How To Choose The Best Probiotic Supplement

By Author: Bishop Chanakira
Total Articles: 54
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Many people claim that because their parents lived to the ripe old ages of 70s and more, it is possible for them to do the same without resorting to health supplements like probiotics. That is of course possible, if they live in islands or country farms away from the pollution in the urban areas, and their diets consist entirely of natural and organic foods without residues of pesticides and chemical fertilizer to upset their digestive process. Without these factors in place, it is very unlikely that an age at 70 or above will be reached. There are many studies available on the web that acknowledge this problem.

Gaining and maintaining health is never an easy or simple task and cannot be done simply by taking medicine and the many cures for diseases. It means actively pursuing a lifestyle that promoted health such as exercising and eating healthy foods. But because not everyone can grow the food he needs all the time, it can be right that he rectify the imbalance the best he can. Taking probiotic supplements is one of these ways.

However, as in many other products, probiotic supplements vary in many aspects ...
... like content, type, and effectiveness. Even those advertised are not all what they say they are; there are low quality probiotics products masquerading as true probiotic supplements which can make it hard to determine them from the quality products. Following are some yardsticks to measure each supplement:

A good probiotic supplement must:
1. Have bacteria that belong to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families, the only ones resilient enough to survive the gauntlet of stomach acids and digestive juices and reach the small intestine where they do their work
2. Contain at least three strains of the Lactobacillus bacteria for maximum benefit
3. Have at least TEN MILLION live and active bacteria in a single dosage
4. Include nutrients for the bacteria in the dose, (in case your intestine lacks them) to allow the bacteria to flourish at least in the initial stages
5. Be made from vegetable sources
6. Certified as truly organic by reputable appropriate certifying bodies
7. In stable packaging so the bacteria will not perish during its transit from laboratory or factory to the drugstore shelf; and
8. Should generate at least a feeling of improvement in you after a reasonable amount has been taken. Otherwise change brands.

Because the main objective of taking probiotics supplements is to populate the intestines with beneficial microflora to the correct balance, the supplement should have enough numbers of live, active bacteria that will reproduce quickly to be of any effect. Dead bacteria or weak bacteria strains, although of correct number are no good, and so are very few strong bacteria: they can get overwhelmed.

But because there is no way one can count bacteria in a capsule, say, there is hardly any fail-safe method of determining which probiotic supplement is the right one for you other than trial and error. The best way under such circumstances is to do some of your own research to determine your needs and then check labels, plus anecdotal testimonials from trusted friends and doctors. Then add a lot of faith once you select which probiotic supplement to take.
The Lactobacillus acidophilus is an extremely beneficial bacteria for our digestive system. Fortunately, we are now able to supplement them into our diets using Probiotic Supplements.