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

Is it worth spending more on the probiotics that need to be kept in the fridge?

My 7yo has ongoing gut issues, extensive tests have been done and the diagnosis is IBS. He has crippling stomach pains and diarrhoea which has been coming and going for over 6 months.
I'd like to try and improve his gut health but don't know where to start or how to track it. How long do these things take to have an impact? What does IBS actually mean, and what has caused it?

My daughter has been suffering from gut issues for the last 2.5 years. Doctors can’t seem to pinpoint the problem, possible IBS. They’ve only done blood tests and an x ray. Do you think probiotics can heal the gut. She’s become quite restrictive in her diet now as she’s afraid it will irritate her tummy. She’s 12.

My baby (now a toddler) and I had to have antibiotics during and after birth. How will it affect his gut health? What can I do to help his gut bacteria?

Thinking about products like Danone and Actimel, are these suitable for children?

Get IBS symptoms sometimes and when I do it's across several days/Weeks then perfectly fine. Is this something probiotics can help with? How to improve my gut health so I'm not bloated after every meal?

I have Graves and an overactive thyroid, I am also going through the menapause. For around the last 6 months I get a tight wheezy throat doctor says it's Gerd. My question is what can I take that's natural as I do not like popping pills all the time.

My 17 yo daughter regularly has an upset stomach and diarrhea. We are working our way through some dietary changes (less fruit, more fibre), and taking charcoal tablets and probiotics. This seems to be effective after circa a month: is there anything else we should try?

Is there good quality evidence that probiotics have a positive effect on health?

Can you recommend a diet that would improve my gut bacteria for the good. I try to eat a varied diet, vegetables, including cabbage, mushrooms, onions, garlic, sprouts, kimchi, varied beans, yoghurt, cheese and meats, salmon. Am I on the right track. What else could be beneficial? Fascinating subject. Thank you

What vitamin or other supplements (in tablet form rather than probiotic drinks) are good for improving gut health?

My 15 year old daughter says she feels as if the food she eats is going down her back. She gets full quickly and feels as if her stomach is burning. She’s had several tests for IBD, IBS which have come back clear. She’s been prescribed anti reflux meds and tablets to take an hour before she eats but nothing seems to help. She has flare ups where she can go months feeling okay then all of sudden square one.

We’ve tried to see if there are trigger foods. Eat little but often. Everything we’ve been advised.

Not sure what other tests we can ask GP to run. Any advice ? (This has been going on at least 3 years)

Thank you

I have a history of IBD in my family.
Would taking a probiotic regularly help with avoiding developing similar issues myself?

Are commercial versions of Kombucha useful or just jumping on a bandwagon to make money?

What are the changes to the gut during menopause that recommend a good probiotic? What do they do exactly? Two questions sorry.

I seem to have digestive problems As I keep getting bloating . I do take probiotics. Is it worth having intolerance tests done? Thanks.

If your child is diagnosed with a functional gut disorder (ie disconnect between gut & brain) & clinical psychological support is recommended how effective & within what time scale would you expect to see improvements/changes?

Hello there, i have s hiatal hernia and Barretts Oesphagus.

Im on 30mg lanzoprazole a day. However this is sometimes not enough. I have this continual nausea.

I take probiotics in capsule form and try to avoid anything i know will set it off.

Have you any suggestions for anything else i can do to allieviate the nausea and sometimes stomach pain and excess acid which comes up into my mouth. I sleep propped up at night to help the acid situation.

Many thanks

Is gut health an indicator of a pre-disposition to allergies?

Can you post some results from market testing of Culturelle probiotics, did it benefit children, were there any side effects ? what does it taste like - if it's added to food can it be tasted ? Thanks - I am interested but want to know more about it .

Are there any easy hacks for eating more fibre?
it seems that everything I enjoy cooking is just not feeding my gut biome. I’m not overly keen on whole grain pasta, brown rice takes longer to cook. I do like fruit, veg and salad and enjoy pulses (but these are usually tinned) and seeds. Is it just the case that anything good for me takes a lot longer to prepare?

What should I be looking for when buying pre or pro biotics? I don't trust that actimel etc actually do anything and they have sugar in. Thanks!

Any thoughts on the number of pre-schoolers these days on regular doses of Movicol / Laxido? I feel like every second parent I speak to has experience of this and wonder what has changed?

Are there any probiotic drinks targeted at kids? Maybe with child friendly branding and packaging?

Is it not better to get nutrients from food? If you’re taking a supplement with low quality diet would that not just be a waste of time?