The Top Probiotic Supplement For Digestive & Gut Health in 2020

Good health starts in the gut, but are you taking proper care of yours?

One of the most often overlooked parts of our well-being is our digestive system, better known as our “gut health”.

Gut health is all about keeping the ratio of good living bacteria in your digestive organs higher than the bad bacteria.

It’s estimated that as much as 1% to 3% of your body weight is made up of microbial inhabitants, which include fungi, bacteria, and other microscopic cells that have a “symbiotic” (mutually-beneficial) relationship with your body.

If the bad overtake the good it can compromise your immune system.

How do you combat those pesky bad bacteria in your gut?

Well, you don’t have to look far these days to find information about “Probiotics” floating around whether on TV, in magazines, or on blogs and videos online.

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeast that can help restore a thriving colony of good bacteria in your digestive system and they help keep your gut healthy, so your immune system can fight off intruders and you can enjoy well-being.

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When it comes to our gut health, it’s very important to be clear and understand what we are consuming and how to help us with better digestion.

Proper digestion helps us absorb all the correct nutrients and minerals we need.

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics defines “probiotics” as “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host”.

Probiotics are composed of microorganisms. These microorganisms are mainly bacteria but also include yeasts.

Always remember that these healthy bacteria are naturally present in fermented foods, may be added to other food products, and are available as dietary supplements.

Thanks to countless scientific studies, Probiotics have proven to result in a wide range of health benefits.

Surrounding probiotics there are some key definitions and important terms to know:

Prebiotics: A type of fiber that the human body cannot digest. They serve as food for probiotics (i.e. fruits, vegetables, and whole grains).

Probiotics: Are tiny living microorganisms, including bacteria and yeast. They occur in many fermented foods, (including yogurt, sauerkraut, and Tempeh).

Symbiotic: Commercial products containing both prebiotic sugars and probiotic organisms that beneficially affect the host by improving the survival and implantation of live microbial dietary supplements in the gastrointestinal tract.

Probiotics are Identified by their Specific Strain

Each strain includes the genus, the species, the subspecies (if applicable), and an alphanumeric strain designation.

The seven core genera of microbial organisms most often used in probiotic products are:

4. Lactobacillus

5. Bifidobacterium

6. Saccharomyces

7.Streptococcus

Probiotics are available as dietary supplements (in capsules, powders, liquids, and other forms) containing a wide variety of strains and doses.

Each product contains mixed cultures of live microorganisms rather than single strains.

Many organizations have systematically reviewed the available evidence and developed recommendations on specific probiotics—including appropriate product, dose, and formulation—to use for preventing or treating various health conditions.

Probiotics are measured in Colony Forming Units (CFU)

CFU’s indicate the number of viable cells. Amounts may be written on product labels as, for example, 1 x 10⁹ for 1 billion CFU or 1 x 10¹⁰ for 10 billion CFU.

Many probiotic supplements contain 1 to 10 billion CFU per dose, but some products contain up to 50 billion CFU or more.

However, higher CFU counts do not necessarily improve the product’s health effects.

In the end what really matters is the type of probiotic strains and the CFU of those individual strains

Probiotics & Digestive Health: 7 Signs You Need Probiotics

The Right Strains To Look For In Probiotic Supplements:

• Various Strains – The more strains of Probiotic bacteria your supplement has, the better.

These are the strains you need to look for:

• Lactobacillus Acidophilus – Studies have found L. Acidophilus to be helpful with Diarrhea,Bloating, and Bowel Pain. It even helps with Allergies and keeping your immune system strong enough to fend off Cold and Flu.
  
  
• Bifidobacterium Lactis – Can help with Constipation, as it may help promote regular bowel movements. Other studies have described B. Lactis as a “health-promoting” strain that may be helpful with food allergies and even respiratory ailments.
  
  
• Lactobacillus Casei – studied for possible positive effects on people with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
  
  
• Bacillus Coagulans – B. Coagulans has also been found to be helpful for people with abdominal pain from Irritable Bowels. Other placebo-controlled trials have found B. Coagulans effective at reducing gas and gastrointestinal distress.

Our Criteria For Selecting The Best Probiotics:

What Exactly Are Probiotics?

WARNING: DO NOT Confuse Probiotics & Prebiotics

How To Understand Your Options With Probiotics

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information provided by this website or this company is not a substitute for a face-to-face consultation with your physician and should not be construed as individual medical advice. The testimonials on this website are individual cases and do not guarantee that you will get the same results. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this web site is for general information purposes only. 

CITATIONS

Office of Dietary Supplements. (2020). Probiotics. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional/#en1

National Institutes of Health. (2012). NIH Human Microbiome Project defines normal bacterial makeup of the body. Retrieved from https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-human-microbiome-project-defines-normal-bacterial-makeup-body

Terry, N., & Margolis, K. G. (2017). Serotonergic Mechanisms Regulating the GI Tract: Experimental Evidence and Therapeutic Relevance. Handbook of experimental pharmacology, 239, 319–342. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5526216/

Ringel-Kulka, T., Palsson, O. S., Maier, D., Carroll, I., Galanko, J. A., Leyer, G., & Ringel, Y. (2011). Probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium lactis Bi-07 versus placebo for the symptoms of bloating in patients with functional bowel disorders: a double-blind study. Journal of clinical gastroenterology, 45(6), 518–525. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21436726/

Sinn, D. H., Song, J. H., Kim, H. J., Lee, J. H., Son, H. J., Chang, D. K., Kim, Y. H., Kim, J. J., Rhee, J. C., & Rhee, P. L. (2008). Therapeutic effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus-SDC 2012, 2013 in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Digestive diseases and sciences, 53(10), 2714–2718. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18274900/

Sazawal, S., Hiremath, G., Dhingra, U., Malik, P., Deb, S., & Black, R. E. (2006). Efficacy of probiotics in prevention of acute diarrhoea: a meta-analysis of masked, randomised, placebo-controlled trials. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 6(6), 374–382. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16728323/

Ouwehand, A. C., Nermes, M., Collado, M. C., Rautonen, N., Salminen, S., & Isolauri, E. (2009). Specific probiotics alleviate allergic rhinitis during the birch pollen season. World journal of gastroenterology, 15(26), 3261–3268. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19598302/

Leyer, G. J., Li, S., Mubasher, M. E., Reifer, C., & Ouwehand, A. C. (2009). Probiotic effects on cold and influenza-like symptom incidence and duration in children. Pediatrics, 124(2), e172–e179. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19651563/

Zhao, Y., & Yu, Y. B. (2016). Intestinal microbiota and chronic constipation. SpringerPlus, 5(1), 1130. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4951383/

Liu, Q., Jing, W., Wang, W. (2018). Bifidobacterium lactis Ameliorates the Risk of Food Allergy in Chinese Children by Affecting Relative Percentage of Treg and Th17 Cells. Retrieved from https://www.hindawi.com/journals/cjidmm/2018/4561038/

Singh, A., Hacini-Rachinel, F., Gosoniu, M. L., Bourdeau, T., Holvoet, S., Doucet-Ladeveze, R., Beaumont, M., Mercenier, A., & Nutten, S. (2013). Immune-modulatory effect of probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis NCC2818 in individuals suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis to grass pollen: an exploratory, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. European journal of clinical nutrition, 67(2), 161–167. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23299716/

Alipour, B., Homayouni-Rad, A., Vaghef-Mehrabany, E., Sharif, S. K., Vaghef-Mehrabany, L., Asghari-Jafarabadi, M., Nakhjavani, M. R., & Mohtadi-Nia, J. (2014). Effects of Lactobacillus casei supplementation on disease activity and inflammatory cytokines in rheumatoid arthritis patients: a randomized double-blind clinical trial. International journal of rheumatic diseases, 17(5), 519–527. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24673738/

Rogha, M., Esfahani, M. Z., & Zargarzadeh, A. H. (2014). The efficacy of a synbiotic containing Bacillus Coagulans in treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Gastroenterology and hepatology from bed to bench, 7(3), 156–163. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4129566/

Jäger, R., Purpura, M., Farmer, S., Cash, H. A., & Keller, D. (2018). Probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 Improves Protein Absorption and Utilization. Probiotics and antimicrobial proteins, 10(4), 611–615. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2zJXxpi

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After intense research, consultations & numerous customers interviewed, we found the following five products that became our top picks. 

We chose these five based on the following factors:

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1. Enterococcus

2. Escherichia

3. Bacillus

1. You are taking antibiotics: Including pain medication and anti-inflammatory medications in the last 5 years, which destroy a lot of good gut bacteria

2. You’ve had food poisoning: Food poisoning destroys your healthy bacteria while the bad bacteria moves in and sets up camp. If you have never repopulated your good bacteria after food poisoning, chances are your health will suffer.

3. You have an unhappy digestive system: Perhaps your gut is always angry. You might suffer from stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, or food intolerance. Any of these things can be a sign that you don't have enough healthy bacteria in your stomach.

4. You have skin condition: Chronic dry skin eczema or even just dull and listless skin can be a true sign that you do not have enough healthy bacteria your gut.

5. You get sick often: Does it seem like you go from one cool to another and can never seem to stay well? That’s an indication that your immune system is compromised and your gut is not healthy.

6. You have a yeast overgrowth: Any kind of issue with yeast is a sign that you do not have enough good bacteria in your digestive tract

7. You are depressed: 95% of serotonin, the happy hormone, is made in your gut. If your gut is unhappy and full of bad bacteria you won't have enough serotonin. Once you get your gut back where it needs to be you will find your mood improving and your outlook change.

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