Debates Surrounding Health Claims On Probiotic Foods
While indicating Bifidobacterium lactis, the package does not list that Activia also contains strains commonly found in Yogurt: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactococcus lactis.
Some experts say that there is evidence that probiotic strains reduce diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and duration of colds. But others argue that their benefits are not certain.
The US FDA pressed charges for false advertising.
According to Danone, Activia is based on 17 scientific studies. But according to CBS News, two of these studies were not statistically significant compared to the placebo groups and six others did not show a statistically significant improvement in transit time.
Youll Give Your Body A Boost With The Protein And Nutrients In Activia
Its well known by experts that yogurt packs in a lot of nutrition, and Activia is no exception. Many of its yogurt varieties contain at least four grams of protein, with its Greek yogurt offering 12 grams.
Protein is necessary for muscle health. If you want to bulk up and strengthen those muscles, eating Activia yogurt after a workout might be the way to do it. According to the Mayo Clinic, adding some fresh fruit to yogurt to snack on after a workout is one of the best snacks you can eat to nourish your body. A 2019 article in Nutrition Today also states that dietary protein is a building block of bone cells. Additionally, calcium plays a role in preventing osteoporosis. One container of Activias yogurt with fruit contains about 10% of your daily calcium intake.
Those arent all the potential benefits of Activia, though. Yogurt may also have a positive influence on your blood pressure, according to research published in the International Dairy Journal . The studys researchers explained that regular yogurt consumption led to an average lowered blood pressure of about seven points compared to those who werent yogurt eaters. Thats because yogurt typically contains heart-healthy micronutrients, like potassium and calcium, which are both in Activia yogurts.
Also Check: Schiff Probiotic Intensive Bowel Support
See How The Activia Probiotic Challenge Impacts 5 Women We Admire
Your gut plays an integral role in your overall health. Its responsible for way more than just digesting the food you eatwith research suggesting it even has an influence on your mood. So, it almost goes without saying that taking care of your gut is taking care of your body. And one of the best ways to support gut health is by increasing your intake of probiotics, which introduces good bacteria and helps balance the gut. After all, a well-balanced gut is a healthy gut.
Luckily, getting more probiotics is simple, and includes getting more delicious probiotic-rich foods into your weekly lineup . Every flavour of Activia contains live and active probiotics and may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive issues like: bloating, gas, discomfort and rumbling when consumed twice per day for 2 weeks as part of a balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. So, whether youre a blackberry kinda person, or you prefer the taste of the strawberry probiotic drinkthey all provide the same benefits!
Now on to the challenge: getting started is simple and keeping it up is just as easy. Take the Activia Probiotic Challenge by eating one Activia twice a day for 14 days. Seriously. The Challenge is not much of a challenge at all if you make it your own. To give you a better understanding of whats involved, we sat down with some ladies we admire to get their opinions regarding the challenge:
-
Emilie Desjarlais
Also Check: Flora Dog Probiotics Vital Planet
How Activia Went From Stodgy Digestive Aid To Trendy Wellness Brand
If you hear the word Activia, your first thought might be of Jamie Lee Curtis. You may also think of its dated commercials, inwhich women complain of irregular digestion, and, well, poop.
Danone launched Activia, the probiotic yogurt that claims to support gut health, in the United States in 2006. Curtis became the brands spokesperson the following year. The ad campaign touting Activias role in keeping consumers regular inspired some ridicule, but it also boosted sales.
The brand has since moved on from Curtis, tapping other spokespeople over the years and modifying the way it promotes its products.
Today, Activias marketing campaigns are a far cry from what they were a decade ago. A combination of new ads and evolving consumer trends have helped Activia shed its image as a spoofable digestive aid, and place it instead in the trendy realm of wellness and gut health.
So far, it seems the strategy is working. The brands US sales grew from $472 million in 2019 to $506 million in 2021, according to the company. Activia could surpass Light + Fit to become Danones number one US yogurt brand this year.
But Activia has to be careful not to drive away long-time customers who first picked up the product because they related to Curtis and her digestive complaints.
Its a very delicate move, said Pedro Silveira, Danone North Americas president of yogurt. We dont want to alienate , he said. But at the same time, we have to recruit new ones.
Activia For Constipation No Proof Probiotics Help Ftc Says
Does eating Dannons probiotic-infused Activia yogurt help keep things moving in your digestive tract?
Thats the claim made on the yogurts packaging and in commercials. Dannon also claimed probiotics are the secret to DanActive, a yogurt drink it said helps prevent colds.
It wont make those claims anymore. The Federal Trade Commission ruled theres not enough evidence to back up those statements, and now the French-based company has to pay up big time. That means $21 million in settlements with state and federal regulators.
So whats the deal with probiotics?
Dr. Carey Strom, associate clinical professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine, tells CBS News that although he does prescribe probiotics for irritable bowel syndrome, bloating and diarrhea, he is not aware of any evidence that shows probiotics help with standard-issue constipation.
There have been no good, double-blind studies to show they are absolutely beneficial, says Strom, but patients seem to get some benefits, some relief, from certain gastrointestinal problems. They cant hurt and they may help.
Dannon used to say otherwise. The probiotic added to Activia is called Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010, which Dannon trademarked and markets as Bifidus regularis.
To back up these claims, the company used data from studies it helped fund. Often these studies were conducted at its research facility in France, according to a Johns Hopkins report.
MORE HEALTH CONTENT FROM CBS NEWS
You May Like: Is It Ok To Take Probiotics With Diverticulitis
What Is The Best Probiotic Yogurt
At present, there are so many brands of yogurt available on the market that it is quite difficult to determine which yogurt has the most probiotics. While buying yogurt, check the labels of the yogurt brands that specify live and active cultures to ensure that it is a good source of probiotics. It is also very important to check the amount of added sugar in the yogurt because sugar can be harmful to your guts health.
So, when youre shopping for yogurt at a grocery store, choose yogurt brands that display the active culture label and contain less than 15 gm of sugar per serving of yogurt to reap the gut health benefits. In this article, we will be looking at which yogurt has the most probiotics.
Is Yogurt A Probiotic
Yogurt can contain probiotics and thus, be a probiotic yogurt if probiotics strains are added. While many yogurts have live and active cultures, not all have probiotic strains that provide specific health benefits such as supporting gut health and contributing to the maintenance of a balanced gut microbiota. Activia contains billions of the probiotic culture Bifidobacterium animalis lactis DN-173 010/CNCM I-2494, which has been shown to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract in sufficient amounts. Activia is a probiotic yogurt that may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort when consumed twice a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Minor digestive discomfort includes bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and rumbling.
Recommended Reading: Probiotic Lozenges For Oral Health
What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Yogurt
Lets talk about the two ingredients youll need to make probiotic yogurt: milk and a yogurt starter culture.
- Milk: I recommend starting with organic, grass-fed whole cows or goats milk . You might be tempted to go for a lower milkfat, but really, you want the whole kit-and-kaboodle herethats what makes the end result creamy, thick, and packed full of good-for-your-gut probiotics. You can use raw milk, pasteurized, or ultra-pasteurizedall three will work just fine for yogurt-making.
- Yogurt starter culture: Youll need to inoculate your milk with some starter bacteria to get the yogurt-making process going, and there are two ways of going about this. You can either use premade plain yogurt with active cultures or you can use a freeze-dried yogurt starter culture.
The Bottom Line On Activia
Before you race through the grocery store to the dairy aisle, lets take one more look at this one. We like that Activia contains some natural ingredients and that the price seems reasonable, but we have concerns about this one because the research doesnt point toward weight-loss. Were also a bit hesitant due to customers talking about negative side effects and ingredients not working.
If you want to lose those extra pounds, we suggest going with a weight-loss program thats clinically proven, so you lose weight and keep it off.
Among the best products weve seen this year is one called Noom. This weight-loss app is unlike any other with its personalized menus, human coaching, doctor-written articles, and nutritionist support. Plus, user reviews posted on the web indicate people see excellent results.
We find it shows great confidence that the makers of Noom are offering a free trial offer, which is a good sign.
Also Check: What Is The Best Type Of Probiotic
About Activia No Added Sugar
This means that we have not added sugar to the product. Sugars come naturally from milkand fruits. The product does not contain added sugar, ingredients with added sugar, and ingredients containing sugar that have sweetening properties.
Because milk and fruits naturally contain sugar.
Yes, every serving of Activia contains more than one billion probiotics.*
*With more than 109CFU Bifidobacterium lactis per serving, this probiotic contributes to healthy gut flora.
The 0% product contains 6g of sugar per 100g and is sweetened by milk, fruits and cane sugar, while the no added sugar product contains only 3g of sugar and is sweetened by milk and fruits. We also add stevia extract, which gives a slightly sweet taste, without adding calories and sugar.
Yes, all products in the 0% M.F. line are fat free.
No, the product is not exactly the same. Activia 12x100g format offers 0% fat and is sweetened with milk, fruits and cane sugar. Activia 8x100g also has 0% fat but is naturally sweetened with milk and fruits.
No, only the flavors peach-strawberry in format 8x100g and cherry-blueberry 8x100g are no added sugar. Our vanilla TUB, the 8X100g raspberry-vanilla and the 12X100g vanilla, raspberry, peach and strawberry format are sweetened with cane sugar.
We still have the same great taste of Activia, however, the No Sugar Added line has a stronger taste of stevia since we have removed the cane sugar from the formula to offer you a product only sweetened with milk and fruits.
Are There Any Side Effects Of Probiotics
Probiotics are safe for the majority of the population, but side effects can occur. The most common side effects are a temporary increase in gas, bloating, constipation and thirst. Some people can also react poorly to ingredients used in probiotic supplements or to naturally occurring amines in probiotic foods.
You May Like: Probiotics To Take For Bv
How Much Yogurt Should I Eat For Probiotics
To get your daily dose of calcium, we recommend one serving of yogurt. However, if you have a history of osteoporosis, you may want to consider adding more calcium to your diet.
Calcium is important for bone health, but its not the only thing you need to keep in mind when it comes to calcium intake. If you dont get enough of each of these nutrients, your bones may not be strong enough to withstand the stresses of daily life.
Does Activia Have More Probiotics Than Greek Yogurt
A great deal of fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, miso, and tempeh contain probiotics. What are the advantages of Dannons Activia over regular old-fashioned yogurt that more effective in providing these results than regular good old-fashioned yogurt, is one that begs a good answer. Yes, Dannon .
Recommended Reading: Which Probiotics Make It To The Gut
Recommended Reading: Glamglow Berryglow Probiotic Recovery Mask
Look For Active Cultures And Probiotics
To make sure your yogurt contains active cultures, check the label. Most brands will have a graphic that says live and active cultures.
If you want to know which specific active cultures your yogurt contains, look to the label again. Under the list of ingredients, many brands list the specific active cultures. And different cultures are thought to have different benefits.
Also Check: Lettuce In Diarrhea
What Are Live Cultures
Alright, now were getting down to the nitty-gritty.
So, probiotics are filled with live or active cultures. What in the heck is are live or active culture?
Live cultures oftentimes referred to as active cultures as well should be broken down by their make. To begin from the top and work our way down, live cultures are microbes associated with foods, often as food fermentation agents, meaning live cultures aid in the fermenting process of fermented foods. On the next level, we look at the microorganisms, whichconsist mainly of bacteria yeasts. For instance, when it comes to dairy-based yogurt, live bacterial cultures help to convert milk into yogurt in the first place.
These food-found bacteria-based microorganisms are the live or active cultures that you are looking for in regards to obtaining health benefits.
On the other hand, some probiotics are microbes that would not typically be associated with foods , and these are usually not referred to as live or active cultures and are not readily available for consumption for obvious reasons.
Also Check: Which Probiotic Should I Buy
You May Like: Probiotics For Autism Custom Probiotics
Okay Whats So Great About Instant Pot Yogurt
Before electric pressure cookers became a thing, I made my yogurt at home on the stovetop and using a heating pad to keep the temperature even while the yogurt fermented. It works just fine, but an Instant Pot makes the whole process even easier! Thats because the Instant Pot is programmed to keep the fermentation temperature at an even 110°F during the culturing time. It makes it completely no fuss! I have never had a batch of yogurt fail since getting my Instant Pot years ago.
How Much To Take
The American Academy of Family Physicians suggests a dosage of 10 to 20 billion colony-forming units per day for adults, and 5 to 10 billion units per day for children. To put that in perspective, one container of Activia-brand yogurt contains 5 to 10 billion colony-forming units per 4-ounce portion.
Youll need to take probiotics regularly to strengthen the bacterial colonies in your body and help them to gradually drive out harmful bacteria and yeast growing in your tract. There are billions of probiotics inside your gut already, including bifidus, so the risk of taking too much is low for most people.
Be sure to keep your supplement in the temperature-controlled setting that the manufacturer requires. This depends on if youre taking the probiotic pills or yogurt. Make sure to read the product label for specific storage instructions.
In general, bifidus is safe for everyone, even infants and children. People who shouldnt take bifidus include:
- people with a compromised immune system
- people with short bowel syndrome
- premature infants
Keep in mind that as with any supplements, probiotics do not require FDA approval nor extensive safety testing before theyre sold. Probiotics may also occasionally cause gas.
Contact your doctor immediately if you or your child has severe abdominal pain or abnormal stools after taking a probiotic.
Also Check: Does Store Bought Buttermilk Have Probiotics
Did Anything Surprise You
This is such an easy challenge! The yogurts are so good, the real challenge is to only eat 2 yogurts per day!
I do love that each of these green containers contains over a billion probiotics per serving, its a simple and fun way to not only integrate my probiotics every day but also keep my gut in check.
You May Like: Does Fage Greek Yogurt Have Probiotics
Does Activia Contain Gluten
The majority of the Activia range doesnt contain gluten. The only ranges containing gluten are Activia Breakfast Pots and Activia Grains and Nuts.
As required by law, we always clearly label allergens on all our products, and this information can also be found in the Products section of our website and on many of our retailers websites.
Recommended Reading: Which Probiotics Are Best For Acne
Should I Give Probiotics To My Kids
Probiotics can be beneficial for both adults and kids. If your child has an illness that requires an antibiotic medication for treatment, taking a probiotic can help shorten symptoms. Probiotics can also be used to help relieve constipation, acid reflux, diarrhea, gas and eczema in children.
Introducing probiotics into your childs diet through food is typically a safe way to give them probiotics. Foods like yogurt and cottage cheese are often part of a balanced diet and can add in good bacteria without much risk.
There are commercially available probiotic supplements specifically designed for infants and children. However, it is important to talk to your childs pediatrician before giving them any probiotic supplement or changing the childs diet to include probiotic-rich foods.
Dont Miss: Are Probiotics Good For Acid Reflux
