Should I Take Probiotics With RA?

Probiotics seem to be some of the hottest supplements to grace grocery store shelves in recent years. It seems like everyone has heard of the potential health benefits and has helped themselves to probiotic supplements. They seem especially popular in young people, like millennials in my generation. Is their wide popularity for good reason? 

Probiotics have been used by people living with many different disorders, and many report them to be therapeutic. Some research in recent years has also seemed to confirm this.¹

Now, the question is: Can probiotics be beneficial in people with RA?

'Good' bacteria versus 'bad' bacteria

Our bodies are filled with both good and bad bacteria. Keeping the different types of bacteria in balance is an important process in our bodies. With an infection, the bad bacteria multiply, and it’s the good bacteria’s job to help kill off the infection.¹

Sometimes, good bacteria is lost — like with antibiotic use, for example — and needs to be replaced. That’s where supplementing with probiotics comes into the picture.¹

What do probiotics do?

Probiotics are good, live bacteria and yeasts that are found naturally occurring in the body. They are part of your unique microbiome, or the system of living organisms that carry out various functions in the body. Having a healthy microbiome — where the balance of microbes is kept in check — can help support your body in the following ways:¹

• Helping your body break down and absorb nutrients
• Assisting in digestion
• Keeping 'bad' bacteria (and fungi, viruses, and parasites) in check
• Supporting your immune system
• Helping to fight certain infections

Probiotics in particular have been known to provide similar benefits:²

• Helping to maintain the balance of 'good' and 'bad' bacteria
• Fighting harmful bacteria
• Restoring helpful bacteria after illness or other loss

A probiotic-rich diet

The balancing act of good versus bad bacteria is always going on naturally in the body. However, eating a well-balanced diet with probiotics-rich foods and/or taking probiotic supplements can be beneficial as well. Some probiotic-rich foods, particularly fermented foods, include:¹

• Yogurt and kefir
• Kombucha
• Cottage cheese
• Pickles or pickle juice
• Sauerkraut and kimchi

Over-the-counter probiotic supplements are also widely available. Talk to your doctor about whether probiotics are a good idea for you and how to add more beneficial probiotics to your lifestyle.

Can probiotics help us manage our RA?

While there has been some research into the possible benefit of probiotics in people with RA, more research is still needed. Because RA has been shown to have an impact on the gut microbiome, and probiotics help keep the gut microbiome healthy, researchers believe probiotics might be helpful in managing RA's impact on our bodies.²

A few studies have previously shown that some probiotic supplements have anti-inflammatory benefits that have helped relieve RA symptoms and made daily activities easier for people with RA. Probiotics are an area of great interest for continued RA research.²

My positive experience with probiotics

Probiotics have been a part of my daily care for decades now. In the early 2000s, my mother, trying to manage my chronic antibiotic use for cystic fibrosis, started me on probiotics before they went mainstream. Undoubtedly, they helped fix my gut issues and balanced the damaging effects of heavy antibiotic use, such as chronic diarrhea and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). To this day, I still take a large dose of probiotics daily (but remember not to start a regimen like this without talking to your doctor first).

During the weeks I keep up with my probiotic supplements, I do notice a decrease in my RA symptoms. I will have less throbbing pain, specifically in my hands and wrists — my problematic areas. My fingers feel as if they move more smoothly with less resistance. In addition, I notice my minimal swelling is gone.

Does it minimize the pain completely? Not that I notice, but I do believe there’s a therapeutic component to taking probiotics in my situation.

Have you taken probiotics? What is your experience with them? Share with us in the comments below!