Find out why probiotics and turmeric are two of the best supplements you can take to support your overall health.
Probiotics and turmeric are two of the best supplements you can take to support your overall health. Turmeric’s active ingredient, curcumin, is one of the most potent antioxidants found in any food. Probiotics are microorganisms that live in your gut and support your digestive health.
When you stack these two types of supplements together, you get the benefits of both. New research suggests that turmeric may also act as a prebiotic (essential food for probiotics).
Keep reading to find out how these supplements benefit you when you take them individually and how taking turmeric and probiotics together can maximize the benefits of each. We’ll also review how prebiotics like turmeric extract can help maximize the benefits of your probiotics.
Benefits of Taking Turmeric
The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is one of the most well researched supplements.
Here are some of the benefits of regular curcumin consumption:
- Supports optimal immune system function (1)
- Promotes a healthy metabolism (2)
- Aids skin health (3)
- Helps maintain a healthy heart (4)
- Supports healthy blood sugar levels (4)
- May help relieve stress (5)
Benefits of Taking Probiotics
Probiotics are bacteria that live in your gut and help support your digestion and immune function. Traditionally, people primarily consumed probiotics through fermented foods like kimchi or yogurt.
Here are a few specific ways that research has found taking probiotics benefits you:
- May benefit digestion and lactose breakdown (6)
- Support immune function (7)
- Help promote skin health and reduce dryness (8)
- May help reduce symptoms of constipation (9)
We also have a blog post that goes over these benefits in more detail if you want to learn more.
Can You Take Turmeric and Probiotics Together?
Until recently, it wasn’t clear if turmeric and probiotics interacted with each other. In fact, most of the research looking at the potential benefits of taking these supplements together has been published in the last two years.
Both of these supplements offer similar benefits, but they act on your body in different ways. Turmeric helps your body maintain a healthy inflammatory response while probiotics boost the healthy bacteria in your gut. Because they’re so different, you don’t have to worry about them fighting for absorption. They actually complement each other.
For instance, both turmeric and probiotics may support your immune system. Taking them together can double up this immune-boosting benefit.
Likewise, they’ve both been linked to improving your digestive health. Probiotics help increase the number of bacteria available to help you break down food while turmeric helps reduce inflammatory reactions.
Turmeric as a Prebiotic
New research shows that taking turmeric may increase the function of the probiotic bacteria in your gut by acting as a prebiotic. Prebiotics are a form of fiber your body can’t break down that probiotic bacteria in your gut use as food.
One study published in September of 2018 in Plant Foods for Human Nutrition examined the potential prebiotic effects of turmeric extract on probiotic bacteria. (10) The researchers put probiotics together with turmeric extract in artificial human gastric juice to see what would happen to the bacteria. The researchers found that the turmeric extract supported the growth of these healthy probiotic bacteria even three days later.
This study was performed on isolated cells, so more research has to be performed in humans to confirm these findings.
Healthy bacteria in your gut also produce a short-chain fatty acid known as butyrate when they ferment dietary fiber. Butyrate is the primary energy source of cells that line your colon. It’s been theorized that increasing prebiotic fiber may have benefits for digestion and gut health. However, at this time, there’s been little human research performed.
Advantages of BalanceGenics Daily Balance
We’ve designed our Daily Balance as a combination of probiotics and turmeric to allow you to maximize the benefits of both these types of supplements. Like all of our supplements, they’re manufactured in an FDA registered and GMP certified facility to make sure you’re getting the highest quality ingredients.
1. Each serving of our turmeric supplement contains 50mg of 95% curcuminoids as well as 500mg of turmeric root. We’ve added two other key ingredients to increase its potency: 5mg of Bioperine and 100mg of ginger extract.
2. Bioperine is another name for black pepper extract and can have a profound effect on the amount of curcumin your body can absorb. (11)
3. We’ve also included ginger to complement the digestive and antioxidant benefits of turmeric and probiotics.
4. Our probiotic supplement includes a blend of 40 billion CFU probiotics to support your digestive and immune health. The blend includes Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Lactobacillus Plantarum among others. We chose these specific strands because they’re among the strands with the most research to back them and consistently prove beneficial for your immune and digestive health.
5. Your stomach is filled with hydrochloric acid that can be harmful to probiotic bacteria. Our probiotic supplement undergoes MakTrek delivery. MakTrek is a technology that helps the bacteria survive even in the acidic environment of your stomach.
All of our supplements are free of potential allergens such as gluten, eggs, dairy, shellfish, fish, soy, nuts, peanuts, and corn.
BOTTOM LINE
You can safely add turmeric and probiotics to your daily supplement routine to increase the benefits of both supplements. Turmeric and probiotics can both improve your digestive and immune health, but since they act in different ways, you don’t have to worry about them competing against each other. New research shows that turmeric extract may even act as a prebiotic to help the healthy bacteria in your gut thrive.
QUICK DISCLAIMER
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of medical advice or treatment from a personal physician. Readers of this content are advised to consult their doctors or qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Neither the author(s) nor the publisher of this content take responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content. All readers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement or lifestyle program.
Sources
7. Yan F, Polk DB. Probiotics and immune health. Curr Opin Gastroenterol. 2011;27(6):496-501.
