Finding the Right Probiotic

To continue our gut health series- we will discuss shopping!  One of my favorite things!

Today- shopping for probiotics!  Even happier because it’s good for gut health and shopping all together!  

But the problem is…you get the pharmacy or health food store and it looks like this…

Or you google and get over 76 million results!  Oh my!  How to choose?

• ·     Company.  There are a few guidelines I recommend for supplements in general.  Supplement companies can (within limits) put what they want on the bottles and the FDA disclaimer and are not responsible if it’s not effective.   This doesn’t make every supplement bad- it keeps our costs down (to be FDA approved it would need significant tests like drug companies do- and we know how expensive new prescription medication is). But it is definitely a buyer beware system.   So look into the company you are thinking of buying from and see if they have any quality control system- it’s best if they send their products out for testing by a company not associated with their product.  If the company offers a guarantee that’s nice too, but it should be 30 days or more for any supplement as it would take at least that long, if not longer to really see differences. 
• ·       Strands of bacteria.  This is VERY important.  We want strands of bacteria that have proven to be effective in helping our issues.  For example- Bifidobacterium Longum has shown to help with mood problems.  If you have mood problems and pick a product that only has acidophilus you are unlike to reap a full probiotic benefit.  In general, you want a nice mix of a few bacteria that have good clinical studies.   Here’s a picture of the label of my probiotic that has 8 strains of good bacteria, all that have clinical evidence for help of gut health and moods. 

• ·       Number of bacteria.  You need to make sure your probiotic is potent enough to give you effects, but you don’t necessarily need 100 billion CFU (colony forming units).  Bigger isn’t always better because if they have large amounts of non-studied bacteria, you aren’t helping yourself at all.  Mine is 20 billion CFU.
• ·       Storage.  Getting live bacteria into our digestive system is imperative for probiotics to be helpful!  This includes storage bottles, where to store and the capsule.   Storage bottles should protect the probiotics from heat and moisture, which can kill your good bacteria.  Refrigeration does not make a probiotic better- this means the manufacturer couldn’t find a way to keep them stabilized at room temp or decided not to- and could lead to increased risk of you not getting what you paid for if anytime during transport from them to you it got warm.  The capsules should also be able to survive your stomach acid so more active bacteria make it into your intestines! 

Some people say they don’t need probiotic supplements because they eat probiotic foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, or other fermented foods.  While they have probiotics, there is no evidence to say that LIVE bacteria get into the digestive system.  Remember- if you don’t get the right live strains where they need to be, you are literally wasting money.

Some probiotics will have some extra helpers in them- for example I take a probiotic that has digestive enzymes in it.  My children take a chew-able multivitamin that has probiotics.  If it’s done correctly, this can help by saving extra supplements to take daily!

I personally recommend Plexus products- they have a 60 day money back guarantee, scientifically studied bacterial strains, a special capsule and bottle for storage, and do outside independent testing for quality control! I and my patients have tried multiple probiotics and never noticed as great results as we have with Plexus.  Send me an email if you’re interested!  Subscribe to my email for more information and to stay updated on sales!

Blessings in Health and Happiness!