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Comment by PragmaticPulp | Hacker News Reader

> Probiotics are a cheap and risk-free.

Not entirely risk-free, but the side effects of a negative reaction don’t last too long at least.

I felt notably worse for about a week after trying one of the mainstream probiotic brands with strange brain fog I couldn’t shake. This effect was repeatable and I could start the malaise again by resuming the probiotic. The same effect didn’t happen with another antibiotic with different strains.

Probiotics could be worth trying, but you have to go in with the understanding that the possible outcomes are more than just “no effect” and “improved health”. Worsening is also a real possibility.

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Thank you. I should have said "low risk" instead of "risk free".

The brain fog could have been a consequence of the ensuing biological war you started by introducing a new strain of bacteria to your digestion for which your metabolism had yet to adapt to.

More likely that it’s the case that more bacteria in your stomach isn’t necessarily a better thing.

These negative effects have been noted in the literature, too, so I’m not alone: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6006167/

I did not imply probiotics were a panacea. Difficult to imagine such a biological war playing out in every host beneficially. Although the study you mention is concerned with an unusual fermentation process, which may be caused by a different biological mechanism.

The link was about probiotics causing or contributing to intestinal bacterial overgrowth. It’s a real risk.

I read the study. The risk is real tho uncommon, but the study was unable to determine if bacterial overgrowth was the underlying condition responsible for the symptoms, because they appear the same as those from D-lactic acidosis, caused by the same bacteria as found in common probiotics.

So whether the issue is too much bacteria or poor compatibly with a host remains unanswered by your linked study.

It's hard to believe something can be as powerful as to relieve depression, while at the same time not having any downside or risk.

I believe it's not risk-free. For example, I read that immuno-suppressed people should avoid consuming kombucha, kefir, etc.

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