Travel Probiotics You Need this Summer

If you've ever had food poisoning or traveler's diarrhea, you know how disruptive it can be. The stomach pain, bowel issues, and fatigue can be rough, especially when you're away from home, and they can seriously impact your travel experience.This summer, let's ensure you're prepared with probiotics that have been studied to provide you and your family with the best gut protection.

More than 20 viruses, bacteria, and parasites can cause acute diarrhea. Common culprits include E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, rotavirus, Norwalk virus, and Giardia.

While most cases of traveler's diarrhea resolve without antibiotics or special treatment, if you've experienced traveler's diarrhea, you know how important it is to avoid it altogether. Being proactive with prevention can help you reduce the severity of issues, and let you get back to enjoying your trip quickly. In addition, acute gut infections have been linked to increased risk of developing Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Probiotics can help to prevent & reduce symptoms of traveler's diarrhea

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is one of the most well-studied probiotics in humans. It's particularly effective against diarrhea in both adults and children, helping to reduce inflammatory compounds from harmful gut bacteria and repair the gut barrier. Taking L. rhamnosus GG has been shown to reduce the duration of diarrhea and the number of bowel movements per day.

For prevention, taking 10 billion CFUs per day (or 5 billion CFUs for children) before and during travel can strengthen the gut barrier and reduce the risk of infection. If diarrhea starts, many find it helpful to double the dose daily. Culturelle probiotics contain this strain at the above doses and the capsules are in individual blister packs which makes them perfect for travel.

Saccharomyces boulardii

Saccharomyces boulardii is another well-studied probiotic; a beneficial yeast shown to be helpful for various types of diarrhea, in both adults and children. It can be taken alongside other bacterial probiotics and can be used both preventatively and to reduce symptoms and speed up recovery from acute diarrhea. A study also showed that S. boulardii helps reduce the risk and duration of colds in children. Typical doses are also 5-10 billion CFUs per day.

When preventing/treating diarrhea, we recommend choosing an S. boulardii product that does NOT contain lactose such as these travel probiotics.

Both strains of probiotics are shelf-stable and easy to travel with. However, always keep supplements away from direct sunlight, warm temperatures, and high humidity to maintain their effectiveness.

We know getting ready for travel can be hectic!

But the days leading up to your trip, is the best time to build resilience against the inevitable stressors of long days, jet lag and exposure to new microbes. Metabolic detoxification, therapeutic fasting and prioritizing sleep/rest are some powerful strategies for building resilience ahead of your trip.

In addition to the above probiotics, if you do experience diarrhea, address it as soon as possible with extra hydration, rest/sleep and electrolytes. Most people will also experience low appetite. Lower intake of food can be helpful in reducing gut symptoms and speeding up recovery - but again, make sure you’re getting plenty of fluids and electrolytes

If your diarrhea symptoms are not resolving significantly in 7-10 days, see a health practitioner.

Even once your symptoms resolve, if you experienced traveler’s diarrhea, follow up with your health practitioner when you get back home to assess your gut health. This helps to rebuild resilience and reduce the risk of long term gut imbalances such as SIBO and IBS.

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