Probiotics

Probiotics are live bacteria that help keep your digestive system healthy.¹ The colony of microorganisms in the body is essential in maintaining physiological processes, most notably the conversion of food to essential nutrients and transport of nutrients in the body.^1,4,5,7

Before we delve into sources of probiotics and their associated health benefits, let’s understand what they are, how they function, and the mechanism in which they influence other functions in the body.^2.3

Probiotics are “good” bacteria that:

Supports healthy gut function and digestive health¹
Supports healthy immune system function and a healthy GI tract^1,9
Supports normal microflora in the gut and normal digestion^1,5,6,7

The popularity of probiotic has led to hundreds of brands flooding the marketplace; however not all supplements are created equal! Unfortunately, many probiotics supplements in the market simply DON’T WORK!

We understand the challenges in finding the right supplement for your health needs. That’s why we gathered years of research and made this guide to help you find the top-rated formulas that work for you.

7 things To Consider When Buying Probiotics

PRO-biotics with High CFU Count: choose a probiotic brand that has a higher number of probiotics, from at least 40 billion to 75 billion per serving.¹⁰
PRE-biotics: to support the growth of probiotics once they get into your system, it is essential that prebiotics are also included in the formula.^1,2
POST-biotics: are bioactive compounds made when the healthy bacteria in your gut ferment fiber. Many of the health benefits linked with prebiotics and probiotics actually come from the production of postbiotics. So it's important for your supplement to include CoreBiome or other types of postbiotics.
Strain Diversity: choose a probiotic supplement that has at least 15 or more probiotic strains, such as Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus thermophilus strains.^3,8,9
Survivability: look for formulas that are in delayed release capsules such as DRcaps that protects the probiotics from stomach acid; or at least have MAKTrek in their formula.^2,3
Be Shelf-Stable No Refrigeration Needed: make sure your probiotic supplement has soil-based probiotics and is shelf-stable, meaning it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Ideally you want your probiotic to have a shelf-life of 2 years.^10,11
Easy Refund Policy: it is important for a brand to offer a long refund policy. Many probiotic supplements may take up to three months to show their full benefits. We highly recommend choosing a brand that offers a 90 days easy refund policy.

Things To Be Cautious About

Has your brand been third-party tested? You should never buy supplements that don’t have Certificate of Analysis. The studies should be conducted in labs that are not affiliated with the manufacturer.

Does your supplement contain cheap synthetic fillers? Some brands add artificial fillers to cut cost to offer cheap products. Some of these cheap fillers we found were titanium dioxide and artificial coloring.

No return policy, phone number or customer service – A reputable supplement company will offer 100% money-back guarantee policy and provide customer support through phone number and email.

Our Top 5 Probiotic Supplements

We evaluate the top brands, research about their ingredients, verify their label accuracy, return policy and overall customer satisfaction. Below we have listed the top 5 rated probiotics formula based on 8,675 consumer survey results.*

#1 Gives Biome 100

Biome 100 Advance Probiotics contains 50 Billion CFU live cultures probiotics consisting of 18 diverse strains, plus NutraFlora^® prebiotic and CoreBiome^® Tributyrin postbiotic; with no synthetic fillers or additives and vegan-friendly.

Biome 100 is one of the few doctor formulated probiotics on the market with DRcaps™ delivery system to help protect your ingredients from stomach acid. It is also shelf-stable meaning it does NOT require refrigeration and has 2 years shelf life (most other brands have 1 year or less). We highly recommend this formula.

Biome 100 is made in USA, 3rd party lab tested for purity and label accuracy; a robust and advance formula. All purchases from Gives Nutrition are backed by 90 days 100% refund policy.

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*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on eNutrition Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

#2 MegaFlora

MegaFood MegaFlora is another great option. It contains 50 billion CFU probiotics from 14 different strains.

It also contains prebiotics, however it does not contain any postbiotics. This formula doesn't contain any unnecessary additives and does not require refrigeration as well.

Made in the USA with all-natural, fast dissolving veggie capsule and 3rd Party Tested. All purchases from MegaFood are backed by 30 days return policy.

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#3 All Flora Probiotic

New Chapter All Flora Probiotic came in as our 3rd choice for probiotics. It’s no wonder because All Flora is a great product with 10 Billions CFUs from 2 different strains of probiotics.

Although some of the ingredients may be considered a type of prebiotic, however it doesn't contain any NutraFlora and other kinds of postbiotics. Nevertheless, All Flora is a good choice for people that look for a simple probiotics supplement. It is made in the USA with all-natural, fast dissolving veggie capsule and 3rd Party Lab Tested. All purchases from New Chapter are backed by 30 days return policy.

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#4 FloraMend

Thorne FloraMend Prime Probiotic is another top rated formula. Thorne offers a wide variety of supplements and their probiotics is another great choice for many consumers.

This formula contains 5 Billion CFU live culture probiotics from three different strains of probiotics. Although this formla doesn't contain any prebiotics or post-biotic, it's another great choice for people looking for a lower dosage and simple formula.

FloraMend is also made in USA, shelf-stable and 3rd party lab tested for label accuracy and purity. All purchases from Thorne are backed by 60 days return policy.

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#5 Tri-Butyrin Supreme

Designs for Health offers a wide variety of supplements. Their postbiotic supplement is a top rated brand for people looking for just a postbiotic formula. It contains 300mg of CoreBiome Tributyrin. This formula doesn't contain any other strains of probiotics or prebiotics.

Tri-Butyrin Supreme is also made in USA, shelf-stable and 3rd party lab tested for label accuracy and purity. All purchases from Designs for Health are backed by 30 days return policy.

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Sources & Citation:

1. Degnan, F.H. (2008, February 1). The US Food and Drug Administration and Probiotics: Regulatory Categorization. OUP Academic. https://doi.org/10.1086/523324

2. A systematic review of the safety of probiotics - PubMed. (2014, February 1).PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1517/14740338.2014.872627

3. T. (2018,May 24). Probiotics: A Brief Guide. Love Bug Probiotics USA. https://lovebugprobiotics.com/blogs/news/probiotics-a-brief-guide

4. No evidence of harms of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 in healthy elderly-a phase I open label study to assess safety, tolerability and cytokine responses - PubMed.(2014, December 1). PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0113456

5. The efficacy of probiotics … of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review - PubMed. (2010, March 1).PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1136/gut.2008.167270

6. Safety assessment of probiotics for human use - PubMed. (2010, June 1). PubMed. https://doi.org/10.4161/gmic.1.3.12127

7. AmericanCollege of Gastroenterology monograph on the management of irritable bowel syndrome … constipation - PubMed. (2014, August 1). PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1038/ajg.2014.187

8. Probiotics for the prevention of … diarrhea in adults and children - PubMed. (2017,December 19). PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006095.pub4

9. World Gastroenterology Organisation Global Guidelines: probiotics and prebiotics October 2011 - PubMed. (2012, July 1). PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1097/MCG.0b013e3182549092

10. Probioticsfor the …-associated diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis - PubMed.(2012, May 9). PubMed. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.3507

11. Safetyof probiotics used to reduce risk and prevent … - PubMed. (2011, April 1). PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23126627/

12. Dunnigan,A. P. (1936, January 1). Factors affecting the growth and viability of Lactobacillus acidophilus. Factors Affecting the Growth and Viability of Lactobacillus Acidophilus. https://drum.lib.umd.edu/items/d4ed8a91-2e94-424f-b398-5ab08494a416

* The information contained within this site is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have, expect to have, or suspect you may have any medical condition, you are urged to consult with a health care provider. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases or medical conditions. Results are based on the Society Health Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information. We may receive compensation from the companies whose products we review and rated as the top brands. We are independently owned, and the opinions expressed here are our own. This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com All the reviews on this website are the opinion of and were written by individual writers who work for this site the promoters and distributor of the top rated brands.

[1] This website is owned and operated by Qvngroup LLC, which has direct affiliation and/or owner of brands such as USCare Nutrition, PureNature Plus and Gives.