Research review
Probiotics and coffee: what's known about taking them together
No human trial has tested taking probiotics with coffee. The only coffee study found is a lab experiment on strains grown in brewed coffee; the only timing evidence is a lab model that favoured taking a capsule with a meal.
No human trial has tested taking probiotics with coffee, so there is no evidence-based answer on whether it matters. The one coffee study we found is a lab experiment on strains grown in brewed coffee, not on swallowing a capsule with a hot cup. The only timing evidence favours taking a capsule with a meal.
What the evidence doesn't support
It doesn't support a claim that coffee kills a probiotic, or that it is safe for one, or that coffee makes a probiotic work better or worse. We searched PubMed for human trials that gave a probiotic with coffee and found none. People ask because heat is widely assumed to harm live bacteria, but no study we found tests hot coffee against a capsule, so we can't give a number.
It also doesn't support treating "iced coffee with probiotics" products as a probiotic dose. Whether such a drink is useful depends on the strain, the live count at the end of shelf life and whether that strain has a trial for the purpose you have in mind; a review of 249 trials found that probiotic effects are strain-specific and purpose-specific and that many products have no trial of their own.
What the studies found
A 2020 laboratory study grew four named strains (L. rhamnosus GG, L. paracasei Lpc-37, L. plantarum 299v and L. acidophilus NCFM) in brewed coffee. Without added nutrients, counts above 7 log CFU/mL could not be sustained for more than two weeks. With glucose and inactivated yeast added, L. rhamnosus GG and L. paracasei Lpc-37 held that level for 10 weeks under refrigeration. The coffee's main bioactive components and antioxidant capacity were retained. That is a food-development experiment: it tested whether bacteria can live in coffee as a product, not what happens to a capsule swallowed with coffee, and it says nothing about people.
On timing, a laboratory model of the human stomach and upper gut tested one four-microbe commercial capsule. Survival was best when it was given with a meal or 30 minutes before one, poor when given 30 minutes after, and better in milk or oatmeal-milk than in apple juice or water. Coffee wasn't one of the carriers tested, and the result is for that one product in a model.
| Question | Evidence found | What it says |
|---|---|---|
| Does coffee kill a swallowed probiotic? | None in people | Unknown |
| Can strains live in brewed coffee? | Lab study, 4 strains | Only with added nutrients, and refrigerated, for weeks |
| Does timing with a meal matter? | Lab gut model, one product | Survival best with or just before a meal |
If you want to reduce the unknowns, the only supported variable is the meal, not the coffee: see best time to take probiotics, and follow the label of the product you take.
Probiotic effects are strain-specific, so a result for one named strain is not a result for "probiotics" in general, and a product that lists species without strain codes can't borrow it. See what the research shows across probiotics and how to choose a probiotic.
Questions people ask
Can you take probiotics with coffee?
Nobody has tested it in people, so there is no evidence either way. The label of your product is the place to start, and the only timing evidence we found favours a meal.
Does hot coffee kill probiotics?
No study we found tests this. Heat is widely assumed to harm live cultures, but how much a capsule swallowed with a hot drink is affected hasn't been measured in anything we found.
What about probiotic iced coffee?
One lab study showed that certain strains can survive in coffee for weeks when nutrients are added and the coffee is refrigerated. That doesn't tell you the strain, count or benefit of any particular drink; check the label for strain names and the CFU count through the end of shelf life.
Is there any interaction between probiotics and other things I take?
When to talk to a doctor
If you take prescription medication, are pregnant or nursing, have a weakened immune system or a medical condition, or are under 18, ask a doctor or pharmacist before adding any supplement (see who should not take probiotics). Nothing here is a reason to change or skip anything a doctor has recommended.
Sources
- Growth, survival, and metabolic activities of probiotic Lactobacillus spp. in fermented coffee brews supplemented with glucose and inactivated yeast derivatives In a lab, probiotic strains needed added nutrients to survive in brewed coffee; the study did not test taking a capsule with coffee.
- The impact of meals on a probiotic during transit through a model of the human upper gastrointestinal tract In a lab model of the upper gut, a four-microbe capsule survived best when taken with or just before a meal, and worst 30 minutes after one.
- Choosing an appropriate probiotic product for your patient: An evidence-based practical guide A review of 249 trials found probiotic effects depend on the exact strain and the purpose, and many products have no trial of their own.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.