Is it safe to take probiotics every day?

Short-term randomized trials found no significant increase in side effects from probiotics, so taking them daily for weeks has not been shown to be unsafe. That is weaker than it sounds: a review of 622 studies called long-term effects largely unknown, and harms reporting is often poor. Ask a physician first if your immune system is weakened.

What daily use looked like in trials

Trials usually give a probiotic every day. In one, 64 healthy young adults took 10 billion CFU a day of one named strain for 4 weeks. The AHRQ report reviewed 622 studies and found randomized trials showed no statistically significant increase in overall adverse events (RR 1.00) or serious adverse events (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.97 to 1.16) with short-term use. Existing studies mostly tested Lactobacillus, alone or with Bifidobacterium.

What is not known

The same report said long-term effects are largely unknown and that rare events are hard to assess. A 2018 review of 384 trials found 106 reported no harms-related data and 309 did not give serious adverse events per group; its authors concluded safety cannot be broadly assumed without adequate reporting. So "no problems were reported" and "no problems occurred" are not the same sentence. Neither review tested a product like ours, and neither sets a duration after which daily use becomes a concern.

Who should ask first

The AHRQ report noted case studies of fungemia and some bacteremia, infections of the bloodstream, potentially associated with the administered organisms, and said people with compromised health were the most likely to have adverse events. They are rare and the frequency is unknown. Our label tells anyone with a weakened immune system or a medical condition to ask a physician before use. See who should not take probiotics.

What our label says

Electric Tiger Probiotic 20 Billion CFU: adults take one capsule daily with 6–8 oz of water, or as directed by a healthcare professional; do not exceed the recommended dose. One capsule is 20 billion CFU at the time of manufacture from 13 listed organisms (species only). It is as low as $14.39 a bottle on subscription, which is a billing option and says nothing about safety: a subscription ships a bottle on a schedule, and the label dose does not change. Pairing it with a daily habit is a question of how it fits your day; see the best time to take probiotics.

Questions people ask

Can I take probiotics every day, or can you take probiotics every day?

Short-term randomized trials gave them daily without a significant excess of side effects. Whether you should depends on your health and the product; ask a doctor if unsure.

Should you take probiotics daily, and is it good to take them daily?

A review of 249 trials found benefits are strain-specific and purpose-specific, so "good" depends on what a named strain was tested for. We do not claim daily use is beneficial. See probiotics benefits.

Is it okay to take probiotics every day, or every day for life?

Long-term effects are largely unknown. We cannot say it is okay for life, and nobody can from this literature.

Are probiotics safe?

For most trial participants over short periods, no excess side effects were reported; reporting was often poor and rare infections have been described. See probiotics side effects.

Which probiotics are safe to take every day?

The reviews did not rank products or strains for safety, so we cannot name one. Read the label for strain names, count and warnings.

Are there probiotic subscription services for daily delivery?

Ours is a 30-capsule bottle, one capsule a day, with a subscription price as low as $14.39. The subscription is a delivery option, not a health recommendation.