1. The old adage “you get what you pay for”
is no different when shopping for
probiotics. The effectiveness of a
probiotic depends on a) strain, b)
method of preparation, c) type of
packaging.
2. Consumer reports studies have clearly
shown that the amount of probiotics
claimed by manufacturers can be far less
when tested. For one such review 4 of 14
pill products tested had no more than
half of their claimed number of
probiotics on average.
3. Look for companies that sell
probiotics in dark amber bottles to
ensure the best moisture barrier by
blocking damaging light exposure to
moisture rapidly destroys potency.
4. Probiotic bacteria grown and
maintained in a culture medium know as
supernatant* are typically more
effective as this process provides a
longer potent shelf life. This is called
the “full culture method”.
5. Products that have been processed
using centrifugation or ultra filtration
(the easiest and least expensive form of
processing) remove invaluable
supernatant resulting in an inferior
product.
6. Look for the full culture production
method. Here the entire bacterial mass
and the supernatant are freeze-dried and
packaged resulting in the best quality
product.
7. The best way to capture the living
colonies of beneficial bacteria and
supernatant and sustain them for a
pre-determined length of time is through
a freeze-drying process called
lyophilizing. This is a lightning-fast
biochemical process that dries the
bacteria by freezing it within a vacuum
removing all the water while preserving
the supernatant. Although considerably
more expensive to freeze dry the
bacteria and supernatant together it is
the best way to guarantee the maximal
health benefits from the friendly
bacteria when they arrive in the
gastrointestinal tract.
8. Look for the NNFA probiotic labeling
standard (Natural Nutritional Foods
Association) adopted since 1989. This
requires that probiotic supplement
labels list the quantity and identify of
the living bacteria present, a viable
cell count, an expiration date,
certification or the absence of
pathogenics (bad bacteria), storage
requirements and a list of any
additional ingredients.
9. Look for the right strain or strains
of probiotic bacteria. Always choose the
most powerful strains of each species.
Determining this can be daunting. The
best strains however have studies that
demonstrate their ability to:
a) Inhibit the widest number of
pathogens (bad bacteria).
b) Adhere to the colon wall.
c) Inhibit yeast infections.
d) Produce certain acids that destroy
harmful bacteria living in our GI tract.
e) Inhibit the transformation of
nitrates in our food to nitrates.
f) Produce B-complex vitamins.
g) Suppress chemicals in our body that
cause inflammation in our intestine.
h) Aid in the absorption of Vit C.
i) Help to decrease cholesterol.
(See strains listed on “Best of Breed”
Chart)
10) The best nutraceutical companies
producing the highest quality probiotics
have proof of each strains
characteristics – evaluated by third
party independent laboratory analysis
and should be available to the consumer
at their request.
11) A daily dose of at least 1-billion
CFU’s (colony Forming units) is needed
to reap meaningful benefits. The higher
quality products offer 5-billion to
20-billion CFU of each of the various
strains per capsule. When multiple
strains are in 1 capsule. An oil matrix
carrier is the best choice.
12) In quality probiotics it’s truly
“the more the merrier”.
13) A quality probiotic usually will
require Refrigeration.
*supernatant: when probiotic bacteria
grow in milk (the preferred culturing
agent) as they grown they transform the
milk into the supernatant.
* Acknowledgement: Natasha Trenev and her book The Power of Probiotics provided were a valuable resource of information for this page.
