India, Sept. 6 -- Bloating, belly pain or gut troubles? For many, the quick fix seems to be popping a probiotic. From powders to pricey capsules, these supplements are marketed as cure-alls for digestion and immunity. But are they really worth the hype?

Dr Trisha Pasricha, the director of Institute for Gut-Brain Research at Harvard Medical School and a columnist at The Washington Post's Ask a Doctor vertical, has weighed in on the craze over probiotic supplements.

In an Instagram Reels posted by Washington Post on September 6, the gastroenterologist expressed caution over the growing popularity of probiotic supplements, explaining why she rarely recommended probiotics to her patients: "There have been more than a thousand clinical trial...