The human gastrointestinal tract houses roughly 100 trillion microorganisms (good bacteria). These microorganisms make up what's called the gut microbiome. These good bacteria fight off bad bacteria ...

Last year, as many as four million Americans consumed about $3 billion worth of probiotic supplements — living bacteria — in 2024, according to the International Probiotics Association, accounting for ...

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or ...

This article was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors. There are microbes living in medicine cabinets across the U.S., next to ...

Our expert staff answers frequently asked questions in their areas of expertise and defines common terms so you can be a smarter shopper. Read more here. As someone who writes about the best ...

The younger brother of Ken Kesey, the novelist and counterculture luminary, he turned a defunct creamery into what is now Nancy’s Probiotic Foods. By Sam Roberts In the 1960s and ’70s, the Kesey ...

These live microorganisms, found in both food and supplements, add beneficial microbes to the gut microbiome that may offer health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts. Probiotic supplement use ...

Kirstyn Hill has worked as a clinical pediatric and women’s health pharmacist since 2020. She was driven to work with a patient population that is not often able to easily speak up for themselves and ...

Qin Rao, MD, is a board-certified physician based in New York City. He currently works as a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Manhattan Gastroenterology. Probiotics may help relieve constipation ...

An eight-strain probiotic has been shown to reduce the risk for pouchitis in patients with ulcerative colitis who undergo ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA), but its cost-effectiveness depends on ...

In recent years, probiotic supplements have been publicized as a miracle cure for everything from digestive woes to mental health ailments and hormonal imbalances. The idea is compelling: Swallow some ...