Who Should Take Probiotics: 5 Potential Benefits
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

Who Should Take Probiotics: 5 Potential Benefits

Who Should Take Probiotics: 5 Potential Benefits
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Updated on February 25, 2026
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Note: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve supplements for safety or effectiveness. Talk to a healthcare professional about whether a supplement is the right fit for your individual health, and about any potential drug interactions or safety concerns.

There’s a lot of buzz about probiotics and their possible benefits. These living bacteria and yeasts naturally inhabit your microbiome (your body’s community of microorganisms) and play many roles in your digestive health, including potentially boosting your immunity. Some people may benefit by taking a supplement to support these important microorganisms.

“There’s a lot of excitement around probiotics because there’s increasing attention being paid to the microbiome,” says Richard Maurice Peek Jr., MD, the vice president for the American Gastroenterological Association and a professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. “The issue is that a lot of the trials on probiotics have been fairly small, not all of them have been controlled, and many of them have used different probiotic formulations, so it’s hard to compare results.”

Still, some systematic reviews of the current research show that probiotic supplements may have benefits for certain conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis.

Probiotic supplements are generally considered safe for most healthy people and have few risks and side effects, though it’s still best to take probiotic supplements under the direction of your doctor, Dr. Peek says. Those who are immunocompromised have a small risk of side effects if supplements aren’t tested carefully for harmful microbes, which can cause serious infection in those individuals.

 To choose a quality supplement, check the label for USP, NSF, or ConsumerLab approval. This means the product has undergone third-party testing for quality and purity.

1. Probiotics May Help Irritable Bowel Conditions

If you have a digestive issue such as an irritable bowel condition, ask your doctor if they recommend probiotics. These supplements are widely recognized for potentially supporting overall digestive function, says Mai Nguyen, RDN, with Hoag's Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center in Newport Beach, California.

One systematic review and meta-analysis from England that evaluated 82 trials, including 10,332 people with IBS, established moderate certainty that Escherichia strains may help overall symptoms. However, there were limitations in this study: There were inconsistent results across trials, and not all results from individual studies were published, so more research is needed.

Another systematic review that looked at 18 randomized, controlled trials and two observational studies, involving 2,675 adults with IBS or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), found that probiotics may help some people with IBS and IBD (particularly those with ulcerative colitis), but the results were inconsistent, so more research is needed.

More research is needed to establish both which strains work best and for which digestive conditions. Because of the limited research, current major guidelines don’t broadly recommend probiotic supplements as part of standardized treatments for most digestive conditions.

“In most cases, we don't know specifically which of the probiotics are exuding this beneficial effect,” Peek says. “And we don't know how much people would have to take to gain these [possible] benefits.”

2. Certain Lactobacillus Strains May Help With Oral Health

The same probiotics that benefit your gut health may affect your mouth, Peek says. Specifically, those with poor gum health or oral infections may want to ask their doctor if probiotics could help.

A systematic review and meta-analysis from Portugal analyzed 33 randomized, controlled trials, involving 1,290 people, and found that adding probiotics to professional dental cleaning significantly improved gum health, with Lactobacillus strains showing the most substantial benefit.

Another systematic review from China of 13 randomized, controlled trials, including a total of 898 participants, found that those who took probiotics were 62 percent less likely to develop the oral infection thrush versus those who didn’t. However, 75 percent of the review’s studies used multistrain combinations of probiotics, so it’s unclear which strain works best. Most of these studies also recruited healthy people, so more research is needed, as thrush primarily affects immunocompromised people.

3. Probiotics May Help With Weight Loss

You may want to talk to your doctor about probiotics if you’re looking to lose weight. One meta-analysis from China of eight randomized, controlled trials, involving 412 people with obesity, found that people who took probiotics lost more weight, had greater reductions in waist circumference, and lost more visceral fat than control groups who didn’t take probiotic supplements.

“Probiotics help maintain a healthy gut microbiome, which plays a key role in nutrient absorption and fat storage,” Nguyen says. “However, while they can be helpful as part of a comprehensive, healthy lifestyle, they should not be considered a substitute for balanced nutrition, regular exercise, and overall healthy habits.”

Probiotics support a healthy gut and may also help with weight loss. Check out our list of the top 10 probiotic supplements to aid weight loss, recommended by a registered dietitian.

4. Probiotics May Help Asthma and Allergies

You may want to ask your doctor about probiotics if you have asthma or allergies. The prevalence of autoimmune and allergic diseases is growing, Peek says.

 “It’s speculated that certain bacteria are important to adequately train your immune system, and that beneficial bacteria like a probiotic could shape the microbiota to prevent or lessen the severity of autoimmune disease,” he says.
What’s more, a review from China analyzed 13 randomized, controlled trials, including 4,500 children with allergic diseases like asthma and allergic rhinitis. The researchers found that children who took probiotics had a roughly 25 percent lower risk of developing allergic symptoms, compared with those who took a placebo. The findings suggest use of probiotics as an adjunctive treatment, not a primary treatment.

Meanwhile, a randomized, placebo-controlled trial from China, including 99 adults with allergic rhinitis, asthma, or both, found that those who took Lactobacillus reuteri showed improvements in certain rhinitis symptoms, better asthma control, and higher quality of life and sleep.

5. Certain Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium Strains May Help With Mental Health

“Emerging research suggests that gut health can influence mood and stress through the gut-brain axis,” Nguyen says. The gut-brain axis is the network of nerves that connects the brain to the gut.

Research shows that your digestive system’s bacteria can send signals to your brain through nerves in your gut, influencing how your mind and body work, Peek adds.

A systematic review and meta-analysis from Iran of 12 randomized, controlled trials, including 707 participants, found that probiotic strains such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum were linked to significant improvements in depression symptoms when measured with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale but not other scales. The BDI scale is a self-reported questionnaire that is known for its sensitivity to capturing depression symptoms, while the other scales used were based on observable symptoms of depression or broader assessments that also include anxiety-related symptoms. The authors say that the discrepancy highlights the complexity of assessing these conditions.

The Takeaway

  • Probiotic supplements are generally considered safe for most healthy people, with some limited research suggesting that they may have benefits for irritable bowel conditions, weight loss, oral health, and allergies.
  • Other research suggests that probiotic supplements might help with depression and anxiety symptoms, but more studies are needed.
  • The evidence isn’t very strong on the consistent benefit of probiotics for most people, and it isn’t clear which probiotic strains or strain combinations offer benefits for certain health conditions, so ask your doctor if probiotics could be helpful for you, and if so, which ones.
  • Always consult your doctor before starting a new supplement so they can check for medication interactions and other risks specific to your health.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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  4. Goodoory VC et al. Efficacy of Probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Gastroenterology. November 2023.
  5. Manandhar A et al. Probiotic Potential in Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Comprehensive Systematic Review. Cureus. October 22, 2024.
  6. AGA Does Not Recommend the Use of Probiotics for Most Digestive Conditions. American Gastroenterological Association. June 9, 2020.
  7. Duarte de Mendonça C et al. Probiotics in the Non-Surgical Treatment of Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. BMC Oral Health. October 15, 2024.
  8. Li P et al. Efficacy of Probiotics for Oral Candidiasis Management: A Systematic Review. BMC Oral Health. July 2, 2025.
  9. Guo M et al. Effects of Oral Supplementation of Probiotics on Body Weight and Visceral Fat in Obese Patients: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. Scientific Reports. February 21, 2025.
  10. Kanannejad Z et al. Urban Lifestyle and Climate‐Driven Environmental Exposures: Immunological Consequences for Pediatric Respiratory Allergies. Immunity, Inflammation and Disease. August 13, 2025.
  11. Miller FW. The Increasing Prevalence of Autoimmunity and Autoimmune Diseases: An Urgent Call to Action for Improved Understanding, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention. Current Opinion in Immunology. February 2023.
  12. Alska E et al. Global Burden of Allergies: Mechanisms of Development, Challenges in Diagnosis, and Treatment. Life. May 29, 2025.
  13. Xi Z et al. Efficacy of Probiotics in the Treatment of Allergic Diseases: A Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition. March 3, 2025.
  14. Li L et al. Efficacy and Safety of Lactobacillus reuteri CCFM1040 in Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Frontiers in Nutrition. April 6, 2022.
  15. The Gut-Brain Connection. Cleveland Clinic. September 20, 2023.
  16. Rahmannia M et al. Strain-Specific Effects of Probiotics on Depression and Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis. Gut Pathogens. September 8, 2024.
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Yuying Luo, MD

Medical Reviewer

Yuying Luo, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Mount Sinai West and Morningside in New York City. She aims to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered, and holistic care for her patients.

Her clinical and research focus includes patients with disorders of gut-brain interaction such as irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia; patients with lower gastrointestinal motility (constipation) disorders and defecatory and anorectal disorders (such as dyssynergic defecation); and women’s gastrointestinal health.

She graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in molecular and cellular biology and received her MD from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she was also chief resident. She completed her gastroenterology fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital and was also chief fellow.

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Kelsey Kloss

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Kelsey Kloss is a health and wellness journalist with over a decade of experience. She started her career as an in-house editor for brands including Reader’s Digest, Elle Decor, Good Housekeeping, Prevention, Woman's Day, and Redbook, and her work has been featured in over 50 publications.

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