Our bodies are full of bacteria and most of these bacteria reside in the stomach. The majority are harmless and having the right stomach bacteria is associated with a variety of health benefits, such as weight loss, healthier skin, enhanced immune function, improved digestion, and a reduced risk of diseases. Probiotics are a type of healthy bacteria that provides the stomach with various health benefits when consumed.

Despite the increasing number of probiotic foods, beverages, and supplements available, there remains a lot of confusion surrounding the benefits of adding probiotics to your diet. To help you separate fact from fiction, the following are the popular myths and the facts about probiotics:

1. Myth: All probiotic supplements are the same
Not true say many food researchers. While a supplement that contains probiotics may be helpful, there are in fact many different strains of probiotics, so you really have to do your research to find out which strains of bacteria, or maybe just one, are in a supplement.

2. Fact: You may not need probiotics at all
Probiotics can give you a boost in certain health conditions, but the majority of people have never taken a single probiotic supplement or food in their life, and they live very happily without the help of probiotics.

3. Myth: Prebiotics and probiotics are the same
Also not true. Prebiotic foods are fibers and natural sugars that help stimulate the growth of good bacteria in your gut. P. probiotics, add good bacterias from outside your body. The two work well together, but they are quite different.

4. Fact: Probiotics are not science-backed
In fact, a study at the University of Copenhagen revealed that except for people with gut-bacteria-related illnesses, the conclusion was that for the general populace, probiotics are a huge waste of the $1.3 billion dollars spent on them annually. Probiotics are sold as a health supplement, and as long as there is no evidence the supplement is any danger to the public, absolutely no research needs to be done to claim the touted benefits.

5. Myth: You can tell what kind of probiotics are in a product by the label
In fact, labels rarely tell you anything specific about the bacteria added to improve your gut health. Usually, they may simply state, something innocuous like, “contains live cultures, or live bacteria.” The ingredients list may help, but if there is no specific information on the microbe count, you don’t really know what you are getting.

6. Fact: Probiotics can cause allergies
In general, it’s wise to talk to your doctor about adding probiotics to your diet, particularly for children. Probiotics have been known to trigger allergic reactions in some people, as well as bring on diarrhea, upset stomach, gas and bloating. The best advice if you want to try them is introduce them slowly.

7. Myth: All yogurt contains prebiotics
Not true. Some are great. Some have zero probiotics in them. You have to read carefully, and perhaps even go to the companies website.