Why Do You Want To Take A Probiotic
Understanding why you want to take a probiotic can help you pick which probiotic is best for you based on which strain of bacteria is in it. Probiotic names can be long and confusing. Think back to high school biology class. Each name refers to the genus, species, subspecies , and strain designation in that order. The most commonly studied probiotic genera are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Knowing the full name of the strain in probiotic, prebiotic or symbiotic can help you research and see if you are taking the right one to meet your goal.
For example, are you looking to increase your health in general, or do you want something to help with constipation or diarrhea?
Here is a list of some strains and how they may help you:
- Bifidobacterium breve is good for relieving stomach aches.
- Bifidobacterium longum BB536 can help relieve constipation, supports immune health and reduces allergy symptoms.
Final Thoughts On Probiotics
If you could benefit from improved gut health, give one of the five probiotics listed above a try. We analyzed many products to bring you the best probiotic supplements available to help you overcome your digestive issues.
Not sure if you need probiotic supplements? Probiotics aren’t necessary for everyone. Schedule an appointment with your health care provider to discover if consuming beneficial bacteria supplements might benefit you.
*This article is provided by an advertiser. Statements made are not meant to offer medical advice nor to diagnose any condition. Any studies cited here may be preliminary, and may or may not be peer reviewed, and may or may not have sufficient participants to be statistically relevant. Anecdotal accounts should not be taken as scientific results. Products discussed in this article are not designed to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. The FDA does not evaluate dietary supplements. Consult your doctor about possible interactions, allergies, and if you are considering using a natural and/or dietary supplements for any condition. Individual results will vary.
Tips For Buying And Consuming Fermented Probiotic Foods
To ensure a product contains active probiotics:
- To help tell the difference between pickled and fermented foods you can check where the product is stored in your supermarket. You will likely find fermented foods in the refrigerated section.
- Look for the words “naturally fermented” on the label.
- When buying yoghurt, check it has not been heat treated as this can kill good bacteria.
- Check for high sugar, sweetener, or preservative content, as this can upset the stomach when consumed in large amounts and can cancel out probiotic benefits.
- Avoid products that have been pasteurised as this process kills beneficial bacteria.
- When opening a jar of fermented vegetables, bubbles in the liquid indicate live probiotics.
- If adding fermented foods to hot food, mix them in immediately before serving or add them as a topping, as high heat can kill the bacteria.
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Nhs Recommends Probiotics For Ibs
The NHS includes the use of probiotics as part of tips recommended to help relieve IBS symptoms23,31.
This is a big milestone in the world of probiotics because, although probiotics are routinely prescribed in many European hospitals, it wasnt always part of the NHS recommendations. The NICE guidelines , which provides evidence-based guidelines/framework that many medical and health care professionals work within, now recommends that probiotics can be used for at least 4 weeks for managing IBS related symptoms24.
The NHS website states that: “Probiotics may help reduce bloating and flatulence in some people with IBS.”
The inclusion of probiotics for IBS relief was due to the result of a systematic review by Moayyedi et al., published in 2010, which concluded that probiotics were effective in the management of IBS25.
Viome Precision Supplements Best Probiotics And Prebiotics
Price: Starts at $59.95 per month
Viome is a gut health company that primarily tests your gut flora and digestion. However, they also use DNA testing to assess how your gut affects the rest of your body, namely your:
Viome provides deeper insight into your gut microbiome. Youll learn how well it digests foods, how much gas they produce, and whether there is inflammation among others.
Like Ombre, Viome offers personalized food and supplement recommendations.
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Rae Pre + Probiotic Capsules
Support your digestive and gut health with Rae Pre + Probiotic Capsules. Each capsule is enriched with prebiotic and probiotics, along with apple cider vinegar, to give your gut daily support. This flora-balancing supplement provides 1.6 billion CFUs per serving from six different probiotic strains.
Each capsule is mint-coated, which makes the experience much more enjoyable. Rae Pre + Probiotic Capsules are proudly made in the USA using effective and pure ingredients sourced from across the globe. This probiotic supplement is third party tested and Clean Label Project Certified.
What Are Probiotic Supplements
Probiotic supplements contain large amounts of one or more probiotic strains, which you can take as a pill, powder, food, or liquid. The most common strains found in store-bought probiotic supplements are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, the two primary types of bacteria found in the gut.
Probiotics are not all the same. Each one contains either one specific probiotic strain or multiple strains. The different strains have different benefits, such as improving digestive health, helping with weight loss, or strengthening cardiovascular health.
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How Much Do Good Probiotic Brands Cost
The price of probiotics varies from brand to brand, potentially ranging from $34 to $79 a bottle. Higher cost does not necessarily mean the probiotics are more effective. Its essential to consider factors like probiotic strains and colony-forming units to determine the quality of a probiotic supplement.
Natural Sources Of Probiotics And Prebiotics
There are natural sources of probiotics and prebiotics. Fermented foods like some dairy products, including yogurt, cottage cheese, buttermilk, or kefir, and sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi are high in probiotics. However, Greenwood says, If youre going to take a probiotic, try to eat a diet high in prebiotics. You can naturally source prebiotics like inulin and pectin from asparagus, onions, whole wheat, oats and foods with skin on them, like oranges, beans and brown rice. Greenwood also adds that getting away from processed foods is one the best ways to improve our microbiome.
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Choosing The Right Probiotics For Men
Stereotypically, men are known for being a bit lax when it comes to health practices. Sure, they might do intense workouts and eat a healthier diet, but what about the other aspects of health like sleep, self-care, meditation, journaling, and gut health?
Choosing the best probiotic for men means understanding what makes a high-quality probiotics for men. Some of the probiotics benefits for men include immune function support, overall digestive support, and reduced gas and bloating.
One of the essential characteristics of a probiotic is the delivery method. If you want to support the gut microbiome, some of the criteria for the best probiotics for men include:
- Ensuring an effective delivery system so your bacteria arrive alive in the gut
- Targeted probiotics strains for men
- Shelf stability, so the bacteria are nourished on the journey through the digestive tract
- Prebiotics and postbiotics that support the bacteria strains
- Third-party lab testing to make sure formulations are everything they say they are
The Best Probiotic For Gut Health Is Healthy Trinity
The best probiotics will affect your gut health, so as long as you are choosing probiotic supplements with guaranteed potency from a trusted source like Natren, youre taking an important step in supporting gut health. However, if you are looking for the single best probiotic to choose to support your gut health and ,in turn, your immune system, we recommend Healthy Trinity.
The reason we chose Healthy Trinity as the best probiotic for gut health is that it combines 3 of Natrens essential supplements. While each supplement on its own is a strong addition to your healthy regimen, the combination of the 3 probiotics is even more effective. This combination is able to promote a slightly acidic environment that your intestines need to function at their best, and is able to support the digestion of dairy, protein, and carbs. Healthy Trinity includes:
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Culturelle Digestive Health Daily Probiotic
Optimize your digestive system function and promote a strong, healthy gut with Culturelle Digestive Health Daily Probiotic. This probiotic supplement not only supports a healthy gut microbiome, it also helps to reduce occasional bloating, gas, and diarrhea. It’s formulated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, the most clinically studied probiotic.
Each capsule provides 10 billion CFUs along with the prebiotic inulin. Backed by 35 years of science, Culturelle Digestive Health Daily Probiotic is a supplement that you can trust. These capsules are vegetarian, non-GMO, and don’t contain any wheat, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, or dairy.
How We Select Supplements
At mindbodygreen, our expert-vetted dietary supplement product selections and recommendations in the supplement space elevate quality, efficacy, innovation, and safety.
Our team ensures that each supplement product is thoughtfully formulated–from the active ingredients to those “Other ingredient” excipients too. We are highly preferential towards clean formulas that are plant-centric as well as free of GMOs, gluten, soy, dairy, major food allergens, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, synthetic dyes, and more.
Overall, we recommend products with clean ingredients at efficacious doses in bioactive forms. Whenever possible, we celebrate and elevate plant-origin ingredients from a variety of botanicals.
Ingredient source and innovation are top of mind for our critical reviews and selection of supplement products. We prioritize forward-thinking formulations and delivery formats that are genuinely helpful in transforming your health.
We include supplement brands and products that prioritize quality. This includes robust manufaturing practices and comprehensive purity and potency testing.
You can learn more about mindbodygreen supplements+ manufacturing and quality testing practices here.
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What Do Probiotics Do For Women
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that live naturally in our bodies. These good bacteria keep us healthy by keeping harmful bacteria under control.
Probiotics are especially important for pregnant women and nursing mothers because these populations are at greater risk for developing certain conditions like diarrhea and yeast infections.
Probiotics can also help prevent colds and flu, boost immunity, reduce inflammation, and improve digestion. Some studies suggest that taking probiotics during pregnancy may also decrease the chances of premature birth.
To see our number one choice of probiotics, click the link below:
Best Overall: Garden Of Life Dr Formulated Probiotics For Women
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Contains 16 diverse probiotic strains
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Includes a blend of prebiotic fiber
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May cause gas or bloating for some
Who else recommends it? Prevention and Healthline both picked the Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Probiotics For Women.
What do buyers say? 92% of 38,100+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.
Beloved by myself and fellow dietician nutritionists alike, these probiotics for women are one of the best out there. They contain 50 billion Colony Forming Units with 16 diverse, specially-selected probiotic strains. Among them are Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteriatwo strains that are resistant to stomach acid and bileto help boost immune, digestive, and vaginal health. There is also a prebiotic fiber blend of organic potato and organic acacia fiber to help boost the results. The capsules are non-GMO, gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free, as well as vegetarian.
As an added benefit, they are also shelf-stable, meaning you don’t have to keep them refrigerated between uses. This is an ideal perk for women on the goall you have to do is stash it into your purse, gym bag, or carry-on.
Type: Capsules | Colony Forming Units: 50 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegetarian
Price at time of publish: $28
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Are Probiotics Associated With Any Risks
Probiotics are typically thought to be harmless. There are, however, some hazards associated with the supplements. If you have a medical condition that impairs your immune system, have just undergone surgery, or have other serious medical issues, these risks are enhanced.Some worrying risks include:
- Developing an infection is an unlikely but possible risk.
- Developing resistance to antibiotics.
- Producing hazardous metabolites as a result of taking a probiotic supplement
What Is A Probiotic
Probiotics are live, good bacteria and yeast found naturally in our bodies. These good strains of bacteria help eliminate the bad strains of bacteria and yeast in our bodies, restoring the correct balance. Some people turn to probiotic supplements to help maintain this healthy balance.
Depending on the strain and potency, each probiotic supplement is labeled with a colony-forming unit, determining the number of bacteria colonies. The higher the number, it is suggested, the higher the chance of the probiotic taking. However, this doesn’t necessarily improve its efficiency.
Probiotics are also found naturally in foods like:
- Sourdough bread
Not everyone needs a probiotic. If you are already obtaining probiotics naturally in your diet and are not experiencing any gut health issues, chances are you don’t need a supplement. If you suspect you are experiencing gut issues, talk to your doctor or primary care physician before beginning any probiotic or supplement.
Not all probiotics are created equal, and not all probiotics will work for you. It is important to find a product that caters to your unique needs.
We reviewed a number of probiotics, along with their prices, ingredients and consumer reviews. Here are our picks for the best probiotics.
Recommended Reading: Which Probiotics Are Best For Skin
Q When Should A Person Begin Taking Probiotics
Although men could consume probiotics at whatever age, several studies have found that people over the age of 60 had one-thousandth of the number of beneficial bacteria as young folks. Bifidobacterium variants Bifidobacterium lactis and Bifidobacterium infantis have been proven to improve digestion and inflammation in elderly individuals.
The Gut Co Skin Health
Why we love it: You may have increasingly heard probiotics mentioned in relation to skincare – and you can now get everything from moisturisers to serums infused with them. This probiotic from The Gut Co, however, works like a traditional supplement to boost your complexion from within.
Pros: Research into the gut-skin axis is in its infancy, but there is early evidence that the bacterial strain Lactobacillus Rhamnosus SP1, which this contains, reduces the appearance of acne and the symptoms of inflammation and irritation associated with eczema and psoriasis.
Cons: If pregnant, breastfeeding, suffering from food allergies or under medical supervision, seek professional advice before using this product.
Why we love it: If youre not a fan of swallowing capsules, probiotics can also be taken in powder form. KÄLLA conveniently divide up each daily dose into separate sachets – and theyre completely tasteless so you can add them to water or food. Their Immune Health option, which has been tested in more than 20 clinical trials, contains a billion CFU, and also features defence-boosting and fatigue-fighting vitamins D3 and B12, as well as folic acid.
Pros: Its suitable for vegans and mixes well with water and smoothies.
Cons: Quite expensive.
By Fiona Ward
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Best For Vaginal Health: Jarrow Formulas Jarro
Courtesy of Jarrow
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Contains four clinically-studied probiotic strains
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Lowers vaginal pH to control undesirable bacteria
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Food-grade, pH-sensitive coating survives stomach acid
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May oxidize quickly
Jarrow Formulas Jarro-Dophilus for women is one of Consumer Labs’ top picks of probiotics for women. Featuring five billion CFU of four clinically studied probiotic strains to support vaginal health, this product is an excellent choice for women looking for additional support to prevent and fight against vaginal inflammation.
According to Jarrow Formulas website, the patented strains used in this product lower the vaginal pH, creating a mildly acidic environment that is not optimal for the growth of undesirable bacteria. Coated with EnteroGuard®, a proprietary food-grade, pH-sensitive enteric coating, these capsules resist stomach acid, optimizing the delivery of bacteria to the lower GI tract.
Type: Capsules | Colony Forming Units: 5 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Vegan, allergen-friendly, vegan, vegetarian
Price at time of publish: $21
Bauer Nutrition Biotics 8 Best Gut Health Probiotics For Men
Biotics 8 is a mens probiotic product developed by Bauer Nutrition to help improve overall gut health for guys who want to excel and make a difference in the world.
The supplement is highly effective, as it has been rigorously tested clinically. And its use is straightforward and it comes with a lot of benefits.
Some of the perks of Biotics 8 youd experience are:
- Digestion assistance,
- better immunity,
- and increased energy/focus
Biotics 8 can achieve these goals by combining the ideal combination of probiotics, prebiotics, fiber, vitamin D, and digestive enzymes to create a high-performance gut health support system that works.
Vitamin B1, Vitamin B7, Vitamin B12, Bacopa Monnieri 12:1 Extract, L-Tyrosine, Cats Claw, Oat Straw Extract, L-Theanine, Alpha GPC, Huperzia Serrata, Lutemax, Resveratrol, and Pterostilbene are just a few of the constituents in this remarkable, fast-acting combination.
Biotics 8 is available for $119.99 for a two-month supply. And as a bonus, youll get another one-month supply for free. You can also buy a 3-month supply for $179.99 and get an additional two months for free.
Like Probiology Gut+, your order will also be shipped for free.
What We Like
- Specially designed as a gut supplement for men
What We Do Not Like
- Not sold at Walmart or GNC but available on the companys own website.
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