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Pharmacist Sonja Keizers answers
Pharmacist Sonja Keizers answers questions about medicines. This time: is taking probiotics for a long time safe?
I have been taking probiotics for two years now. I do this because of a skin rash, the cause of which was in the intestines. How long can you continue taking probiotics?
Answer:
Our gut is teeming with micro-organisms. Every person is home to about two thousand different types of bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Together they weigh one to one and a half kilos. We call this our microbiome. The microbiome is important for food digestion and influences all kinds of body processes. It is not for nothing that we speak of ‘good bacteria’ that keep our intestines in balance. When the balance is disturbed, health problems can occur. Probiotics are live bacteria that replenish the microbiome in the gut. They always only work temporarily. When you stop taking it, the microbiome reverts to the composition that formed in the first years of life. If a long-lasting effect is desired, you will therefore also have to take them for a long time. The risks generally appear to be minor, although this has not yet been properly researched.
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Sources):
- Plus Magazine