Now that you’ve had a chance to learn about the Six Truths you should know before choosing a probiotic, it’s time for a quick recap.
Truth 1: Your body needs good bacteria
There are more than 100 trillion bacteria living in your body! A large number of these bacteria are harmful, but many are beneficial. These good bacteria (known as probiotics) aid in digestion, strengthen immune system functions, and so much more. It’s important to maintain a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria to keep your gut healthy.
Truth 2: Knowing which strains keep you healthy is important
We know that probiotics promote healthy digestion and strengthen the immune system, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. There are many different strains of probiotic bacteria, each with their own own unique functions. Have a baby with colic? L. reuteri could help. Suffering from the stomach flu? Look for B. infantis. Knowing what different probiotic strains do for you can make a world of difference when choosing a probiotic.
Truth 3: The way your probiotic is prepared is critical
Tablet? Capsule? Liquid? The method of delivery has very little impact on a probiotic’s effectiveness. All that really matters is that the probiotic bacteria make it to your gut alive, but without proper preparation, most probiotics die before they reach the small intestine. The liquid acid coating used in Probonix is one of the only methods of preparation that has been scientifically proven to increase survival rates.
Truth 4: Not all probiotics need to be refrigerated
Not long ago, nearly all probiotics were full of active species that were unprotected and constantly replicating. Refrigeration was needed to slow down this replication and extend shelf life. But no longer! Probiotics can be prepared before the replication stage, so refrigeration isn’t necessary to slow growth. These new methods of preparation have also been shown to extend shelf lives and improve survival rates.
Truth 5: Having gazillions of live cultures (CFUs) does not make it better
Probiotic companies use CFU numbers as a simple metric for conveying the effectiveness of a probiotic, but this is only one piece of the puzzle. CFU counts don’t mean much on their own. They don’t tell you how a probiotic has been prepared or how many make it alive to the small intestine. Look for survival studies from probiotic companies to evaluate the effectiveness of their products.
Truth 6: Few probiotics have been scientifically tested
This is another reason why it’s unwise to use CFU numbers alone as a metric for probiotic effectiveness. Few probiotic companies have tested their products to measure their effectiveness. Conducting probiotic survival studies is expensive and time consuming, so most companies don’t bother. Contact probiotic companies to ask for research to prove product effectiveness. Any company worth their salt should have the research to prove it! And that’s it! With these 6 Truths in mind, you should be better prepared to make good probiotic purchasing decisions in the future.