These days you probably hear that a probiotic supplement is everything you need for physical and mental health. But what do probiotics do for men exactly? Taking probiotics has various health benefits and the gut microbiome is the same regardless of gender. However, probiotics for men can be helpful for more than digestive and overall health.
What Are Probiotics
Gut health is one of those things that you hear about every day and do not understand. You might also hear about probiotic supplements and not understand what they can do for you.
Probiotics are simply fermented foods or products that contain healthy bacteria that benefit your digestive system. Foods like yogurt and kimchi are probiotics and have beneficial bacteria that strengthen your digestive system. With time, your gut microbiome (a colony of healthy bacteria) begins to suffer and might start having a combination of good and bad bacteria. Slowly, the bad bacteria might destroy the remaining of your healthy gut flora and you will notice symptoms like pain, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, and pain.
Probiotic supplements are simply products that provide you with probiotic strains of bacteria to help restore your gut health. Although a change in diet could suffice, sometimes taking a supplement is easier.

These days you probably hear that a probiotic supplement is everything you need for physical and mental health. But what do probiotics do for men exactly? Taking probiotics has various health benefits and the gut microbiome is the same regardless of gender. However, probiotics for men can be helpful for more than digestive and overall health.
What Are Probiotics
Gut health is one of those things that you hear about every day and do not understand. You might also hear about probiotic supplements and not understand what they can do for you.
Probiotics are simply fermented foods or products that contain healthy bacteria that benefit your digestive system. Foods like yogurt and kimchi are probiotics and have beneficial bacteria that strengthen your digestive system. With time, your gut microbiome (a colony of healthy bacteria) begins to suffer and might start having a combination of good and bad bacteria. Slowly, the bad bacteria might destroy the remaining of your healthy gut flora and you will notice symptoms like pain, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, and pain.
Probiotic supplements are simply products that provide you with probiotic strains of bacteria to help restore your gut health. Although a change in diet could suffice, sometimes taking a supplement is easier.
Things To Keep In Mind About Probiotic Supplements
Before you decide to spend your time and money on expensive products, take a look at some of the things that you should look out for:
- The probiotic contains over 1 billion colony-forming units (CFUs)
- The best probiotic strains are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus, or Saccharomyces boulardii
- Make sure the probiotic product has been tested and packaged properly
Benefits Of Probiotics For Men
If you are ready to start taking probiotics, check out these health benefits specific to men and some also general to the public.
Stronger Immune Health
Many studies have shown that taking probiotics can help regulate your body’s immune system and promote a stronger immune function. When your stress levels are higher or your diet is unhealthy, your gut suffers, which then leads to a worse immune response.
Probiotic supplementation can help keep a healthy immune system to fight off bacteria in the gut, but also any other pathogens.
Improve Gut Health
It makes sense that one of the health benefits of taking certain probiotic strains is to improve the gut microbiome and thus support your digestive health.
A probiotic supplement could be helpful if you suffer from things, like irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), acid reflux, indigestion, or other digestive issues. Most times, digestive problems stem from good gut bacteria dying.
Taking care of your gut health can also lead to better nutrient absorption and proper digestion.
Support Prostate Health
If you are searching for probiotics for men then you are probably also searching for benefits about men’s reproductive health, like prostate health. Some clinical nutrition trials found that probiotics strengthen a person’s gut microbiome, which will also prevent prostate swelling.
Good bacteria in your gut can help reduce inflammation in your prostate, which often leads to prostate cancer. While it is not a magical solution, when it comes to men’s health, beneficial microbes can make part of complementary and integrative health solutions to support wellbeing.
Improve Reproductive Health
Since probiotics can improve prostate health, it should not come as a surprise that they might also influence testosterone levels and thus reproductive health. Many studies have shown to probiotics can positively affect sperm production, improve sperm mobility, and even reduce any DNA or tissue damage.
Some animal studies have also shown promise in terms of the probiotic effect on reducing testicular inflammation, leading to overall improved reproductive health.
Support Mental Health
There is a very close connection between gut health and mental health. When your GI tract is healthy, your brain’s cognitive function also improves, leading to less risk for mental health issues and an overall feeling of mental wellness.
One of the benefits of probiotics is to provide bacterial balance in your gut, which can, in turn, help regulate mood and emotions. Studies have found that certain bacterial strains lower stress levels, anger, and anxiety, reduce the risk of depression, and improve sleep patterns.
With improved sleep and mood, cognitive power will also improve and men will find that they have more energy during the day, more stamina, and are able to concentrate better. Probiotic administration does not replace the need for mental health or cognitive medications but can benefit your nervous system and your mental well-being.
Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance
For those concerned about things like diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart health, then probiotics might be a good way to help reach a healthy weight.
In general, healthy weight loss results from improved digestion as gut modulation can lead to better bowel movements, eating habits, reduced cravings, and even an improvement in muscle mass.
Beneficial micro-organisms in probiotics will lead to a healthier gut, which can make you feel better about your diet and start eating healthier as well. When your microbiome is out of balance, you crave more sugar and processed foods, leading to unnecessary weight gain.
Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight can also result in better respiratory health, which improves longevity and reduces the risk of asthma, sleep apnea, COPD, and other issues.
Efficient Nutrient Absorption
The anti-inflammatory properties of probiotics not only help prevent chronic and acute illness or infection, but can also provide relief to your gut lining. By improving your gut lining strength, your digestive tract is able to absorb nutrients more efficiently.
For men, certain deficiencies are more common, including vitamin B12, folate, iron, vitamin D, and others. When men take probiotics, they also improve the digestion and absorption of micronutrients, preventing further deficiencies.
Top Probiotics For Men
Starting the search for probiotics can be daunting, especially when it comes to learning about every probiotic strain and your body’s reaction to all ingredients. In general, most probiotics have two probiotic strains, but better ones contain more. See some of our best choices below.
Seed
Best Overall
When it comes to science, Seed is probably the superior product. It is straightforward, but also combines probiotics and prebiotics, essentially creating a symbiotic. Combining both will lead to more efficiency when it comes to absorption and health effects.
While it might seem a bit pricey, Seed probiotic is worth the money for men that want a supplement that is backed by scientific evidence and that does not add fillers or hides behind proprietary blends of any kind.
VSL #3 Probiotic
Best For Digestive Issues
For men struggling with their gut health, particularly things like IBS, IBD, or acid reflux, VSL #3 probiotic is a very good option. It brings eight probiotic strains to the table, which have scientific research that backs their use in treating digestive problems, particularly those that deal with inflammation.
Although a bit expensive, it might be worth spending the money for men that consistently struggle with digestive issues. For those that do not seem to have weight under control, this VSL #3 can also be a good option.
24 Strain Probiotic by Gundry MD
Best for General Health
For those that are looking for a product that helps tackle general health and not just digestive well-being, 24 Strain by Gundry MD is a good probiotic to try. As the name suggests, it contains 24 probiotic strains and 30 billion CFUs per serving, which is on the higher side for probiotics.
Gundry MD is also a very well-known brand of nutritional supplements, which can provide some confidence in the safety and efficacy of the product. The label offers clear information and you can find many other products to pair with your probiotic if you still feel like you need more supplementation.
FAQs: What Do Probiotics Do For Men?
Here are some of the common questions regarding probiotics for men that might help you make your decision regarding the correct supplement.
What happens when you start taking probiotics every day?
In the beginning, you might experience a period of indigestion, bloating, and gas while your body gets used to the influx of bacterial strains. These symptoms should resolve after a few days once your gut is used to probiotic microbes. If the symptoms do not resolve within a few days, it might be best to reach out to your healthcare provider to see if something else is going on.
Do probiotics detox your body?
No. Probiotics do not detoxify your body. In fact, nothing really does, except your own body! There are definitely ways to help sustain a better lifestyle and maintain a better weight, and probiotics are part of it, but your own body is able to get rid of toxins on its own and maintain homeostasis without problems.
Some individuals, like those with chronic kidney disease, are not able to “detox” properly, but that does not mean that taking supplements will do the trick. However, probiotics can help fight off infections and maintain a balanced microbiome, which is the best way to prevent malabsorption, inflammation, and possible damage to your digestive tract.
Do men need to take probiotics?
Not necessarily. No one really needs to take probiotics, but some individuals would significantly benefit from taking them. Men are often not aware of how their diet and lifestyle can affect their overall health, which is why they might notice that they have many of the issues that probiotics can help with. Adding this supplement is a great way to maintain better health habits.
As with any other supplement, lifestyle changes are the best way to ensure that probiotic benefits have a long-lasting impact.
How long does it take for probiotics to work?
For the most part, probiotics should take 2-3 weeks to reach their full potential. You should continue to take them on a daily basis for a few months to see the health benefits that probiotics offer. If you see improvements and feel like you have reached your health goals, you can discontinue their use for a while, and reinitiate them as needed.
Should You Take Probiotics?
If there are men out there that are still on the fence about probiotics, this might be the sign to give them a try. Not only are they fairly safe, but they can also have a significant impact on your general health, which can help you improve your quality of life.
If you have certain health conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease, or are taking any medications, consult your healthcare provider before starting your probiotic supplement.