4. Taking antibiotics you don’t need
When you need an antibiotic, it can deliver great benefits. But antibiotics — drugs that kill bacteria — also come with risks for your gut. When you take antibiotics you don’t need, for viral infections like flus or colds, for example, you get all those risks with no benefits.
“You’re basically killing off what could be good bacteria and throwing off the balance,” Chiang says. “Then the bad bacteria can overpopulate … causing more problems.”
Those problems can range from brief nausea and vomiting to a prolonged bout of C. difficile, or C. diff, “one of the worst infections you could potentially have,” Tabibian says. The bacterial infection can cause watery diarrhea, cramping and pain. In the worst cases, it inflames and enlarges the colon, a condition called toxic megacolon, which can be fatal.
5. Overusing laxatives
Taking an occasional drugstore laxative can be OK, doctors say. But frequent use can cause serious side effects.
Of particular concern, Tabibian and Chiang say, are stimulant laxatives (including medications like Dulcolax and Senokot) that make your intestinal muscles contract to expel stool. When used too often, these can cause dependence, meaning you might not be able to poop without them.
A safer and more effective option for many people is a fiber supplement, which can contain ingredients such as psyllium (Metamucil), methylcellulose (Citrucel), or wheat dextrin (Benefiber), Tabibian says. You may need to experiment to find the right kind for you at the right dose to avoid bloating, he says. If you take them without enough water, Chiang adds, you can make constipation worse.
Don’t use these as a substitute for fibrous foods, though. A high-fiber diet is always the best choice, the doctors say.
One more thing: If you frequently need laxatives, check in with your doctor to see if you have a health problem that needs attention, Chiang says.
6. Misunderstanding probiotics
Probiotics are bacteria and other microbes that have positive effects on your body. So it might seem that taking probiotic supplements would be good for your gut. But it’s not that simple.
For one thing, you can get probiotics just by eating fermented foods — think yogurt, but also kimchi, kombucha, kefir and sauerkraut. Additionally, many high-fiber foods are so-called prebiotics: They help your gut make more good microbes.
Tabibian says there are limited situations in which gastroenterologists might suggest using probiotic supplements containing specific organisms. For example, the American Gastroenterological Association says certain strains might help prevent C. diff from antibiotic use, though the quality of evidence is low.
If you take probiotic supplements “willy nilly,” Tabibian says, you may “just be losing time and money.” If you have a weakened immune system, they might make you sick, he says.
Shane says some people get bloating and diarrhea from the supplements. And some research suggests a link between probiotic supplements and overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. “You are far better off eating naturally fermented foods,” she says.
7. Ignoring food safety rules
About 9.9 million times each year, someone in the U.S. experiences vomiting, diarrhea, or other symptoms because they ate something contaminated with bacteria, viruses or other germs, the CDC says. Common culprits include norovirus, salmonella and listeria.