Is Yogurt Good for IBS?

If you’re living with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you’ve likely tried several different strategies to manage your symptoms.

For many people with IBS, changes to their diet can lead to significant symptom relief.

One such change is increasing the amount of probiotics in the diet.

Probiotics are microorganisms like bacteria that, when eaten in the right amounts, can have benefits for human health.

Since it’s thought that a disrupted gut microbiome (the community of microorganisms living in your gut) could contribute to the development of IBS, probiotics could help with IBS management. 

One of the reasons yogurt is thought to be effective for improving IBS symptoms is because it can contain live microorganisms.

Yogurt is made by combining heated milk often with two types of bacteria, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus.

‍The bacteria convert the lactose found in milk to lactic acid, which helps it develop its tart flavor.

Many yogurts on the shelf now have added probiotics.

But is yogurt good for IBS? Read on to learn about the research behind probiotics and IBS and which yogurt is best for IBS.

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Is Yogurt Good for IBS?

One 2021 systematic review noted that patients who consumed yogurt with probiotics had improved IBS symptoms when study participants consumed yogurt of various strains between four and eight weeks.

Homemade yogurts may also be a probiotic source to effectively treat IBS.

A pilot study published in 2020 looked at whether homemade yogurt could effectively treat IBS.

The study included 339 people with IBS who ate 24 ounces (3 cups) of homemade yogurt for 400 days.

The study found that 91% of people in the study achieved remission (i.e., got control of their symptoms) within about 180 days 96.4% of people got complete relief from their IBS within 300 days. 

Since the study participants ate 3 cups of homemade yogurt every day for more than one year, it’s important to consider the feasibility of applying this in everyday life, as other foods and preparation methods make up the dietary pattern. 

In addition, this study only included 17 people as a control group (people who did not change their dietary habits).

It’s unclear whether including more people in the control group would have led to different results.

Does Yogurt Help With IBS Symptoms?

While the probiotics in yogurt may survive the acidic environment in the stomach and the digestive process in the small intestine and reach the colon, their effectiveness in alleviating IBS symptoms remains inconclusive.

For example, the same 2021 review mentioned above, also indicated that study participants from one particular study had no improvements in IBS symptoms when they consumed probiotic drinks, including yogurt. 

Since IBS affects people differently and people may experience varying symptoms, larger and more well-controlled studies need to be done to definitively say whether yogurt is good for IBS.

Probiotics and IBS

Probiotics are live microorganisms that when taken in the right amounts, provide benefits to human health.

Since research shows that changes in the gut microbiome (the community of microorganisms living in your gut) might be a contributing factor to IBS, it’s thought that taking probiotics could be a way to relieve IBS symptoms.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 33 randomized controlled trials involving 4,321 people found that probiotics containing multiple types of bacteria and Bifidobacterium species effectively improved IBS symptoms.

They also found that probiotics containing Lactobacillus species effectively reduced abdominal pain and gas while improving the overall quality of life for IBS patients.

In addition to studies looking at the effects of probiotics on all types of IBS combined, there are also studies looking at the effects of probiotics on the different subsets of IBS.

Probiotics and IBS-C

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 randomized controlled trials involving 1,469 people with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) found that people taking probiotics had more frequent bowel movements, improved stool consistency (which meant that the stools were softer and easier to pass), shorter gut transit time (i.e., the amount of time it took for waste to move through the gastrointestinal tract) and no serious negative effects. 

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Probiotics and IBS-D

A randomized controlled trial published in 2021 looked at the effectiveness and safety of a probiotic containing several different types of bacteria in 51 people with diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D).

The patients in the study took either a mixture of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus thermophilus or a placebo (something with no therapeutic effect) for eight weeks.

The study found that the people taking the probiotic mixture had significantly improved IBS symptom severity, reduced pain, and increased quality of life.

There was no difference in negative side effects between the probiotic and placebo groups.

Overall, the study showed that a probiotic containing Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus thermophilus was well-tolerated and effective for treating IBS-D symptoms. 

Have IBS symptoms? Take the IBS quiz understand whether or not you have IBS.

What’s the Best Yogurt for IBS?

To determine if yogurt is good for IBS, it’s important to look at its probiotic content.

Not all yogurt contains probiotics.

This is because, to be a probiotic, the microorganisms must be living and have been shown in research to benefit human health and must be consumed in the right amounts.

While many yogurts contain live microorganisms, they may not contain enough of them to be effective at relieving IBS symptoms.

However, there may be some varieties of yogurts that may help. 

Plain and Greek Yogurt

If you’re not sure whether you can tolerate regular yogurt, try eating a small serving size of plain yogurt to see how you react.

If you don’t get IBS symptoms, you may be able to tolerate larger portion sizes of yogurt. 

Alternatively, you may want to try Greek yogurt.

It may be better tolerated because it is strained before packaging and it has less lactose. 

The Monash Low FODMAP diet suggests trying a smaller amount of plain Greek yogurt (0.8 oz, or about 2 tablespoons) first before increasing your portion.

Lactose-Free Yogurt

Regular yogurt contains moderate amounts of lactose, the sugar found in dairy products. 

If regular lactose-containing yogurt isn’t sitting well with your gut, consider choosing lactose-free yogurt. Lactose-free yogurt may reduce the chances of flare-ups. 

Plant-based Yogurt

If you are looking for a plant-based yogurt, coconut yogurt could be the right fit as it’s a low-FODMAP food. Look at the packaging to find out whether the product has probiotics added.

Soy yogurt with probiotics may also be a lactose-free option.

A small amount of 2 tablespoons of soy yogurt is considered a low-FODMAP food.

However, if you increase your serving size, pay attention to any IBS symptoms present. 

What To Look for In Yogurt

Since the probiotics in yogurt are thought to be beneficial to people with IBS, the best yogurt for IBS is yogurt with a label that says “live and active cultures.” 

This is an optional statement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows yogurt manufacturers to include on the packaging if the product consists of the minimum amount established by the federal agency.

You may also see the “Live and Active Cultures” seal on some yogurts.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) offers a certification to yogurt manufacturers as a seal of approval to help consumers identify the presence of antibiotics in their products. 

This is a voluntary certification that is independent of the FDA regulations.

Yogurt producers with yogurt products consisting of at least 100 million cultures per gram or colony-forming units (a measurement of how many bacteria there are) per gram can receive IDFA’s seal of approval . 

Is Yogurt a Low FODMAP Food? 

Some people with IBS may find relief by following a low FODMAP diet.

FODMAP stands for “Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols.” 

FODMAPs are types of carbohydrates that are not fully digested.

This means they move into the large intestine undigested, where gut bacteria rapidly ferment them. 

For people with IBS and extra-sensitive guts, this can cause abdominal pain, gas, and bloating.

It can also cause diarrhea or constipation for some people with IBS.

If you’re following the low FODMAP diet to manage your IBS symptoms, you’ll need to be careful about which types of yogurt you include in your diet. 

As mentioned earlier, dairy products such as yogurt contain moderate amounts of lactose. 

Lactose is the sugar found in dairy products and is considered a FODMAP. 

Yogurt may be a low-FODMAP food depending on the type of yogurt and the amount consumed.

For example, lactose-free yogurt and coconut yogurt are low-FODMAP foods. 

Yogurt made from cow’s milk or goat’s milk, and Greek yogurt, is only a low-FODMAP food if they are a small serving of 23 grams or about 1 ¼ tablespoons.

While yogurt contains less lactose than milk due to the fermentation process used to make it, some people may still be sensitive to the moderate amount of lactose in yogurt.

This is called lactose intolerance.

Not everyone with IBS has lactose intolerance—your doctor will need to conduct medical tests to rule out lactose intolerance. 

Check the Label

It’s also important to read to the ingredient list to ensure the yogurt doesn’t contain high FODMAP ingredients like honey, high FODMAP fruits, or other high FODMAP ingredients.

You may find that different fat content options work better for your body as well.

In many cases, it’s best to stick to plain yogurt without added ingredients.

That way, you can add your own low FODMAP fruits and sweeteners.

Takeaway

So, is yogurt good for IBS?

While the research is still emerging, some small studies show that yogurt may help with the management of IBS symptoms.

It’s thought that this is due to the probiotic content of certain yogurts.

Since dairy-based yogurt contains moderate amounts of lactose, some people with IBS may not be able to tolerate regular yogurt.

If that’s the case, choose Greek yogurt (which is lower in lactose), or yogurt that is labeled “lactose-free”, or plant-based yogurt with probiotics such as coconut and soy.

Soy yogurt may be tolerated in small amounts.

If you’re choosing a yogurt with probiotics that may improve your IBS symptoms, choose yogurt with the “live and active cultures” seal.

This seal enables you to identify yogurt products that contain high enough amounts of probiotic bacteria, which may help your IBS.

Before trying out using yogurt to alleviate your IBS symptoms, speak to one of our IBS dietitians for additional support in identifying food triggers, managing your symptoms, and reaching your health goals.

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How a Dietitian Can Help 

If you’re living with IBS and need help figuring out your dietary triggers, an IBS registered dietitian can help. 

We’ll work with you to optimize your diet to significantly help your symptoms and quality of life.

Our IBS registered dietitian can help you identify the foods you eat impacting your IBS flare-ups, and support you in making dietary changes to minimize these.

Work with Nourish

At Nourish, all appointments are online, and you’ll have 55 minutes with your IBS registered dietitian.

We’re proud to share that 94% of our users pay zero dollars out of pocket, and we’ll work closely with your insurance provider to help you get paid visits.

Also, download the Nourish app to access free resources and stay connected with your dietitian between visits.

Find a dietitian near you who accepts insurance through Nourish.

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