Probiotics: part 2- the good from the bad

Just remembered my past blog on probiotics promised to give you all more information on how to wheedle out the good supps from the bad. I got highly distracted with my angry rant on the OMG diet and never followed this up…so here we go…

So the current market for probiotics is very confusing to most consumers. You can choose from a wide array of products all making claims on their different strains, species, billions counts, shelf stability and so on. And all of these products can also come in different forms - probiotic capsules, pills, yoghurts, drinks, even chewing gum and chocolate! So what do you pick? What’s actually important? Read on for some basic tips when choosing:

1. Avoid the yoghurt drinks- especially if you want to watch your waistline or if you have diabetes; as the levels of sugar in these 'health' drinks can be very high. Leading probiotic yoghurt drinks contain more sugar than fizzy drinks; and the sugar-free options contain artificial sweeteners that will mess up your metabolism.

2. Count the number of bacteria. The gut is home to roughly 100 trillion bacteria. So it’s best to go for a supplement offering at least 15 billion live microorganisms, as opposed to a few million. Look for the potency at time of expiration as the bacteria will degrade in the bottle. However, pay close attention to the strains as it will not be beneficial to take 30 billion probiotics per day if the probiotics have not met more important criteria, for example the ability to survive stomach acidity, and to bind to the gut wall lining.

3. Do not fall for the 'Time of Manufacture Guarantee.” Whilst this appears to be a good statement what this really means is that the number of billions stated on the pack is actually the number of billions that existed in the product when it was made. As bacteria are of a delicate nature, this count will certainly drop as the product sits on the shelf, or even in the fridge. So look for the numbers at the expiration date stated instead.

4. How many strains? I would recommend buying multi strain probiotics as different strains naturally reside in different areas of the gut so taking more than one will support a larger area of your gut rather than just the small intestine for example. Different strains also have different survival rates and health benefits so a mixture can provide optimal results.  On the other hand, if you are looking at a product with a huge amount of different strains, be wary that various strains can actually 'cannibalise' each other within a capsule. Make sure you are going for a reputable company with an expertise in probiotic & prebiotic supplements - they should have tested the strains to make sure they can survive together.

6. Get the correct strains for you. Research on probiotics consistently shows results that different strains will have different effects on the body. For example, Bifidobacterium infantis is a great probiotic species for children, and is thought to play a key role in immunity. It will naturally settle in the large intestine, however, so it is not an ideal probiotic to be taking for a patient on antibiotics (who will be losing vast numbers of probiotics from the small intestine.) Try to find a probiotic supplement that is tailored for your health condition, rather than a general product that is marketed to everyone – again, this situation highlights the benefits of a multi-strain probiotic.

7. Make sure there is research. Do your research and make sure they have done theirs - reliable probiotic supplements should be backed up with HUMAN clinical trials - and these trials should be available for you to read. One place to start your research is with the UK company OptiBac Probiotics. They specialize in probiotics & prebiotics and have developed a range of probiotics targeting specific health conditions by using specific probiotic strains.

Any further questions or help on finding a supplement, or just want me to check out yours before you buy, email me the details over and I’ll be happy to help.