having issues going to the toilet regularly; then chances are your body is struggling to function without enough probiotic bacteria! The discomfort and irritable bowel movements can be a direct cause of low probiotics and that is just the start of the problems that can occur (for the body) when probiotics are low and ‘good’ bacteria are in short supply. 

What are the symptoms of low probiotics?

When the body needs something (like a nutrients or bacteria strain) that is either in short supply or completely deficient; it can cause a significant amount of side effects as well as health issues and concerns. Low probiotics can affect your entire digestive process, including how food is broken down, absorbed by the body and then passes through to remove unnecessary waste. The fact that this entire process can hang in the balance and be greatly affected if your supply of probiotics is low is alarming. Here is exactly what the body can experience and how it can alert you of a need for more probiotics… 

• Digestive issues (how it processes and breaks down food)
• Bloating, constipation and inflammation are common as low probiotics affect the gut
• Gastrointestinal discomforts like heartburn and acid reflux
• Irritable bowel syndrome as well as diarrhoea or pain whilst pooping
• Sleep disruptions affect the quality of sleep and therefore impact your energy levels

If you are unsure if your body requires more probiotics or if you are worried about any of the above symptoms relating to different health concerns you may have, then we advise you to speak to your GP or doctor to get further clarity. They will, likely, be able to advise you on suitable probiotic supplements as well as suggest helpful diet changes; as that could also help increase your natural probiotic intake. Probiotic supplements are weirdly available and can easily be added to your daily diet to help regularly boost your probiotic count. Agin professional medical advice is always advised before you take any new supplement, even probiotics that are generally considered very safe. This is to ensure that they are going to be suitable for your needs. In some cases, low probiotics can be a much more prominent issue, especially for individuals with a prominent probiotics deficiency! 

What are the symptoms of a probiotics deficiency?

Now, you could argue that having a low count of probiotics and probiotic bacteria is very similar to a probiotics deficiency and you would be right; however, having a low supply Vs a dangerously low supply can also affect individuals differently. A person with a probiotics deficiency might still experience a combination of the above symptoms and be at risk of chronic and mood-related side effects. A person suffering from a probiotics deficiency could experience the following symptoms:

• A decline in memory or cognitive dysfunction as well as brain fog
• Mood-altering side effects like increased anxiety, depression and mood disturbances
• Increased abdominal pain, excess gas and severe bloating
• Bowel and stool changes
• Sleep disturbances affecting energy are likely to cause chronic fatigue

Once again, if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms regularly then we advise that you speak to your GP or doctor. It’s likely to be a sign that your body is struggling to stay balanced and healthy with the overpopulation (and blockages) of ‘harmful’ bacteria. However, these symptoms could also trigger more pressure or strain on the body as well as in some cases be a sign of something else (health-wise) that needs additional support. It could be more probiotics or something else; speaking to a medical professional will help you find out what can best serve your body and its needs. 

What’s the main cause of a probiotic deficiency?

One of the main culprits that can affect probiotics and cause deficiency is changes to your diet! A dietary change, like increased sugar, fats or even protein intake, can affect your gut flora. Even dietary changes relating to occidental chemical consumption from unwashed fruit and veg or drinking too much caffeine or alcoholic beverages; can also affect your body's probiotics. This is also included when you take a new medication like an antibiotic; all these changes can be responsible for affecting your gut flora. When your gut flora is imbalanced, overworked or saturated/ blocked in ‘harmful’ bacteria, the body will not be able to regulate ‘good’ bacteria (probiotics) through the digestive system and gut. A complete probiotic deficiency is unlikely to occur on the occasional unhealthy meal but you can nearly always feel a ‘difference’ in your gut (especially) a day when you had one too many coffees or more carbohydrates than you usually would! We can get ‘normal’ side effects like bloating or constipation due to short-term, dietary chances but when the side effects are more prominent and regularly occurring; chances are the body is struggling to process and handle the chances. This is likely down to the body needing more probiotics to be able to ‘compensate’ for the additional pressure the body is under; especially when needing to handle significant dietary changes!