NHS Doctor reveals 5 ‘Gut Friendly’ Supplements to Avoid

A gut health expert has warned against investing in certain supplements, calling them “red flags” that are likely useless.

NHS bowel surgeon Dr Karan Rajan analysed labels on various digestive health supplements and raised concerns about their ingredients.

Many products lack detailed ingredient information, leaving consumers unsure of what they’re taking. Others may expire quickly, making them ineffective.

In a TikTok video, Dr Rajan told his 5.3 million followers to be cautious of certain probiotic supplements.

These pills contain live “healthy” bacteria that supposedly improve gut health.

Firstly, he advised against buying probiotics that list only lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium.

These names are too broad, he said, and don’t specify the exact strains needed for particular health benefits.

For example, he explained that while Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12 + S. thermophilus helps prevent antibiotic-related diarrhoea, Bifidobacterium lactis W52 + B. bifidum W23 reduces eczema risk.

Dr Rajan said: “An unnamed strain of bacteria is about as useful as labelling a zoo animal ‘mammal’, you need the genus, species, and strain.

“The strain matters because not all bacteria in the same species do the same thing.

“One strain might improve digestion and another strain just might vibe in your gut doing nothing.”

He also warned against supplements boasting high colony-forming units (CFU) — the measure of live bacteria in a product.

Dr Rajan stressed that more bacteria isn’t always better.

In the video, he said: “5 billion or 50 billion — it doesn’t matter if they don’t survive the stomach acid and colonise your gut.

“For example, there is evidence that just 1 billion CFUs of a certain form of Bifidobacterium is as good at getting rid of IBS symptoms as 10 billion CFUs of the same strain.”

@dr.karanr Probiotics #creatorsearchinsights #guthealth #probiotics #microbiome ? original sound – Dr Karan Raj

Another key factor is shelf life.

Dr Rajan stated: “Live bacteria degrade over time, especially if it’s been sitting on a shelf for ages.”

He recommended choosing products with packaging that states “viable through end of shelf life”. This means the bacteria will remain effective longer.

Meanwhile, the phrase “at the time of manufacturing” could signal that the bacteria won’t survive until consumption.

Dr Rajan also advised selecting supplements with “function-specific strains” rather than a “random gut party”.

He said: “If you want help with bloating specifically, look for strains that could do that, like Bifidobacterium Infantis 35624.”

The surgeon added that the strain Saccharomyces boulardii may help with diarrhoea.

Finally, he warned against supplements containing multiple complex-sounding strains.

Dr Rajan added: “A 15-strain probiotic sounds impressive, but if they’re all fighting for survival in your gut, it’s just a bacterial Hunger Games.

“Some strains compete or even cancel each other out.”