The best natural probiotic to help prevent travellers' diarrhoea

If you're travelling abroad to places with very different types of food and cooking and food storage methods, it is recommended to take a probiotic supplement before and during the visit.

Diarrhoea can be caused by a bowel infection eg. gastroenteritis, which in turn can be caused by

• a virus, such as norovirus
• bacteria, such as E. coli picked up from contaminated food, or
• a parasite, often spread in contaminated water and caught in areas with poor hygiene.

This is often known as travellers' diarrhoea.

Diarrhoea causes dysbiosis - an imbalance in the gut microflora - with too few beneficial bacteria and an overgrowth of harmful micro-organisms. Dysbiosis then increases gut permeability and inflammation of the intestine.

Supplementing with probiotics encourages the ‘good’ live bacteria to colonise in the gut and crowd out the pathogens, thereby helping to reduce the duration and severity of, or prevent, diarrhoea.

Research, including a 2018 meta-analysis in Epidemiology and Health, shows a "statistically significant efficacy in the prevention of travellers' diarrhoea". The most effective strains to help prevent stomach upsets include a mixture of different Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium good bacteria.

Researchers have also concluded that probiotic supplements are a useful addition to rehydration therapy in managing acute infectious diarrhoea. They have the greatest effect if given as soon as possible after the onset of diarrhoea.