Probiotic foods and supplements can be pricey, and it's hard to cut through the clever marketing and know what's worth buying, and what's best left on the shelf. After 4 weeks I stopped using Yakult and just had the one capsule of Alflorex a day as before and my stomach started to feel normal again. Easy and calm digestion reduced the bloating and made eating a lot more enjoyable. The manufacturer's recommended dosage is 1 Unit (capsule, straw, or tablet) per day for each product.

There are more than 250 non-authorised claims for probiotic products on the EU Register for nutrition and health claims, a few common ones include: A staggering three quarters of women won’t talk about digestive problems such as IBS because of embarrassment. But the help is out thereAnd there's likely to be a huge difference between the pharmaceutical-grade probiotics that show promise in clinical trials and the yoghurts and supplements sold in shops. While the best way to boost your gut health is by eating a varied and healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and managing stress, there is some evidence for probiotics being beneficial, depending on what your symptoms are. And there is emerging evidence for other products too. The word ‘probiotic’ is not allowed to appear on products sold within the EU as no health claims have been accepted as proven when the evidence has been assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Biogenic amines are substances that form when protein-containing foods age or are fermented by bacteria ( 13).

When histamine levels rise, blood vessels dilate to bring more blood to the affected area. The vessels also become more permeable so that immune cells can easily get into the relevant tissue to combat any pathogens ( 22). After 2 weeks I did start to see noticeable improvements, mainly in terms of bowel movements and the way I was able to eat larger meals without experiencing stomach cramps. In general, from the moment I woke up my stomach felt calm, whereas before I had to down 2 pints of water just so I could feel like my gut was cleansed.

More research is needed to determine whether or not amines can be direct triggers of headaches or migraines in some people.