Meet Your Gut’s Tiny Yeast Hero: How Saccharomyces boulardii Can Help Your Digestion
- Dr. Rebecca Sand
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Bloating, diarrhea, antibiotics wreaking havoc? Enter Saccharomyces boulardii—a mouthful to say, but a superstar when it comes to keeping your digestive system balanced and happy.
So, what exactly is Saccharomyces boulardii (aka S. boulardii, Sac. boulardii, or as one of my patients coined, "Sac-Bac")? It’s actually a tropical yeast, first discovered in the 1920s on the skins of lychee and mangosteen fruit. A French microbiologist named Henri Boulard found it when he noticed people in Southeast Asia using fruit peel teas to treat diarrhea during a cholera outbreak. That yeast turned out to be S. boulardii, and it's been helping guts recover ever since.
Now here’s where it gets cool: unlike your typical probiotic (which is usually made from bacteria like Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium), S. boulardii is a yeast. That means it works a little differently—especially when you're on antibiotics. Most probiotics can get wiped out along with the bad bugs during a course of antibiotics. But S. boulardii? It’s a yeast, so it’s naturally resistant. That makes it a perfect companion 👯 during and after antibiotic treatment to help prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea.☝️ It is one of my top recommendations to protect the gut if a course of antibiotics is necessary.
Further, this is a healthy yeast! Not the kind of yeast that causes SIFO, intestinal Candida, or other overgrowths.
💡In fact, due to it's antimicrobial properties, S. boulardii can actually help eradicate these other overgrowths!
And there’s science to back that up. A review in The American Journal of Gastroenterology showed that taking S. boulardii significantly reduced the risk of antibiotic-related diarrhea in both adults and kids (McFarland, 2010).
But it doesn’t stop there. S. boulardii also helps with other kinds of gut drama—like traveler’s diarrhea, C. diff infections, and even inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn’s. In C. diff, it helps by breaking down toxins and calming inflammation, reducing the chance of the infection coming back (Kelesidis & Pothoulakis, 2012). And in people with Crohn’s, it’s been shown to help maintain remission when paired with mesalamine (Guslandi et al., 2000).
🏝️ Traveling soon? This little yeast can help there, too. Studies show it can prevent traveler’s diarrhea by blocking bad bacteria from taking hold and helping your gut stay calm under pressure (Kollaritsch et al., 1993). Think of it as your digestive travel buddy.
Want more info on this? Tune in to my podcast for my complete protocol for preventing Traveler's Diarrhea
One more thing to love: S. boulardii doesn’t move in permanently. It does its job, then exits quietly within a few days of stopping it. So while it doesn’t colonize your gut like some probiotics, it’s very active while it’s there—breaking down toxins, supporting your gut lining, and keeping things in check.
In short? Saccharomyces boulardii is like a gut ninja—tough, fast-acting, and surprisingly powerful. It’s especially helpful during antibiotic use, for diarrhea prevention, and for calming gut inflammation.
So if your digestive system’s been a bit off lately, it might be time to let this helpful yeast do some of the heavy lifting.
References:
McFarland LV. (2010). Systematic review and meta-analysis of Saccharomyces boulardii in adult patients. Am J Gastroenterol, 105(4), 817–828.
Kelesidis T, Pothoulakis C. (2012). Efficacy and safety of S. boulardii for GI disorders. Therap Adv Gastroenterol, 5(2), 111–125.
Canani RB et al. (2007). Probiotics in acute diarrhea. BMJ, 335(7615), 340.
Guslandi M et al. (2000). S. boulardii in Crohn’s disease maintenance. Dig Dis Sci, 45(7), 1462–1464.
Kollaritsch H et al. (1993). Prevention of traveler’s diarrhea. Scand J Gastroenterol Suppl, 28(200), 28–31.
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The information in this article is not intended to replace your doctor’s advice. Consult with your local healthcare professional before starting or stopping any medication or supplement.
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