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Can you take too many probiotics and have them "take over" the gut?

Bansaw

Senior Member
Messages
521
I've been toying with the idea of taking water kefir grains. Not the fermented liquid it produces but the actual concentrated grains. There are billions upon billions in these clumps.

Not knowing too much about gut balance and how it all works out, I am worried that ingesting these grains might mean that they simply take over the gut and grow to such a level where they could be harmful and upset balance.

I have heard stories such as people putting Kombucha scobys in their septic tank and months later they find their tank is blocked by the scoby growing to monster sizes. Now, I theorise that the gut will have some safety mechanisms in there, but its such a sensitive balance to get right.

Any comments?
 

Keela Too

Sally Burch
Messages
900
Location
N.Ireland
I've heard that the water kefir doesn't contain the same range of species as found in milk kefir... and because part of the benefit of kefir is the wide range of species ingested, then maybe the water kefir grains would not be as beneficial as those from milk?

Certainly I make milk kefir regularly, and when there is a surplus of grains I just whizz the extra ones in with my next smoothie. I've had no problems doing this.

I'm curious about the name "water kefir" however - it would seem to me it would be better described as "sugar kefir" as sugar is the main food source of these kefir grains when they are prepared.... is that right?
 

Richard7

Senior Member
Messages
772
Location
Australia
Keela Too,

yeah, they are different cultures, kefir is from the Caucasus Mountains, water kefir (AKA tibicos) is from mexico. Water kefir is transparent and forms natural jelly-like cubes.

One of the nice things that you can do with it is do an initial ferment with water and sugar, and then do a second ferment with fruit juice or a fruit smoothie. I have also done it with a mixture of molasses and water, it seems to make the yeast more active, but it is nice to get the minerals found in a cup of molasses without having to consume much of the sugar.

And yeah it is mostly sugar water, though people also add a bit of lemon or lime and some dried fruit (sulphur free apricots are good and some people add crushed eggshells.
 

South

Senior Member
Messages
466
Location
Southeastern United States
Be careful. I'm very sensitive to yeasts - cannot eat yeasted bread without getting gut problems and insomnia, cannot eat nutritional yeast products for the same reason. kefir gave me similar problems.

Kefir contains yeasts and bacteria, whereas yogurt has only bacteria, no yeasts.

Why kefir for this experiment? Why not instead take some large doses of probiotic capsules, that do not have yeasts? to play it safe and avoid those yeasty ingredients that may (or may not) aggravate yeast in the body.
 

Bansaw

Senior Member
Messages
521
Why kefir for this experiment? Why not instead take some large doses of probiotic capsules, that do not have yeasts? to play it safe and avoid those yeasty ingredients that may (or may not) aggravate yeast in the body.
The reason why is cost. Kefir has billions more live organisms per serving than the store-bought capsules, especially if you're consuming the grains. And kefir has typically has many more strains too. Plus the cost. A good probiotic is very, very expensive.
I dont think yeasts are my issue. I think it mat have something to do with the sugars and/or my methylation cycle handling of vinegars.