Diarrhea is a type of gastrointestinal infection that leads to people suffering from irregular bowel motions which are sometimes accompanied by abdominal pain. Diarrhea usually results in dehydration, i.e., the loss of the required amount of liquids in the body. Diarrhea is generally categorized into two types, acute and chronic diarrhea. Acute diarrhea is common and may last for 2–3 days; however, chronic diarrhea is a serious condition that may last over a month and requires more attention as it may occur due to irritable bowel syndrome or poor absorbability of nutrients.

Diarrhea symptoms

• Pain in the abdominal area
• Bloating
• Cramps in the abdominal area
• Recurrent bowel passing
• Weakness
• Nausea or dizziness

Role of probiotics in treating diarrhea
Probiotics are also known as “good bacteria” that help maintain a good health by multiplying themselves and dominating over problem-causing bacteria. Probiotics help in making digestion better, in better absorption of nutrients, and also the elimination of waste from our bodies.

In patients suffering from diarrhea, the count of good bacteria in the gut reduces and this results in bowel irregularities. Probiotics help solve the issue by restoring the good and healthy bacteria that in turn balance the normal intestinal function.

Benefits of using diarrhea relief probiotics
There exist three primary benefits of consuming probiotics that provide relief from diarrhea.

• Diarrhea relief probiotics help restrain the growth of bad bacteria and prevent them from holding onto the intestinal walls.
• Maintain a good count of healthy or good bacteria that in turn leads to good immunity.
• Get relief from abdominal pain by wiping out the toxins discharged by the bad bacteria.

Probiotics to get effective relief from diarrhea
There are different types of probiotics that help in getting rid of diarrhea.

Probiotic foods
There are certain foods that contain probiotics—living microorganisms that help in dealing with diarrhea. These foods include cottage cheese, pickles, yogurt, dark chocolate, green olives, Kimchi, Miso, natto, tempeh, sauerkraut, sourdough bread, or even Kefir.

Saccharomyces boulardii
It is a useful yeast that is probiotic in nature and helps in getting rid of diarrhea. This probiotic helps in treating a large number of bacteria and is a better option than consuming antibiotics which kill bad bacteria but along with it also kill the good ones, resulting in more digestion issues in turn. Some of the types of diarrhea that can be treated with Saccharomyces boulardii include:

Diarrhea from antibiotics
As discussed above, antibiotics destroy the good and the bad bacteria and may disturb the intestinal balance. Studies have shown that people consuming probiotics before taking antibiotics have shown a reduced risk of diarrhea.

Traveler’s diarrhea
People who travel a lot are at risk to suffer from diarrhea more as their food and water intake is not regular and hygienic often. Such diarrhea cases usually last longer than usual and can be treated with diarrhea relief probiotics containing Saccharomyces boulardii.

Diarrhea due to C. Difficile
Infection due to C. Difficile may lead to a serious kind of diarrhea that can be treated with diarrhea relief probiotics containing Saccharomyces boulardii.

Lactobacillus genus
This is a type of probiotic that consists of 180 components and generates hydrogen peroxide which has anti-fungal properties. It is one of the best diarrhea relief probiotics for people consuming antibiotics. Genus Lactobacillus helps in reinstating the healthy good bacteria in the gut. Foods that contain Genus Lactobacillus include cheddar cheese, yogurt, or green olives.

Lactobacillus acidophilus
This is a type of probiotic that is recommended for people who travel more, i.e., people suffering from traveler’s diarrhea. This is one of the diarrhea relief probiotics is effective in cases of foreign bacteria entering our bodies, i.e., bacteria that our body is not familiarized with.
Lactobacillus acidophilus can be found in acidophilus milk or yogurt that consists of live active cultures. You can also avail these probiotics in the form of nutrient supplements available in the market.

Lactobacillus plantarum
This kind of probiotic is really helpful and effective in people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or C. difficile. Lactobacillus plantarum helps in getting rid of abdominal bloating in people dealing with diarrhea. Foods that contain Lactobacillus plantarum include fermented vegetables like olives, Natto, Kimchi, or sauerkraut and dairy products like yogurt, cheese, or buttermilk.

L299v strain or DSM 9843 is the source of Lactobacillus plantarum and can be found in capsules such as TuZen Probiotic, Quest, Zenflo and LactoFlamX, organic fruit juices, and oatmeal gruel.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus
This probiotic is also known as Lactobacillus GG and is more commonly used in treating children exposed to the risk of developing diarrhea.

Popular probiotics supplement brands
Some of the brands that offer good probiotic supplements and are readily available in the market include Align, Digestive Advantage, Phillips Colon Health, Culturelle, FloraStor, and Mutaflor.