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The Best Probiotics For Digestive and Immune System Health
Best Probiotic Supplements | Your Immune System’s Fatal Flaw
The research is in and the unanimous champion for your immune AND digestive system health is…you guessed it, probiotics. The reason being is these hard-working live bacteria are essentially the knight in shining armor to your damsel in immune-gut distress.
With approximately 80% of your immune system located in your upper GI tract, maintaining the balance between good and bad intestine flora just became that much more crucial to your body’s ability to fight infection. And protecting that balance is EXACTLY what probiotics do. You see, a healthy stomach should have a good bacteria bad bacteria ratio of 85%:15% but when that ratio is skewed, that’s when you suffer ailments ranging from indigestion or IBS to even some mental disorders such as depression.
The scary thing is that these life-altering imbalances can happen from hundreds of different causes at no fault of yours. Any time you take an anti-biotic or go through some sort of hormonal change, you risk upsetting the natural balancing act of your intestines. Anti-biotics are great for wiping out infection-causing bacteria, but unfortunately that leaves room for both good and bad to grow back in its stead and they almost never grow back in the perfect 85-15 ratio our body needs.
However, probiotics ensure that that balance never gets out of whack and keeps the bad bacteria in check, which is why experts deem probiotics aren’t just a good idea, but a routine necessity.
Which Probiotics Are Right for You
Probiotics are good for you that much is clear. Now comes the part where you need to choose which product will give you the results you need at the price you want. We’ve compiled together some hot-ticket features, so you can get a better understanding of what exactly you’re looking for in a probiotic supplement. Whether it’s achieving optimal digestive health, clearing up some acne or boosting your immunity to help fight off the H3N3 strain this flu season, there’s a probiotic out there waiting to fight your battles for you. Here are some of those features that earned themselves a “necessity factor” when it comes to purchasing a probiotics supplement for everyday use.
CFU
The truth of the matter is, quality over quantity is what really matters in the case of colony forming units, or live cultures of bacteria. It is also important to recognize why you are taking probiotics so you can narrow down an appropriate culture number for you. For instance, 5-10 million CFU will maintain an already healthy digestive environment while 30-50 billion are recommended for some IBS cases and other specific ailments such as eczema allergies and some respiratory illnesses. Keep in mind, probiotics are not a cure all answer to these ailments, but a supplemental aid. Ultimately in the case of CFU, the higher the number, the higher chance these bacteria have in reaching your intestine.
Probiotic Strains
There are millions of different strains of bacteria however the most beneficial that are frequently promoted among probiotics are bifidobacterium and lactobacillus. The main duty of the Bifidobacterium strain is to ward off against invasive bacteria and other harmful microorganisms while the lactobacillus strain maintains the integrity of the intestinal wall, ensures proper nutrient absorption and pretty much allows the faultless process of your upper GI tract. These two strains of bacteria typically ensure a healthy digestive system, however they are only beneficial to approximately 80% of the population. If you find that these two common strains are not achieving the results you desire, try a probiotic with bacteriodes, a soil-based strain since you might have a specific allergy or need that fits in with the 20% umbrella.
Where to Buy Probiotic Supplements
These days, browsing a wide variety of probiotic supplements means taking a jaunt to your local grocery or vitamin store. However, seeing as this purchase is extremely specific and beneficial to your personal health we recommend doing your research online so as not to waste time inspecting dud products. As your ultimate shopping guide to probiotics, we’ve done that research for you. We’ve listed the top selling products based on specific criteria and listed pros and cons so you can easily choose which product is best for you. Here’s what we found:
Here’s what we found:
Absorb Biotics
Patented Absorption Technology For Up 14.2 times More Powerful Than Average Probiotics.*Start Feeling More Energetic and Less Bloated Today.
- This product has a powerful yet non-invasive blend of 30 billion CFUs & 10 strains that quickly without side effects
- Completely free of any artificial additives, fillers or binders, Absorb Biotics had the purest formula we came across
- Uses Third Party Testing Facility which made a huge difference in purity levels
- Supplier was very communicative via email and had a high response rate with customer questions and inquiries
- Features a 90 Day Risk-Free Guarantee that allows purchasers a 3-month window to get a full refund even if they returned an empty bottle – longest guarantee we’ve seen yet
- Uses FDA-approved and Non-GMO facilities
- Only available to order online
- Frequently on back order
NatureWise Daily Care Time-Release Probiotics
This product has 980 Amazon reviews listed with 83% at 5 stars, 11% at 4 stars, and 3% at 3 stars.
$24.99
Amazon.com - This product features a shelf-stable, no refrigeration needed capsule that makes it easy to travel with
- Completely free of any artificial additives, fillers or binders
- Supplier was very communicative via email and had a high response rate with customer questions and inquiries
- Features a “WiseBiotics” delivery system specifically designed to provide a sustained release of active probiotic cultures throughout your intestines over 8-10 hours for All-Day Benefits
- While the capsule wasn’t “huge” some customers found the capsule difficult to swallow due to its chalkiness and lack of coating
- In some cases, shipping took up to 2 weeks
- Took some time to feel results due to the time-release delivery system
Hyperbiotics PRO-15 Probiotics – 60 Daily Time Release Pearls
With 7,329 reviews on Amazon, this product is showing 69% of reviews rating 5 stars, 11% rating 4 stars and 7% rating 3 stars.
$24.95
$49.95
- PRO-15 comes in a little “pearl” that survives the trip through the stomach fairly intact and breaks down gradually as it travels through the small and large intestine, releasing many different strains of probiotic along the way
- This product can be taken at any time as opposed to on an empty stomach
- Gluten-free, non-GMO, vegetarian
- Very fast shipping, arrived ahead of schedule in many cases
- Must be kept in a freezer/refrigerator otherwise this product loses viability
- The round shape of the “pearl” proved difficult to swallow in many customer cases
Culturelle Daily Probiotic, 60 count Digestive Health Capsules
This product shows 456 amazon reviews with 67% at 5 stars, 18% at 4 stars and 6% at 3 stars.
$30.99
- This probiotic supplement comes in a chewable form, perfect for customers who have difficulty swallowing
- Customers raved about the delicious aftertaste this product left behind
- Doesn’t require refrigeration
- Acid-resistant
- Supplier has an auto refill policy that cycles every 30 days, however with only 24 pills in the bottle customers ran out of pills before they were refilled
- Very potent pill, some customers experienced digestive discomfort even with just imbibing one pill a day
These three products made our buyer’s guide due to the high ratings and customer approval compared to other competitors. However, these are by no means the only options available in the explosive probiotics market and it is important to make sure your probiotic supplement is accomplishing exactly what you want it to.
Hopefully this list jumpstarted a new journey for you and your probiotics supplement purchase, so you can start to experience optimal health for your digestive system, your immunity support and especially your happiness.
