Yakult is a type of probiotic drink and is recognized as one of the World’s number 1 probiotic drinks available in the market. It is widely popular all over the world and has a record of more than 40 million bottles consumed globally every day. Yakult also claims to boost your immunity as well as digestion. So, today in this article we will be determining whether Yakult is actually good for our health by deeply analyzing its composition and nutritional information. Let’s begin.
Our gut consists of more than 100 trillion good and bad bacteria. To maintain the balance of both bacteria probiotic drink is necessary. If the balance is not maintained, the number of good bacteria goes down and the number of bad bacteria increases causing serious health-related issues. This is why a probiotic drink like Yakult is necessary to maintain balance. Yes, there are many natural probiotic foods in India that will help you to maintain balance. But when the bad bacteria count rises up too high a probiotic drink like Yakult is actually necessary.
There is no actual recommendation of how much bacteria you should consume in a day. Approximately, eating 1 to 10 billion probiotics is considered good for your gut health. But yes, if you are under medication for any underlying disease you should definitely consult your doctor before consuming Yakult probiotic drink.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Water
- Sugar
- Skimmed milk powder
- Glucose
- Probiotic – Lactobacillus casei Shirota
- Added flavors
Nutritional Information (per 65ml)
| Nutrients | Amount |
| Energy | 50 calories |
| Protein | 0.8g |
| Total fat | <0.1g |
| Saturated fat | <0.1g |
| Carbohydrate | 11.5g |
| Sodium | 10.1mg |
Yakult probiotic drink review
1. Amount of sugar
1 bottle (65ml) of Yakult contains about 10g of sugar. The daily requirement of sugar is 20-25g. Yakult suggests 1-2 bottles per day which makes it about 20g of sugar. Even If you are taking 1 bottle of Yakult every day you are consuming about 10g of sugar. Along with Yakult, it is quite common for you to consume other food items which have sugar content in it. So easily you cross the recommended daily sugar intake. Your sugar intake can rise above 30-40 grams per day which is not at all good for your health and may lead to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The extra sugar in your body may convert itself into fat which in turn also leads to obesity.
Due to the high amount of sugar in Yakult another variant of Yakult is available on the market known as Yakult Light. You can read the detailed comparison of Yakult Regular and Yakult Light here.
2. Type of bacteria
The bacteria used in Yakult is a healthy bacteria known as LcS ( Lactobacillus casei Shirota ). This probiotic is really unique. Whenever we consume any probiotic food the enzymes and acid present in our stomach kill the probiotic bacteria. But LcS sustains the acid and other enzymes present in your stomach and reaches your intestines easily. LcS effectively works against the harmful bacterias already present and suppresses the further growth of bad bacteria.
Every bottle of Yakult claims to contain about 6.5 billion bacteria. 1 cup of curd consists of about 240 million bacteria. It is easy for you to determine which one can be the most effective between both.
3. Skimmed milk powder and glucose
The bacteria Lactobacillus casei Shirota is grown in this skimmed milk powder. As Yakult uses skimmed milk, the fat content is very less. Other than this the milk powder does not have any other additional benefits.
Glucose is added in Yakult to keep the bacteria alive and also maintain the shelf life of the product.
4. No added preservatives
No preservatives are found in Yakult probiotic drinks because the bacteria present in this drink does not allow other harmful bacteria to grow in it.
5. Empty calories
Yes, Yakult mentions the presence of 50 calories in it, which is actually good. But out of this 50 calories, 40 calories come from the sugar content. As a result, Yakult can be used as an empty-calorie option.
How many bottles of Yakult can you consume in a day?
As we all know, too much of anything is not good for our health. Yakult mentions the consumption of 2 bottles per day to be safe but due to the presence of high amount of sugar in it, 1 bottle of Yakult can be considered safe. The main problem with Yakult is that it tastes really good. Because of its great taste children might go above the recommended dosage and consume 4-5 bottles a day. Always keep an eye on your children if you are storing Yakult probiotic drink in your freeze.
Side effects
Yakult probiotic drink is considered safe for your health. But consumption of too much of Yakult possesses side effects. The side effects include.
- Low immunity
- Nausea and vomiting
- Stomach and digestive issues
- Bloating
Who should not consume Yakult?
- Diabetic patients should avoid Yakult
- You should always consult your doctor before giving Yakult to any children below 2 years of age. For small children, curd as a probiotic can be considered as the best option.
- People with lactose intolerance should definitely avoid this product but people with gluten intolerance can consume Yakult probiotic drink
Pricing and shelf life
5 bottles of Yakult probiotic drink costs you around Rs 70, which makes it a great budget-friendly option if you are having gut-related issues. The shelf life of the product is 10 days. Yes, you can still consume Yakult after 10 days, but the bacteria dies after the shelf life and there is no point in consuming that after that.
You can buy Yakult directly from Amazon here.
Conclusion
Only drinking Yakult probiotic drink can never help you to develop a good gut. For a healthy gut, you need to focus on your daily balanced diet, consumption of fiber-rich foods, exercise, hydration and proper sleep. If you have a bad lifestyle, even drinking Yakult’s drink won’t help you develop a better gut system.
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