Linda is our resident health and nutrition expert who recently retired from a 14-year career in biomedical sciences to pursue writing and researching natural health and wellness. In her free time, Linda enjoys spending time with her community gardening club and harvesting her own vegetables and flowers.
Believe it or not, not all bacteria is bad. Our bodies are made up of both good and bad bacteria, and collectively, they form a very delicate microbiome that keeps our bodies running smoothly. Probiotics are the “good” bacteria that live in our bodies and help our bodies maintain a healthy balance1.
Our bodies are made up of about 39 trillion bacteria, and together, they help to protect our bodies and keep our gut healthy. Most of this bacteria lives in our gut and helps to expel bad bacteria, break down fibre, and produce vitamins like B12 and K2.
Research has determined that as much as 70% of our immune health lies in our gut, which is why maintaining our gastrointestinal health is essential for overall wellness3. However, our body’s gut flora is a delicate microbiome that is easily disrupted.
Sometimes our bodies’ balance may be thrown off by an increase in bad bacteria due to a number of environmental factors or lifestyle choices, for example pollution and unhealthy foods. One of the easiest and most effective ways to restore this balance is by taking a probiotic supplement.
Due to their many benefits, probiotics have become some of the most popular supplements in the world. Studies have shown that probiotics can improve immune health and help prevent numerous health conditions, including diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, symptoms of Crohn's disease and more4. Gut health plays a bigger part in your life than most people think.
Below, we will explore how probiotics work, how you can benefit by taking them, and which are the best probiotic supplements available on the market.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are simply the good bacteria that lives in our bodies. Typically, our bodies take a few of these good bacteria to reestablish a healthy gut and a neutral microbiome. Yet, sometimes when these reserves of good bacteria get emptied, we end up with too many harmful bacteria, and the balance of our microbiome is thrown off5.
When the bad bacteria overtakes the good bacteria in our bodies, our gut health and immune system become compromised. This makes us more prone to developing a number of health issues, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), urinary tract infections, colitis, high cholesterol, and more6,7.
The job of probiotics is to counteract the bad bacteria that enters our bodies by boosting the number of good bacteria in our gut, helping us stay neutral and healthy.
The effectiveness of probiotics lies within the different strains of bacteria. The varying strains of probiotics have vastly different impacts on your health, and some of them have more health benefits than others8. The most popular and effective strains of good bacteria are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium.
Several studies suggest that the best way to restore your body’s gut flora and boost your immune system is by taking a quality probiotic supplement every day9.
Choosing the right gut health supplement
With so much choice on the market, finding the right probiotic supplement can be challenging. We’ve done extensive research to determine what criteria you should look for when choosing your probiotic supplement.
Finding a quality probiotic supplement starts with choosing one that contains the best probiotic strains. When buying your supplement, you should seek one that has strains of both Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Not only are they two of the most researched species, but different strains of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus also offer extensive health benefits, including:
Bifidobacterium:
- Supports digestion and alleviates symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases
- Helps to heal certain intestinal infections
- Prevents you from catching the flu and common cold
- Supports respiratory and heart health
- Improves lactose digestion10
Lactobacillus:
- Improves lactose digestion
- Prevents you from catching the flu and common cold
- Supports digestion and alleviates symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases
- Promotes healthy weight management
- Supports women’s health, such as preventing yeast infections and urinary tract infections11.
There are numerous probiotic supplements you can take for gut health, however, the only real way to reap the benefits from them is to choose the right one. Keep reading to see our picks for the top 5 best probiotics on the market.
What should I look for?
Considering all of the attributes listed above, we’ve compiled a list of the three essential criteria you should look for when choosing your turmeric curcumin supplement.
The probiotic supplement you choose should have at least two strains. As mentioned above, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are two of the most effective probiotic species found in probiotic supplements. Moreover, research has shown that they are both highly beneficial for immune and gut health. Both of these species have several strains that are clinically proven to help with digestion and immunity.
It goes without saying, but it’s essential that the supplement you take contains strains that are clinically-studied. There are hundreds of probiotic strains, but not all of them work. Make sure the supplement you buy has strains that have proven to be beneficial.
Numerous studies have shown that most people feel the benefits of probiotic supplements when they take a capsule that contains between 1 and 10 billion CFU (colony forming units).
CFU simply refers to the number of live microorganisms that are found in each dose of your probiotic supplement12.
When purchasing a probiotics supplement, choose one that has between 5 and 10 billion CFUs and contains quality strains.
Look for a product that offers a money-back guarantee on all purchases. Offering a money-back guarantee is a sign that a company is confident in the quality of the products they are providing.
What should I avoid?
Labels with too many strains and high CFU count
As we established previously, not all probiotics strains have been deemed effective by researchers. Just because the label on a supplement says there are a dozen strains, it doesn’t make the product more effective. A product with 7 quality probiotics strains will deliver better results than a product with 12 strains that have fewer benefits13.
The same can be said about the number of CFU on a label. According to the National Institute of Health, higher CFU counts in products do not translate to greater health benefits. Again, the type of microorganisms a product contains matter more than the number of microorganisms it contains.
Beware of online reviews (especially on Amazon)
Before purchasing any product, one of the first things we do when researching it is check its online reviews. Unfortunately, these are not always a trustworthy way to measure the quality and effectiveness of a product. Companies often pay for reviews on popular online retailers, like Amazon, to try and trick their way to a five star rating. While you should definitely consult these reviews before purchasing, do your own research as well.
How we evaluated the top 5
Over the last few years, the demand for probiotic supplements has surged as scientists and researchers continue to discover their many health benefits. While this means you have many options to consider when choosing your supplement, it can also be difficult to narrow down which ones will deliver the best results.
We researched the top rated probiotics on the internet to find the best ones available on the market and evaluated them based on product quality, customer service, and pricing.
Here are our top 5 gut health supplement picks for 2020.
