Be cautious with multi-strain probiotics post-antibiotics

What to Do

Avoid automatically reaching for a multi-strain probiotic supplement after finishing antibiotics. The evidence suggests this common practice may actually slow your microbiome's recovery.

Why It Works (Against You)

The Weizmann Institute (Segal and Elinav, published in Cell) found that when standard multi-strain probiotics colonized the antibiotic-depleted gut, they occupied the ecological space and significantly delayed the return of the native, diverse microbial community. Autologous fecal transplant (your own pre-antibiotic stool) restored the microbiome fastest; probiotics were the slowest recovery path.

Tips

• This finding specifically applies to the post-antibiotic recovery period, not all probiotic use
• S. boulardii is the exception because as a yeast it does not compete with bacterial recolonization
• Dietary approaches (fiber, fermented foods, plant diversity) support natural recovery without this risk
• If you do take a bacterial probiotic during antibiotics, consider stopping shortly after the course ends