How to choose the best probiotics for your needs

When choosing the best probiotics for your needs, there are a lot of things you need to consider. You will find a lot of brands on the market with different ingredients and everything from powders to liquids to pills. Take a few moments to learn how to choose the best options and you will benefit from the right probiotics.

Make sure they are safe

For most individuals in good health, professionals say probiotics will not cause any problems. If you get side effects, they will be mild. But be careful if you have serious conditions or your immune system is weak. In such cases, it is best to check with your physician first to see if they are safe. You should also talk to your doctor before giving any form of probiotics to your infant.

Aim for quality

Probiotics come in supplement form – just like herbs and vitamins. The FDA doesn’t check them for health claims made by the manufacturer the way they do for drugs. This makes it more important to go by a trustworthy brand. Studies show that five out of nineteen probiotics have lower counts of bacteria than what is listed on the label. In some cases, some probiotics have other bacteria besides what is listed on the label.

You should therefore ask your doctor for suggestions. Do your research to see the best probiotics for health to choose from. Whilst you are at it, you should look for studies that back up claims made by the manufacturer of the probiotics.

Go for the right type

Bacteria have three names: strain, species and genus. When the bifidobacterium is genius, you will see “bifidobacterium longum W11.” In this case, W11 is the strain and longum is the species. You need the three names to get it right. This is very important because when researchers do their work to determine how well probiotics work, they use specific types of probiotics. When you are choosing the right probiotics, you should ensure all three names are the ones you are looking for. Just the same species and genus will not work.

Count the CFUs

The CFUs or the colony-forming units tell you how much bacteria you are getting from each dose. The quantity needed varies with what you want to treat and the different types of probiotics. There is no rule to follow here. Most doses range from 1 CFU to 10 billion CFUs. If you do not get enough CFUs, you may not achieve what you want. More is not always better. It could be a waste of money. You should ask your doctor to find out what you need.

Read the label

If you want to find the best probiotics, you should read the label. The label will tell you about the CFU and the strains. Remember, that is not all you need to know. You should also look for dose. This will let you know how much you need to take. Check the CFU in each dose and compare it with what research suggests you need.