Guide
Who should not take probiotics?
Our label says to ask a physician first if pregnant, nursing, under 18, with a weakened immune system or a medical condition. No group has been shown to need a probiotic supplement.
Our label says to ask a physician before use if you are pregnant or nursing, under 18, have a weakened immune system or have a medical condition. Beyond the label, no group has a demonstrated need for a probiotic supplement. This guide gives no dosing or use guidance for pregnancy or for children; ask a doctor or pharmacist.
Who should ask a doctor first
Electric Tiger Probiotic 20 Billion CFU carries this warning: ask a physician before use if pregnant or nursing, under 18, have a weakened immune system or a medical condition. That is the label's instruction, and we repeat it as written. Probiotics are live organisms, and case studies have described rare bloodstream infections potentially associated with probiotic organisms (see probiotics side effects), which is the general reason people with weakened immunity or serious illness are advised to check first. We do not attach a number to that risk.
- A weakened immune system, from illness or from medicine that suppresses immunity: ask your doctor.
- A medical condition, including anything affecting the gut, kidneys or heart: ask your doctor. We did not find a verified study on probiotics and kidney disease to cite, so we say nothing about it beyond asking.
- Prescription medicine, especially antibiotics: see probiotics and medications.
- Pregnant, nursing, or under 18: ask a physician; this guide gives no use guidance.
- SIBO or other digestive diagnoses: ask the clinician who made the diagnosis which, if any, probiotic strain is suitable. We do not recommend or advise against any.
Who "should" take probiotics
No group has been shown to need a probiotic supplement. A systematic review of 7 placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults found probiotics did not change the diversity of stool bacteria. A review of 249 trials found that where probiotics have been tested for a purpose, the effect belonged to named strains at tested doses. So "who should use probiotics" has the same answer as "which strain, for what, at what dose." Most products lack a trial of their own.
One more finding is worth knowing. In healthy volunteers who took an antibiotic course followed by a multi-strain probiotic, the return of their own gut bacteria was delayed and incomplete compared with doing nothing. It was a small, invasive study of one product; it is not a reason to avoid probiotics, but it is a reason to ask a clinician rather than assume.
Our product, specifically
Electric Tiger Probiotic 20 Billion CFU lists 20 billion CFU at the time of manufacture, from 13 listed organisms, with no strain codes. Because no strain is named, we cannot point to any research on who should or should not use it, and we do not claim it is for any group.
Questions people ask
Who should not take probiotics?
The label's list above is the answer we can stand behind: anyone pregnant or nursing, under 18, with a weakened immune system or with a medical condition should ask a physician first.
Who needs probiotics supplements?
No one is shown to need one. That is the finding of the healthy-adult review above.
Who defined probiotics, and what is the WHO definition?
The FAO/WHO definition is "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host," reinforced by an ISAPP expert panel in 2014.
Who makes or sells a particular brand of probiotics?
The maker's name is printed on each product's label. Brand-specific questions are not answered here; the checklist in how to choose a good probiotic works for any label.
Who discovered or invented probiotics?
The idea is usually traced to early-1900s work on fermented milk by Élie Metchnikoff; the definition above is the modern one.
Is it okay for dogs, or for dogs that eat grass?
Pet probiotics are outside this guide.
Related reading: what are probiotics.
Sources
- Alterations in fecal microbiota composition by probiotic supplementation in healthy adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials A review of 7 placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults found probiotics did not change the diversity of stool bacteria.
- 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.
- Post-Antibiotic Gut Mucosal Microbiome Reconstitution Is Impaired by Probiotics and Improved by Autologous FMT In healthy volunteers after antibiotics, a multi-strain probiotic slowed the return of their own gut bacteria compared with no probiotic.
- Expert consensus document. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics consensus statement on the scope and appropriate use of the term probiotic A 2014 international expert consensus statement defined 'probiotic' as a specific, identified live microorganism given in a known, adequate amount that has been shown to produce a health benefit — not a general term for any product containing live bacteria.
- Safety of probiotics used to reduce risk and prevent or treat disease Short-term trials found no more side effects with probiotics than with control, but safety reporting was poor and long-term effects are largely unknown.
*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.
