What Type Of Probiotic Is Best
We wish there was a quick and easy response to this question, but choosing the best probiotic product for your digestive tract is determined by your unique conditions. As we said earlier, there are millions of bacteria in our bodies, and most of them are located in the gut. These bacteria make up your gut flora . To learn more about how to restore healthy gut flora, visit our blog. Your gut flora begins before birth and changes throughout your life because of diet, lifestyle, and other environmental influences, so beneficial bacteria will differ from person to person.
Because we are unique individuals, the impacts outside sources have on our bodies vary greatly. Probiotics are one of the ways we can potentially relieve conditions affecting our bodies, but finding the right genus, species, and strain is important in relieving your condition. Here is a list of physical conditions and which strains of probiotics have been proven to help certain types of people:
1. Irritable Bowel Syndrome constipation
A combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus PBS066, Lactobacillus reuteri PBS072, and Lactobacillus plantarum PBS067, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LRH020, and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BL050 have shown to help constipation relief in children.13 The results of these strains can be less belching, abdominal fullness, and bloating.
2. Diarrhea
3. Stress, Mood, and Mental Conditions
Identification Of The Bacterial Strains And Yeast
The genomic DNA sequences of the strains were queried with available gene sequences in the GenBank library database. Strains CP133 form rice straw silage and CP134 from Kimchi are 99% homologous to Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus plantarum , respectively. The 16S rRNA genomic DNA sequence of CP350 isolated from livestock slurry exhibited a maximum identity of 100% with Bacillus subtilis subsp subtilis . In addition, the internal transcribed spacer sequences of CP605 isolated from farm soil show 99% similarity with Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Furthermore, the phylogenic relationship between the bacterial strains was established based on maximum likelihood evolutionary distances of 16S rRNA sequences, as shown in Fig 1A. A similar evolutionary relationship for the yeast was determined based on its internal transcribed spacer gene sequence compared with type strains in GenBank .
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Tips On Keeping Your Probiotics Alive Longer
Whether youre taking a high dose or lose dose probiotic, you want the healthy cells to stay alive and potent.
Some tips to keep in mind to prolong the cell life are:
- Follow the specific directions on the bottle
- Make sure to refrigerate after opening or at all times, if the label says thats required
- Dont expose the probiotics to excessive heat or temperatures
- Make sure to seal your probiotic bottle tight after each use
- Dont handle the supplements and then put them back in the bottle, this may introduce moisture into the bottle from your hands
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What Is The Quality Of The Probiotic
Probiotics are currently not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which means quality and purity testing are not required because probiotics are not intended to prevent, treat or cure disease. But there are other ways to measure quality. Look for reputable brands and probiotics that say they are third-party reviewed and tested. For example, the label may say that the probiotics are manufactured in cGMP certified facilities. A cGMP certification means that manufacturers evaluate their ingredients’ identity, purity, strength and composition.
Some companies will also list where their ingredients are sourced. You will want to select something that says traceable or DNA identified. This means that the strains are verified and come from quality sources. Does the manufacturer do clinical tests on the strains or discuss using clinically tested strains? Different strains have different functions, so you will want to select a strain that is proven to be beneficial.
Last, check the expiration date. If the date has passed, the probiotic likely wont be as potent as the label claims. Bacteria only live for so long, so many probiotic companies only guarantee their products until the best if used by date.
Dont Forget To Factor In The Power Of Prebiotics
Prebiotic powders like inulin, Jerusalem artichoke, triphala powder, FOS and XOS can help boost a probiotic supplements effectiveness when taken at the same time or even in the same capsule. Since they can be so good at helping probiotics to expand quickly, some people with sensitive digestive tracts or other severe health conditions may want to be very calculated in which prebiotics to take, when to take them, and how much.
If you think of prebiotic supplements as fertilizer for your favorite plants, then it might be easier to take into consideration how important gentle dosing is for the health of the plant. Finding the right amount of prebiotic to take can make the difference between helping a struggling probiotic to grow or giving prebiotics to a probiotic population that you already have enough of.
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Best Coated Probiotic Capsules: Jarrow Formulas Jarro
Jarrow
Jarrow Formulas Jarro-Dophilus EPS uses a unique EnteroGuard coating to ensure that its proprietary blend of probiotics can survive the stomach acid and make it to the intestines. Their website claims the probiotic aids in supporting intestinal and immune health.
Strains:Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus R0011, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052, Pediococcus acidilactici R1001, Lacticaseibacillus casei R0215, Bifidobacterium longum BB536, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum R1012, Bifidobacterium breve R0070 and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis R1058 CFUs: 5 billionDirections: Take one capsule up to four times daily, preferably on an empty stomach.Quality: According to Jarrow Formulas, their raw material suppliers and products are manufactured in cGMP-certified facilities. Storage: Shelf-stable at 77 degrees and come in blister packsCost: $32.55/ 120 capsules
Balance Is The Secret To Natures Success
When you think about the jungle, it may be tempting to remove everything you consider unpleasant so you can enjoy an exotic hike when youre on vacation.
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Software For Counting Cfus
Colonies can be enumerated from pictures of plates using software tools. The experimenters would generally take a picture of each plate they need to count and then analyse all the pictures . Since it takes less than 10 seconds to take a single picture, as opposed to several minutes to count CFU manually, this approach generally saves a lot of time. In addition, it is more objective and allows extraction of other variables such as the size and colour of the colonies.
- OpenCFU is a free and open-source program designed to optimise user friendliness, speed and robustness. It offers a wide range of filters and control as well as a modern user interface. OpenCFU is written in C++ and uses OpenCV for image analysis.
- NICE is a program written in MATLAB that provides an easy way to count colonies from images.
- ImageJ and CellProfiler: Some ImageJ macros and plugins and some CellProfiler pipelines can be used to count colonies. This often requires the user to change the code in order to achieve an efficient work-flow, but can prove useful and flexible. One main issue is the absence of specific GUI which can make the interaction with the processing algorithms tedious.
There Is No Way To Know What Dose You Are Taking
The probiotic supplement market is relatively unregulated, so it’s hard to know how many CFUs we actually are consuming when we take probiotics in pill form. Moreover, it’s difficult to know if the organisms in those probiotics are even still alive and capable of doing their job, or if they’re dead and useless. Even if the bacteria are alive, there’s a question about whether they can survive once inside your gut.
If you are getting your probiotics from foods like store-bought yogurt, there are also very few ways to be sure that you are consuming a significant dose of good bacteria. The conditions that the yogurt is stored in down the supply chain, the temperature of your refrigerator, and the strain of probiotic that the yogurt contains all have a significant effect on the dosage of CFU. Many of the beneficial microbes could have perished before you consume the yogurt.
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Why Probiotics Matter So Much
After dissecting and inspecting the various key strains that may be in your probiotic supplements, it is easy to see why they, particularly those discussed above, are helpful in supporting your overall health.
Their long list of health benefits doesnt stop there. The inclusion of prebiotics on a probiotic supplement plays helpful roles in almost every system in the body to support and promote health.
1. Balancing the good and bad bacteria in your gut helps support proper digestion and nutrient absorption.
2. Nourishing good bacteria that may be overwhelmed by occasional oxidative stress.
3. Promoting proper food movement through your gut and breaking down food into nutrients your body can use for energy, cell repair, and growth.
4. Promoting mineral absorption from the foods you eat, particularly iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and other minerals that support bone health.
5. Helping to metabolize occasional everyday toxins for removal from your body.
6. Supporting immune cell activity to protect against environmental and seasonal threats and promoting the production of natural antibodies in the body for healthy immune responses.
Does The Form Of Probiotic Matter
You may be thinking what does it matter how you take a probiotic? As long as you take it, right? The truth is, not all probiotics are the same. Often it isnt just about the type of probiotic and what is included in it, and more about how fast the bacteria can get to your gut in order to be beneficial to you.
Powders have been known to be the least beneficial because of what happens in the stomach. With every probiotic you take you run the risk of stomach acid killing the bacteria before it even makes it to your gut. The more protected your probiotic is, such as specific coasting or a delayed-release capsule, the more likely the bacteria will reach the gut in order to work.
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Colony Forming Units What Are They And How Many Do You Need
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Colony forming units, or CFUs, are a unit of measurement used to determine the number of bacterial cells in a probiotic supplement or lab sample. High CFU counts are sometimes seen as a quality indicator, but it is one part of a high-quality supplement. Bacterial strain combination, the delivery mechanism, and clinical studies should also be taken into consideration,
Many probiotics advertise their high colony forming units as if this is the only marker for quality. Oftentimes, the higher the CFUs, the higher the price. But how are you supposed to know if that really is the mark for quality? Is it worth paying the price for more CFUs, and is it really all that matters?
For many people, checking the number of colony forming units has become common practice when choosing a probiotic. Some companies heavily advertise their superior count. Oftentimes, the higher the CFUs per serving, the higher the price because the belief is that the higher the CFU count, the better. This is NOT correct!
Potency isnt just a number. When choosing a probiotic supplement, theres more to consider than just the number of CFUs per serving.
In this blog post, well investigate why CFUs are not all that matters, why higher CFUs doesnt mean its a superior product, and what else to look for that determines a high-quality probiotic supplement.
Probiotics: Top Benefits Foods And Supplements
May 30, 2022
Whether youre looking to help your immune function, decrease disease risk or simply improve your overall health, probiotics can make a worthy addition to your daily routine.
Not only that, but some people including billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates even believe that probiotics could hold the key to ending malnutrition across the globe someday.
What are probiotics? Probiotics are a type of organism that can help boost the amount of beneficial bacteria in your gut. Nestled inside your gut are trillions of these live microorganisms that make up the microbiome.
They are also found in supplements, fermented foods and probiotic drinks, such as kombucha.
Different microbes living in your gastrointestinal tract play a role in either promoting health or disease. For example, many of these bacterial cells are considered good bacteria and help support immune function, enhance nutrient absorption, and aid in the synthesis of key neurotransmitters and other compounds.
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How To Know If Youre Probiotic Cfu Is Too High
This is very important. It is entirely possible to have too much of a good thing. Some people have reported a sudden onset of chronic diarrhea when taking probiotics with a total CFU per dose of 70 billion or higher. If youre a person who has a severe medical condition, abdominal pain due to gut issues, or severe leaky gut, then too high of a dose of CFU can register as intolerable side effects.
In all of these cases, the best way to see if your symptoms are caused by too high of CFU is to take the probiotics every other day or try to take half the dose and see if that lessens the symptoms. If it does, then you can take the lower dose until you feel ready to scale up.
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Is A Higher Cfu Count Better Than A Lower One In Probiotic Supplements
The answer to this question depends on what youre using probiotic supplements for.
Many individuals use probiotics on a daily basis to maintain digestive and immune health.
In this case, a lower CFU count makes sense and can get the job done.
A good range for a daily probiotic is between 5-10 billion CFUs.
So, what about the higher CFU supplements?
The higher doses of live cells are optimal for specific ailments or for specific minor health problems.
When dealing with specific ailments, 15-45 billion CFUs is a good range.
Some specific ailments that may be helped by higher doses of CFUs include Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, allergies, eczema, and some respiratory illnesses.
For major health problems, be sure to see your personal health professional first.
Its currently unclear about the added benefits or potential drawbacks of 45+ billion CFUs.
Although some people have reported stomach pain, gas and bloating when taking extremely high amounts of probiotics.
Keep in mind also that the highest doses of CFUs, 45+ billion are more than likely just a marketing scheme to make you think that added cells equals added benefits.
All this means is that you may be unnecessarily paying a higher price tag for something you may not need.
How To Get More Probiotics
There are two ways to get more good bacteria into your gut: fermented foods and dietary supplements. Fermented foods are the most natural source. Probiotic supplements, which are typically sold over the counter, are reserved to treat specific ailments as suggested by your doctor, and not recommended for everyday use. Plus, supplements do not have the same FDA oversight as medications do.
So, a big question remains: How many probiotic foods do you need? That’s not easy to answer.
There is no recommended daily intake for probiotics, so there is no way to know exactly which fermented foods or what quantity is best. Therefore, the general guideline is to just add as many fermented foods to your daily diet as possible.
Why fermented foods? Fermenting is one of the oldest techniques for food preservation. Mankind has been fermenting foods and drinks like beer and wine for centuries. Foods that are fermented go through a process of lactofermentation in which natural bacteria feed on the sugar and starch in the food, creating lactic acid. This process creates an environment that preserves the food and promotes beneficial enzymes, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as various species of good bacteria.
Another way to look at fermentation is that it takes one type of food and transforms it into another kind. For instance, cabbage becomes sauerkraut, cucumbers become pickles, soybeans turn into miso, and milk can be made into yogurt, cheeses, and sour cream.
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Taking Too Many Probiotics Can Cause Mild Discomfort
Taking more than a usual dose 1 to 10 billion colony forming units of probiotics doesn’t necessarily mean better results and, instead, might provoke some mildly uncomfortable side effects.
“Some research has shown that using more bacteria may, in fact, counteract . If the bacteria get to the food before us, they can turn it into gas,” says Farhadi. On top of excess gas, you might experience bloating or a generally upset stomach. Diarrhea can also occur, but that’s about as bad as it gets.
Side effects, most commonly gas, may also occur when someone first starts taking probiotics, as their gut may experience some changes in bacteria levels. Usually, though, if someone is taking an average dose, these side effects should wear off soon, once the body adjusts.
