Do you have questions about your or your child's digestion and gut health? Ask a probiotics expert - £200 voucher to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

Created for Culturelle

PLEASE NOTE THIS Q&A IS NOW CLOSED FOR QUESTIONS. YOU CAN VIEW MARGARET'S ANSWERS HERE

Gut health is an important part of our overall health, but it can be hard to know how to improve it. Whether you’ve experienced digestion problems yourself, or you want some advice on maintaining your children’s gut health, Culturelle has invited expert Margaret Haldeman to answer your questions.

● Everyone who shares a question on the thread below will be entered into a prize
draw.
● One lucky Mumsnet user will win a £200 voucher.
● Margaret will be back online in the new year to answer a selection of your questions.

About Margaret Haldeman
Margaret Haldeman is the Global Scientific Engagement Leader for microbiome targeted solutions at i-Health, Inc., a division of DSM, with specific focus on Culturelle probiotics, adietary supplement. She received her B.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Rochester and SUNY Buffalo, respectively. As a postdoctoral fellow at The Ohio State University, she was awarded an NIH Individual National Research Service Award to study bacterial transcriptional regulation.

With over 10 years of experience in the field, in her current role at i-Health, Margaret is focused on healthcare professional engagement and promoting microbiome education and clinical trial support to raise awareness of evidence-based probiotics. As co-chair of the Education and Communication Committee and Healthcare Professional Taskforce of the International Probiotics Association and through activities of the Council for Responsible Nutrition Probiotics Group, Margaret’s passion is to educate all audiences on the importance of the microbiome and evidence-based tools to promote overall health.

Here’s what Cuturelle has to say:
‘At Culturelle we believe that talking about the gut is still a stigmatized health issue around the world, and by opening up new conversations we can help people understand more about their bodies, the science and what we can all do to support the core of our health’

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
MNHQ

Mumsnet Insight T&Cs Apply

Hi. I'm about to take a 5 day course of antibiotics (Azithromycin 500mg). How bad is this for my gut? What would you take alongside this to protect my gut and rebuild its health?

What can you tell us about the idea that the gut has more connection with the brain than previously thought?

Are sweeteners bad for gut health?

Can stress cause an irritable bowel flare up?

How can I improve gut health whilst pregnant? I’m nearly 12 weeks pregnant and struggling with bloating and diarrhoea at times. I have had IBS since I was a teen.

It does for me!

can too many probiotics to more harm than good - and alter our natural balance ?

Can probiotics lessen the risks of bowel cancer - this runs in my family and I want to try to lessen my risks (other than a good diet)

Why isn't a normal balanced diet enough for our digestion any more ? do you think that ultra processed foods, and farming methods have had an impact on our digestive health ?

How early can you give probiotics - and would you introduce it gradually - if so how much - is it graduated per age/weight - and what are the benefits for a toddler who was solely breastfed ?

I've spent July - October this year in a cycle of terrible IBS. Things aren't yet quite back to 'normal' and I'm hoping that probiotics might be the way to go, but I'm clueless about where to start!

Can too much good bacteria be a bad thing - the same way too many white blood cells can be a bad thing - are there tests we can do to test our 'gut health' to see if we 'need' probiotics

Will probiotics make guts worse before they get better?

I've been having strange pains in the left hand side of my lower abdomen for a while now, I spoke to my Doctor and she told me to up my fibre intake as it seemed to be a blockage, I did that and the pain went away, however if I'm not eating correctly or have a few days bad diet the pain comes back.

Is this something a probiotic could help with?

How helpful is eating fermented foods like sauerkraut? Do the good bacteria survive the stomach to get to where they're needed?

Is there a simple test we can do to see if we need probiotics - or is there a physical symptom I should be aware of that would tell me I need to increase my probiotic intake

What are the knock on effects of poor gut health in children and adults?

What are microbiomes ? and why is the modern diet no longer sufficient for good bowel health - is this why there appears to be a lot more younger people getting and dying from bowel cancer and are they connected ??

What are the physical signs to look out for for poor gut health - my DH has very loose stools (TMI sorry) over many many years - he eats well and has had tests (camera to look internally) and there appears to be nothing wrong - can probiotics help ?

My dd has several food intolerances (egg, tomato, pineapple) Would a probiotic help?

How can I protect my gut health when I need to take antibiotics? I have no idea where to start with probiotics other than drinking activia which I imagine doesn’t do that much.

I have also heard that most probiotics that we can buy don’t live long enough to get to the right part of our gut, is this true? I have heard a little about spore based probiotics which are apparently better at getting to the right part of the gut. What can you tell us about these? I know very little about them.

Is a vegan food lifestyle suitable for a person who currently wears a stoma because of a sigmoid op?
also would it be advisable to use a vegan food lifestyle once the procedure is reversed?
the person in question is terrified that because they went vegan back in 2014, that in 2020 diverticulitis was discovered, and a hole which had to be removed via surgery.
this person really wants to resubscribe to the plant based eating, but doesn’t want to trigger diverticulitis again, much less, further surgery.
Many thanks

My son was born by c-section and has multiple food allergies and asthma. I've read about the importance of natural birth and the initial exposure that gives babies to beneficial bacteria.

Is there any benefit now (he's 10) in giving him pro/pre-biotics? I worry that the years of inflammation while narrowing down and then challenging his body to accept tiny amounts of his allergens will have long term consequences for his health.

Hi my 10 year old daughter has been put on gaviscon and we are awaiting blood tests, she suffers from bad stomach and reflux, doc says she has trapped wind? She also has the worst headaches and a dry cough that won't go away! Please what can I do yo help her not be in pain? Would a prebiotic help?

How long does it take probiotics to make a noticeable good impact on digestive health?