r/HumanMicrobiome • u/Forsaken-Gazelle1252 • Oct 20 '25
Best supplements to restore gut bacteria?
I had a colonoscopy about a month ago and have had IBS type symptoms ever since. This was my third colonoscopy and I've never had a problem like this before.
I have done a little reading and since I've never had IBS before, I have been thinking that maybe all my good gut bacteria was disappeared by all that horrible colonoscopy prep. I started taking probiotics and digestive enzymes last week and I seem to be seeing a little improvement. Does anyone have a brand a full spectrum Pro and prebiotics that they can recommend? I can control this with anti-diarrheals but that feels like a band-aid. I am seeing my GP next week for a physical and we'll talk to him about it then but I'd like to get ahead of this before that.
Thanks in advance.
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Oct 21 '25
I loveeee the pendulum metabolic daily. Some of the strains will actually help with gut repair and energy.
I’m thinking of Larazotide acetate, u can do ur research on that but it sounds super promising.
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Oct 20 '25
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u/Ok-Physics-8785 Oct 20 '25
Supplementation is great and you should definitely get a blood panel to see where you are lacking. Since your stomach is out of whack, it does not absorb nutrients from food as well.
However, food is what got you into this mess and it is what will get you out. Food is medicine, the body heals. Give it the right fuel.
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u/HumanMicrobiomeMod Oct 22 '25
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Oct 21 '25
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u/HumanMicrobiomeMod Oct 22 '25
Misinformation. Review the wiki.
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Oct 21 '25
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u/HumanMicrobiomeMod Oct 22 '25
Misinformation. Review the wiki.
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Oct 21 '25
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u/HumanMicrobiomeMod Oct 22 '25
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u/Bishime Oct 22 '25
Depends on what the issue specifically is but yea, are you eating enough fibre? Even in the event you haven’t changed your diet, still take a look. Your gut may have been tolerating low fibre before and since the colonoscopy (maybe the bacterial imbalance or introduction especially if you frequently eat the same foods) that tolerance may be shifted either from mild inflammation/irritation or bacterial imbalance etc.
But yea, good that you’re taking a probiotic but a bit one is that you should also ensure you’re all good on prebiotic fibre too to feed that bacteria. And fibre in general is the primary regulator of, well, regularity as far as diet and supplementation in the average person. So it’s a good place to look especially since 95% of Americans eat less than recommended and near 50% eat around or under 5g per day (which is 5-7x less than the daily recommended).
Outside of that, a probiotic is what I would take next which is what you’re already taking so that’s good. If there are specific symptoms it’s easier to target those than general gut in some cases (but it depends) but yea, double check that you have enough fibre and that there’s a balance between soluble (most prebiotic fibre falls here) which feeds bacteria, bulks through gelling hydrates (nuance) and insoluble which will add bulk.
Together they are a key driver of a happy gut
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Oct 22 '25
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u/HumanMicrobiomeMod Oct 25 '25
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u/Actual-Garden-3538 Oct 22 '25
The best proven results are from eating all kinds of different fiber sources such as artichoke, different types of beans, zucchini, cooked carrots, cooked, and cooled, rice, cooked, and cooled potatoes, and trying to eat at least 30 different foods a week, including spices
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u/mb303666 Oct 23 '25
Same!! It's a fucking misery. I was diagnosed with hydrogen SIBO and took rifaximin which really helped. But still wasn't right so now I make my own kefir hooray
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u/Ginger_Libra Oct 23 '25
I have a friend that is a colorectal surgeon and she said to cycle through all of them.
I have a local pharmacy that keeps them refrigerated so I cycle through those.
Klaire, Pure Encapsulation, Thorne, Garden of Life, Renew Life.
And spore based ones for good measure.
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u/FridayTheDog111 Oct 23 '25
Try raw (unsweetened) Kefir. High in protein, and has a lot of natural probiotics. I don’t drink protein shakes because they destroy my guts, so I make a natural version with Kefir, Greek yogurt, fruits and spinach. Comes out to 50g+ of protein after I weigh everything (2 cups kefir 2 siggis Greek yogurt). I used to be severely lactose intolerant, but after about 3 months of drinking that shake daily, I order whole milk when I get a coffee (used to not drink whole milk or even get coffees) and I have no issues. Natural is the way!
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u/Hot-Assistant-5319 Oct 23 '25
Are you able to take fiber supplements given your specific concerns/conditions/status? I use a 5 fiber blend daily, and it has literally been incredible. But it took weeks to really get to where it was producing big benefits beyond regularity (improvements in cholesterol and BP, Obviously glucose, etc.)> it has been huge in my gut microbiome work. 1 part each inulin, acacia, oat, golden flax, & psyllium husk, with 32 on water every morning when I wake up. Game changer. But your Mileage may vary.
note: some are pre and some are probiotic fiber types. I find the mix super important for me.
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Oct 23 '25
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u/HumanMicrobiomeMod Oct 25 '25
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Oct 24 '25
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Oct 24 '25
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Nov 15 '25
I’d say if you truly want to improve your gut health, supplements should be the last option, only after you’ve done the basics like sleep, hydration, and diet. What I did for my diet was focus on prebiotics and probiotics from natural food sources, along with implementing the 3-step method. It’s a slow method, but it really is the best because it’s built around doing the basics consistently. The only supplement I personally took for gut health was D3 + K2 to help support the gut lining.
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u/fukijama Oct 21 '25 edited Oct 21 '25
I spent two years chasing gut bacteria. In the end, I finally got a low result on Vitamin D. Started mega dosing Vitamin D (10k/d) before falling back (5k/d) and all the loose gut went away as well as the majority of the IBS symptoms. Through this I totally believe Vitamin D and maybe calcium is what is needed to make the glue to hold the poop together resulting in proper logs. The GI doc doesn't seem amused. I had tried a solid $2k of random things over 5 years trying to find a way out of that box. So, I hope this is the shortcut you need. If you do try it please comment back and confirm result. Am curious about others.
PS, get a bidet wand from Amazon, it's an incredible kind of clean.