Is It Better To Eat Fermented Foods Or Take Probiotic Tablets
Its always important to point out that a good healthy diet and exercise are always the first steps to health, as these can help promote the good bacteria that already live on and in your body, amongst the other huge health benefits they provide, explains Ian Gonzaga.
When comparing fermented foods and probiotics, both can be good for adding diversity to your microbiome, which is the most important thing.
Other Features To Consider
After you have determined your primary needs in a probiotic, consider the additional benefits of Garden of Life probiotics and any dietary concerns you may have.
Vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free, and lactose-free options
All Garden of Life probiotics are made without GMOs, but some may also be any combination of the following: vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free, and lactose free. No matter your diet, it is easy to find a Garden of Life probiotic that works for you.
Recommended dosage
Most Garden of Life probiotics are once-a-day capsules, but some come in the form of a
powder that is mixed into drinks. These are sometimes provided in individual packets, which are easy to slip your into your bag and take on the go. A few Garden of Life probiotics are recommended to be taken in capsule form up to three times a day.
Refrigeration requirements
Garden of Life products are labelled either shelf stable or arrive alive! Those that are shelf stable dont need to be refrigerated to maintain potency and keep bacterial cultures alive. Products that specify refrigeration should always be kept cold to avoid a loss of potency.
“Garden of Life probiotics offer mood, prenatal, prostate, and UT support products, each of which aids digestion and general well-being in addition to addressing more specific needs through carefully selected bacterial strains.”
How To Store Your Probiotic
Lets remember, probiotics are made up of living organisms, and as such, they will survive longer when kept in a cool, dry environment. Your kitchen or bathroom cabinet is a good spot. Look for probiotics that are packaged in amber or dark color glass. This helps to protect them from moisture and light damage. And you may want to reconsider keeping your probiotics stored in your day-of-the-week pill organizer. We know there are some cool organizers on Amazon, but they could compromise the effectiveness of your probiotics, if they are exposed to light, temperature changes, and humidity. Best practice is to only keep a few days of servings in a portable pill caddy at a time. Refill from the bottle stored in a dry, cool, environment.3
Some probiotics need to be refrigerated, but if possible, choose a probiotic that is shelf stable, meaning they can be safely stored at room temperature, and do not require refrigeration. This makes your life a little easier, and also makes it more convenient for you to take your probiotics when you travel .
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What Is The Shelf Life Of This Product
Id estimate that the shelf life of this product will easily be over 1.5 years by the time your receive itand probably closer to 1.8 years.
The product will last for 24 months of the time of manufacture. The company makes a new batch of probiotics every 30 to 35 days. So, its a good bet that youll receive your probiotic within 2 months. So that means that your probiotic should meat the claimed CFU probiotics for 22 months .
Shopping For A Probiotic
As a quick refresher, when shopping for a probiotic, many people believe that more is better, when it comes to colony forming units . So they grab whatever product boasts the highest number. There is no standard recommended daily dose for probiotics, but research suggests aiming for one to two billion live CFUs to maintain good health. If you are taking antibiotics, have digestive problems, or suffer from Candida or frequent urinary tract infections though, you may want to boost that amount.1
One more thing, when choosing a probiotic look for one that lists expiry at time of consumption, not at time of manufacture. What does expiry mean? Expiry, or expiration date, refers to a previously determined date after which something should no longer be used. The date should be stamped on the side or bottom of the bottle. This is important to look for on your probiotics label, because many times, if you continue taking your probiotic after expiration, it will not be as effective if the live cells have perished. In general, quality probiotics have a shelf life of 2 to 4 years.
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Solutions To The Shelf
Jeff, a senior researcher at one of the largest chemical companies in the US, had been shouldering the burden of a problem, which if solved could help an industry worth $43 Billion. Jeff was looking for solutions to a high stake problem of an industry that is projected to reach $75 Billion by 2025 with a CAGR of 7.7%.
The industry we are talking about is Probiotics. The huge growth in the probiotics market could primarily be attributed to its increasing demand in diverse industries such as healthcare, cosmetics, FMCG, etc.
However, a huge hindrance faced by researchers working in this domain is the shelf-stability of probiotics. Preserving the efficacy of probiotic bacteria exhibits a paramount challenge that needs to be addressed during the development of functional food products.
Several factors have been claimed to be responsible for reducing the viability of probiotics including matrix acidity, level of oxygen in products, presence of other lactic acid bacteria, and sensitivity to metabolites produced by other competing bacteria. Much of this also depends on how the product is stored whether it is shipped, displayed, stored cooled, or refrigerated.
In order to prevent probiotics from becoming completely ineffective, manufacturers pump billions of bacteria into their probiotic supplements so that enough of them will survive. In other words, shelf-stable probiotics are the need of the hour.
Review Summary Of 1md Complete Probiotics Platinum
Dr. David Kahana created this product with clinically studied probiotic strains that are finely tuned for digestive health. It also has a prebiotic to ensure proliferation of the probiotics in your intestinal tract. I highly recommend this product digestive health. And even if it doesnt work out for a small number of people, theres a 90 day return policy with no questions asked.
And thats why I rated 1MD probiotics 5 out of 5 stars.
Review Rating:
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What Else Might Cause Probiotics To Die Off
Three big contributing factors to the survivability of probiotics are high heat, exposure to moisture, and stomach acid.
Exposure to heat unfortunately does decrease survival and variable temperature is also problematic. They prefer to survive in a rather constant environment. Moisture is another area that is difficult for probiotics. When they are in the form of powder in a capsule they are at rest and when moisture is introduced they become active. If they are not in the digestive system they will not be able to thrive properly and will expire. Keeping the probiotics cool and dry is key. This is particularly important for strains like Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria which are two examples of the good bacteria commonly found in a probiotic supplement.
Both of these bacterial strains originated in the human intestines, which is an area of the body that is perfectly suitable for their ongoing survival being that it is at a constant temperature and set up for the bacteria to thrive.
Packaging and shipping methods make a big difference when it comes to the survivability of the probiotics. Probulin Digestive Probiotics are all packaged in special blister cards that block exposure to moisture and they are sealed air-tight to protect your supplements from exposure to moisture and excess oxygen.
How Do You Know Which Probiotic Strain Is Right For You
Within each species of bacteria there is a multitude of strains. Some strains within a given species are strong and resilient, with a demonstrated capacity to survive the trip through the upper GIT, interact with the immune system, and inhibit pathogenic bacteria, whereas other strains are weak and cannot even survive transit through the stomach or small intestine.
This is important to know, as it means that just because one strain of bacteria in a given species has a proven action or characteristic, it does not mean that another strain will too, even if they are closely related. For example, Lactobacillus plantarum strain 299v has been shown to effectively reduce IBS symptoms in a number of trials, whereas administration of L. plantarum strain MF1298 was found to actually worsen IBS symptoms.
The most effective way to ensure you select the correct probiotic strains for your individual needs is to speak with a natural health practitioner, advises David. They are well educated on these variations among probiotic strains and can pair you with an optimal formula for your health requirements.
Image: iStock
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Probiotic Supplement Expiration Dates: Do Theymatter
The goal of using probiotic capsules is to get a clinically-significant amount of live bacteria past your stomach acid and into your gastrointestinal tract.
The best way to ensure you will get the symptom improvement and other benefits youre hoping for is to buy high-quality live culture probiotics that clearly display either an expiration date or a manufacture date, and accurate information about the number of colony-forming units in each dose.
Colony-forming units in the billions are necessary to get the clinical benefits of probiotics. A probiotic product begins to degrade and lose potency the longer it sits on a shelf, and can degrade faster if it isnt stored properly. Using probiotic products with the appropriate colony-forming units and with an expiration date far out into the future is good insurance that the probiotic is still viable when you use it.
Because the Food and Drug Administration doesnt have clear regulations on probiotics and other dietary supplements, many dont have accurate labeling, and may even have misleading labeling . Many products may also contain less than the amount advertised on the label.
Preparation Of Probiotic Yacon Juice
Matured yacon fruit was taken. Yacon fruit was peeled and cut into chunks of small size after washing in running tap water. The juice was extracted from blanched chunks . The blanching step was done to inactivate polyphenol oxidase enzyme as well as to reduce the number of indigenous yeast . The juice was extracted with the addition of water , and the resulting juice was filtered through muslin clothes. The juice was then pasteurized at 85°C for 10 min for the preparation of pasteurized yacon juice.
Probiotic culture was obtained from Dairy Development Corporation , Nepal. The strain was subcultured in MRS media containing 1% calcium carbonate. A total of 7.00 log CFU/ml of probiotic culture was inoculated in the fermented juice and left for incubation at 37°C for 24 hr under strictly anaerobic conditions.
Probiotic and control juice were dispensed into a sterile bottle and plugged tightly. Samples were then coded as NCY , RCY, NPY, and RPY where normal juice was stored at room temperature 25°C while refrigerated juice was stored in 4°C.
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What Is The Correct Way To Take This Product
There are 2 ways I would recommend to take the product:
Most people do best by taking it before breakfast. But some people will feel better by taking the product just after breakfast. I recommend experimenting both ways and seeing which gives you the best results.
Probiotic Strains And Culture Conditions
Probiotic strains used were obtained from commercial sources and are described in Table 1. Bacillus subtilis strain HU58 was cultivated aerobically at 37°C for 24 h on Miller LB agar plates containing : Tryptone , Yeast Extract , NaCl , and agar . Anaerobic bacteria Bifidobacterium longum strain BB536 and Lactobacillus acidophilus strain DDS-1 were cultivated on plates made from MRS broth supplemented with 0.05% L-cysteine and agar . Anaerobic strains were cultivated at 37°C for 48 h in the Anaeropack system .
Table 1. Probiotic strains used in this study.
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What Should I Look For In A Probiotic
According to the guidelines âProbiotic Checklist: Making a Smart Decisionâ unveiled by the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics , there are several criteria that consumers should consider when selecting a probiotic: Backed by science, correct dose, benefit you are seeking, safe for you, and labeled correctly.See how Align meets these criteria and is a good option for people wanting to help support their gastrointestinal health.
Are Expired Probiotics Harmful
If youve accidentally consumed a batch of expired probiotics, dont panic. Taking expired probiotics wont kill you or make you sick, but dead probiotics are practically useless. You wont experience the full benefits of probiotic supplements if most of the bacteria dies before consumption. It defeats the purpose of taking probiotics in the first place.
Dead probiotic bacteria wouldnt be strong enough to hang onto your gut walls. The lack of live probiotics after consumption would also result in the good bacteria being outnumbered by the bad.
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What Is The Return Policy
The company offers a 90 days no questions asked return policy. To me that means that this company really believes in this product when they back it with a very strong guarantee like this one. Most companies only offer a 30 day money back guarantee so a 90 day guarantee shows how much confidence they have in IMDs Complete Probiotics Platinum.
Dna Extraction And Pcr Amplification
For probiotic products labeled as containing only one strain, a colony was isolated when there was growth. From probiotic products containing multiple species that were differentiable by selective growth media, all differentiable colonies were collected. DNA was extracted from the samples using the InstaGene Matrix following the manufacturers protocol, or the microwave method. For the microwave method, a small portion of a colony is spread on the inside of a PCR tube and then microwaved on high for 3 min and then PCR mix is added directly to this tube.
Bacterial DNA PCR protocol: 5 µL 10× PCR Buffer, 3 µL MgCl2 , 4 µL BSA , 2 µL pA , 2 µL pH , 1 µL Taq, 2 µL dNTP , 2 µL template DNA and then topped off to 50 µL with NFH2O. Run at 95°C for 2 min, then 30 cycles at 95°C for 30 s, 55°C for 30 s and 72°C for 1 min followed by a 10-min hold at 72°C. PCR of bacterial sequences was conducted with 16S rRNA primers pA and pH .
Fungal DNA PCR protocol was taken from White et al. . PCR of fungal sequences was conducted using ITS primers, ITS1 and ITS4 . Samples were amplified using Taq DNA polymerase. Reactions were primed at 95°C for 5 min, followed by 35 cycles of 95°C for 30 s, 50°C for 30 s, 72°C for 1 min and a final extension at 72°C for 10 min. Nucleotide Basic Local Alignment Search Tool was then used to determine the identity of the bacterial and yeast species in the probiotic.
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What Is The Difference Between Shelf
The range of available probiotics have come a long way these past few years, as research and public interest in the gut biome has spiked. Only recently, probiotics were hard to come by, with only 2-3 varieties max stocked in your local pharmacy, and they were all refrigerated. Today, there are powders, refrigerated tablets, and shelf-stable varieties offering up hundreds of different strains.
This can sometimes cause confusion about the quality, efficacy and viability of probiotics, explains Ian Gonzaga, BHSc, the technical educator for BioCeuticals. Shelf stable probiotics are usually overpacked, so the label claim can say X CFU of total probiotics when in reality the amount is much higher so that when the expiry date on the label arrives, the amount of viable probiotics are still at, or just over, the label claim.
For example the BioCeuticals UltraBiotic IBS provides 25 billion CFU at room temperature and 45 billion CFU when refrigerated.
Shelf-stable probiotics are created by freeze-drying live bacteria. Bacteria are flash frozen and then place under a vacuum, which leaves them completely dry but still completely viable, explains David OReilly, BSc , education manager for Evolution Health. The bacteria remain dormant until they touch moisture.
The benefit of using a shelf-stable probiotic is that it is portable, so you can continue taking it while travelling or during extended periods away from the refrigerator.
All About Probiotic Shelf Life
Expiration dates on your probiotic supplements may have you afraid to use them for fear of digestive health side effects. Good quality probiotic supplements contain live bacteria, and expired products may have less than or none of the advertised amount.
The good news is that expired probiotic capsules wont hurt you, though theylikely wont give you the probiotichealth benefits you were hoping for.
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Survival Of Probiotics In Simulated Intestinal Fluid
We next tested survival of probiotic preparations when exposed over 24 h to a commercial intestinal fluid simulant, Fasting-State Simulated Intestinal Fluid . We observed that B. longum probiotic lost > 5 orders of magnitude of viability over 24 h, and > 4 logs in the first 12 h . In contrast, L. acidophilus fared much better, losing only 1 order of magnitude of viability in 24 h, and B. subtilis probiotic retained full viability after 24 h exposure to FaSSIF .
Figure 6. Survival of B. longum , L. acidophilus , and B. subtilis probiotics exposed to FaSSIF. Data are averages ± standard deviation . Error bars not visible are smaller than the data points.
Figure 7. Survival of B. subtilis probiotic capsules from NSRL experiment exposed to FaSSIF. Total viable cells and dormant, heat-resistant spores were measured. Data are averages ± standard deviation . ns, not significantly different *P< 0.05 **P< 0.01 ***P< 0.001.
