There are more than 250 non-authorised claims for probiotic products on the EU Register for nutrition and health claims, a few common ones include: During travel– drink only bottled water, focus on healthy foods (including vegetables and fermented foods if you can find them), don’t go overboard with alcohol and you might want to double up on the good bacteria supplements. Under EU regulations, food and drink products aren’t allowed to claim to treat or cure a health issue. Many manufacturers get around this by using vague marketing buzzwords which don’t have any objective scientific meaning.

All of these changes can disturb the normal healthy balance of your digestive system and it is useful to support your gut before, during and after travel: ProVen Probiotics Acidophilus & Bifidus for Travel is designed to help maintain a balanced digestive system whilst travelling. Each capsule contains 12.5 billion of the extensively studied Lab4 group of friendly bacteria, together with calcium, ginger, and glutamine. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ Worked as promised. I always get an upset stomach abroad but took one of these every day and didn’t have any problems. But when it comes to how exactly to support our gut microbiome, things can get complicated. Nobody really knows what a 'normal' microbiome should look like and the diversity of gut bacteria varies from person to person. Fermented drinks, such as kombucha (a slightly sour, fizzy flavoured drink made from sweetened tea and bacterial cultures) and foods such as miso, kimchi and sauerkraut, are associated with positive digestive health, but the evidence for this is somewhat limited. The product is suitable for men, women and children from two years of age as the capsules can be opened and the contents sprinkled onto cold food or drink. For babies under two, we recommend ProVen Probiotics baby products.

The gut microbiome is a vast ecosystem of complex organisms that live in our digestive tract. It’s responsible for helping us get the most out of our food, ensuring that it’s properly digested and nutrients are absorbed. The golden rule is to tailor treatment to your specific symptoms. For example, certain strains of probiotics have some evidence of reducing IBS symptoms, but others don’t. Illness when travelling can be so difficult to deal with. Not only are you missing out on your travel plans, but you are in an unfamiliar place too. If you do need to see a pharmacist or doctor there are different rules and procedures to deal with. Boost your gut health with Probio 7 Advanced Formula, one of the leading probiotic supplements. With over 100 trillion gut bacteria making up the human microbiome in our digestive system, maintaining a balance is crucial. Factors like illness, antibiotics, digestive health conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut, diet and stress can all disrupt this balance. Probiotic ‘good bacteria’ occur naturally in your gut and play a crucial role in this microscopic world. However, they can be disrupted by a range of factors, including poor diet, stress or taking a course of antibiotics.Fermented products can contain a wide variety of bacteria and minerals that contribute to gut diversity. It's hard to know what bacteria is in these foods and what bacteria your body needs, so it’s worth experimenting by including a range of them in your diet (gradually, not all at once!).

I start taking these probiotics at least a week or so before departure. This gives my body a chance to build up a bit of resistance before heading off.

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The word ‘probiotic’ is not allowed to appear on products sold within the EU as no health claims have been accepted as proven when the evidence has been assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Kefir, kimchi, kombucha – supermarket shelves are filling with so-called ‘gut-friendly’ probiotic products. But can they really transform your health, or are you just flushing money down the drain?