If you’ve shopped for a probiotic supplement before, you’ve probably noticed one number emphasized on the bottles, the CFU count. CFUs, or colony forming units, represent the number of live probiotic bacteria that are supposed to be in each serving. Probiotic companies use this number as a simple way to communicate the effectiveness of their products.
What’s not usually emphasized on the bottles is that the CFU counts don’t mean much on their own. CFU counts don’t tell you anything about how a probiotic has been prepared or what kinds of precautions have been taken to ensure a good survival rate. Remember, upwards of 99% of unprotected, live probiotics will die before they ever reach the intestines. CFU counts are only one piece of the puzzle.
So what else should you be looking for besides CFU counts? Watch the video on Truth #5 to find out!
