FAQs

Bio-Kult Everyday Gut, Bio-Kult Boosted, Bio-Kult Migréa, Bio-Kult Brighten and Bio-Kult Candéa are suitable to take during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. However, we recommend Bio-Kult Pregnéa, our scientifically developed, advanced multi-action formulation that contains 6 strains of bacteria, as well as a number of vitamins and minerals that support women during pregnancy, from pre-conception to beyond birth. Zinc contributes to normal fertility and reproduction. Folate contributes to maternal tissue growth during pregnancy. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. Zinc, vitamins C + D, and folate all contribute to the normal function of the immune system.

We would always suggest that you seek advice from your doctor or health care practitioner on all aspects of nutrition whilst pregnant.

There are no currently known contraindications between live bacteria and any pharmaceutical medications listed on Stockley’s Interactions database. However, there may be interactions with the other ingredients (e.g. vitamins, minerals and botanicals) in some of the Bio-Kult products (please feel free to contact our office on 01460 243230 and one of our Technical Team will be happy to discuss with you). Bio-Kult Everyday Gut simply contains live bacteria (no other active ingredients) so is therefore the safest option for those taking medications. However, if you are taking any medications or have any medical conditions, please consult your doctor before taking any nutritional food supplements. We also suggest you take the capsules at least 2 hours before or after your medication.

Our products contain a high concentration of live bacteria. If you start off with a high dose, a small number of people may experience what is often referred to as a ‘die-off’ effect, this could include symptoms such as bloating, gas or a change in bowel movements. Such symptoms usually subside within a few days to a few weeks, once the body becomes accustomed to the increased dosage. If this occurs, we recommend starting with a lower dose (perhaps 1/2 or even 1/4 capsule a day) and building up gradually from there. The capsules can also be twisted and pulled apart and a small amount of the powder can be put directly into the mouth or mixed with water or food and just taken several times a week to begin with.

It is fine to take your Bio-Kult at any time of day (morning, noon or night) depending on when best fits your routine. We do however recommend taking the product with food where possible. We have carried out testing in a dynamic gastric simulator which replicates the conditions of digestion and found enhanced survival of the strains when taken with food.

The Bio-Kult cardboard boxes are fully recyclable and can be put with the rest of your household recycling.

Bio-Kult Blister Packs (the bits that hold your Bio-Kult capsules)

Unfortunately, as yet our blister packs cannot go with your household recycling. The Bio-Kult blister packs offer a high protection against moisture oxygen. This is what protects all the friendly bacteria, giving you a high-quality Bio-Kult product and means you’ve got the stated amount of bacteria in each capsule, whether you use it on the day of purchase or on the use-by date. It also means you don’t have to use valuable space in your fridge to look after it, as you can store it anywhere, as long as it’s cool and dry, you can even and take it with you when travelling. Whilst we work on packaging that will still look after the product and be a bit more sustainable, you’ll be glad to hear that our blister packs can be recycled. You just need to pop them into Boots or Superdrug who run recycling schemes for this type of packaging.

Most of the products in the Bio-Kult range can be safely taken together. If combining products with others in the range that contain the same vitamins/minerals, it is recommended to check that the combined amounts do not exceed safe tolerable upper limits for the relevant age group (please feel free to contact our Customer Service team and they can provide more advice on this). We also recommend products are introduced separately and the dose built up gradually to get your digestive system used to the increased dosage.

You can take Bio-Kult if you have an illness or are taking medication.

We receive many queries from people with a variety of physical or mental health conditions such as IBS, IBD, skin complaints, migraines, UTI’s, low mood, Parkinson's disease and more. It is important to highlight that Bio-Kult products are food supplements so cannot legally prevent, treat or cure any disease. In these circumstances therefore we encourage you to address your question in person to an appropriately qualified healthcare practitioner.

The presence of live bacteria from supplements in the gastrointestinal tract are generally transient in nature*. Live bacteria from supplements are not thought to permanently colonise the gastrointestinal tract. In light of this, all Bio-Kult research involves daily supplementation.

Regular exposure to live bacteria through regular supplementation is thought to mimic how we would traditionally have been exposed to bacteria in nature, when historically we would have been living and working outside more, and in closer proximity to animals. Many people no longer have this kind of exposure to a wide variety of microorganisms and many aspects of modern life (such as medications, stress, toxins and pollutants, poor diet, lack of sleep etc…) have been shown to have a negative impact on gut bacteria levels. Therefore, regular support for the microbiome is recommended (alongside diet and life-style changes).

Yes, we recommend that you take live bacteria supplements at the same time as antibiotics. It’s best to take the supplement at the opposite end of the day to the antibiotic, or where this is not possible, at least 2 hours away from the antibiotic. We recommend taking Bio-Kult Boosted (1 capsule a day) or Bio-Kult Everyday (4 capsules a day) whilst on antibiotics and continuing for at least 2 weeks after completion of the antibiotic course.

Individual bacterial strains have different requirements to aid their growth in culture and the human gastrointestinal tract. Bio-Kult is not marketed as a ‘starter culture’ to make yogurt or soured milk and the strains in Bio-Kult have not been chosen for their ability to ferment milk. However, some people have had some success culturing milk, but others have not.

Bio-Kult S. Boulardii contains Preplex (fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and gum acacia).Bio-Kult Infantis also contains FOS, to complement the developing infant gut flora.

The rest of the products do not contain prebiotics as they were formulated for those with very sensitive digestion. Prebiotics are the food source for the bacteria already living in the gut. They can be obtained through supplements or through certain prebiotic rich vegetables such as onions, garlic, asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, leeks, and slightly green bananas. Beneficial Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria are more efficient at fermenting these prebiotic foods than pathogenic strains (meaning they stimulate their growth) and produce a lot less (if any) gas during fermentation. However, initially, until levels of beneficial species are increased, prebiotics can cause bloating in some people, so many with sensitive digestion avoid them. Some people are able to introduce either a prebiotic supplement or prebiotic vegetables later.

We have recently tested the histamine production of all 14 strains in Bio-Kult Everyday in a histidine-challenge assay and none of the strains tested were found to produce histamine.