Best Probiotics for Gut Health, According to a Dietitian

The Research

Introduction
About
Probiotic Benefits
What To Look For
Best Probiotics
What to Avoid When Buying
Common Mistakes
Dieticians Recommend
Ingredients
Dos and Don’ts
Best Probiotic Supplements
FAQs
Final Thought

Introduction

Feeling gassy, bloated, or have loose stools after taking antibiotics? This could be a sign you may benefit from taking probiotics. When the digestive system is not working right, it affects many areas of your health and quality of life.

Digestive disorders like chronic constipation, IBS, and other gastrointestinal diseases can have negative impacts on your emotions as well. A study published in the National Library of Medicine ^[1] found that individuals with digestive issues are also at higher risk for emotional problems such as the ones listed below.

Major depression
Dysthymic
Suicidal ideas
Hypomania
Panic attack
Agoraphobia
Social phobia
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder.

The correlation between your digestive system and how your body works together does not even consider how it affects your physical health.

What are Probiotics?

According to the ISRN Nutr study, probiotics are live microorganisms with health benefits. These are found most frequently in fermented foods such as yogurts, dietary supplements, and beauty products.^[2]

Registered Dietitian Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LDN, CLEC, CPT, by her own practice says “It is important for an individual to make sure that any probiotics that you buy contains the strains your body needs and in the right quantities”

Most people believe that bacteria are harmful and our bodies are supposed to kill them off. There are also types of bacteria found in our body that are healthy and allows our body to function optimally. Bacteria found in probiotics help us digest our food and help with the digestive system.

According to Manaker, probiotic supplements needs to be third-party verified to make sure that you are getting all the necessary strains that you’re looking for.

Probiotics exist as many microorganisms, stimulating the growth of healthy bacteria, help to discourage harmful growth, reducing inflation in the gut, and modulating the immune system. Once the beneficial bacteria enters your body, it travels to your stomach then enters your digestive tract. Once there, they will start breaking down, helping healthy bacteria grow in your lower and upper intestines.

Best Probiotics Supplements – Image/Wellness Digest

What are Probiotic Supplements Health Benefits?

There are a vast number of benefits when you take probiotics. Health digestive systems are well balanced. The gut can be easily thrown off balance for many reasons. Some reasons include illnesses, prolonged use of antibiotics, or even higher ratios of harmful bacteria. A study publishes in the National Library of Medicine published an article supporting probiotics help bring your digestive tract back to a healthy balance.

To get the best probiotic benefits, some people recommend taking probiotics and prebiotics together, also known as synbiotics. Synbiotics is defined as the way probiotics and prebiotics work together in your digestive tract. An article published in the National Library of Medicine ^[3]
stated that studies have shown that when they are taken together, they maximize the positive effects. Although there has been quite a bit of research on probiotics in humans, more research is needed to determine how well probiotics work in conjunction with prebiotics.

How to choose a Probiotic Supplement?

Selecting a probiotic supplement might be difficult, but there are a few crucial elements to consider before buying supplement that can assist you in picking the right one:

Soil-based organisms

“Does Soil Contribute to the Human Gut Microbe?” An article published in the National Library of Medicine found that soil-based microbiota influxes the quality and storage of good bacteria in our digestive system. With our lifestyle and environmental changes, we do not get the same quality of probiotics from the soil that our parents and grandparents did growing up. People who live in cities might be consuming even less essential nutrients and minerals as well.

Soil-based probiotics are naturally found in soil and naturally flowing water you find in wells and streams. Now that our food goes through food processing and sterilizing techniques, the soil-based organisms can be largely reduced when we consume them. This is why soil-based ingredients are essential when choosing a supplement.

Bacillus coagulans, also known as B. coagulans, produce lactic acid, which supports digestive health.
Bacillus Subtilis reduces inflammation, helps reduce fat deposits, and restores your bowel regularity.
Bacillus calusii helps to change nitrate contained in the soil to nitrite. This is important because nitrate is more stable and can be converted back to nitrate when oxygen is needed. This bacteria helps reduce nasal congestion and reduces the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine.

Many Bacillus strains are found in the soil that helps regulate the digestive tract and benefit health in other ways. You can learn more about the different strains in the article titled Identification of Bacillus species: Implication on the quality of probiotic formulations—a peer-reviewed research article published in PLOS ONE.

Length of shelf Life

Expired probiotics: What is really in your cabinet? An article published in the Oxford Academic answers the question of how well-expired probiotics work. They did this by evaluating 33 expired products to see if the microbial cell viability went below the recommended dose. While some still worked, they were way lower than what is recommended for the probiotic to function.

Shelf stability is basically how long the bacteria in the probiotic continue to have the desired effect. There are ways that companies have found to lengthen the life stability, such as adding spore-forming bacteria to them. These types of bacteria are stable at room temperature and don’t have to be refrigerated. Another way to help extend the expiration date is by putting extra amounts of bacteria into the supplements to help them survive.

Bacteria are sensitive to heat, oxygen, light and water. Companies use these methods to extend shelf life:

Packaging
Temperature stability
Increasing CFU numbers
Testing to determine how temperature affects the potency

Content of CFU

CFUs (colony forming units), are the number of live and active microorganisms in each serving. According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, CFUs (colony forming units) is the number of viable cells. This is what is written on the label. They can hold up to 50 billion strains or as little as 10 billion. An interesting fact is that while the numbers are significant, they do not always report the product’s benefits. The manufacturers have to indicate the number of viable cells, but the number of CFUs on the label consists of both alive and dead. To be effective, the bacteria have to be taken while still alive.

Different Types of Strains in the Probiotic
Make sure the supplement you chose has at a minimum of ten different types of strains. Below is a list of the seven most essential ingredients that they must include. It needs to be stressed that these strains can go by different names, so look up any component you’re unsure of.

The main seven strains that should be included in the probiotic dietary supplement you are considering are

Lactobacillus
Bifidobacterium
Saccharomyces
Streptococcus
Enterococcus
Escherichia
Bacillus

What to Avoid When Buying Probiotic Supplements

When taken correctly, probiotic pills can make a huge difference in your health. The keyword here is correct. When buying supplements, there are some things you need to consider. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time and money.

Pass on the veggie capsules
This may sound odd because you hear the word vegetable and automatically think good. Want to know why this isn’t the best choice? Your stomach is highly acidic, resulting in vegetable capsules to break down quickly. When this happens, the healthy bacteria are broken down there, never reaching your intestines.

Make sure the probiotic doesn’t contain harmful contaminants or allergens
Hard to believe, but some supplements may contain harmful ingredients such as food colorings, preservatives, and sweeteners. Preservatives are often added to extend the shelf life of the probiotic, although upping the amount of CFUs can do the same thing. Artificial colorings and sweeteners can help make the supplants more flavorful and taste better.

Common Mistakes People Make When Taking Probiotic Supplements

Not following instructions to refrigerate.
Not being consistent for over a month to see desired benefits.
Low dose or not following the dosage directions.
Choosing the wrong strain for your needs.
Take multiple probiotic supplements.
Putting probiotics in a pillbox. Probiotics degrade quicker than other medications, especially when exposed to air, moisture, light, and temperature changes.
Taking expired supplements.
Not eating a well-balanced diet. Healthy choices with whole fruits and vegetables help feed good bacteria to proliferate and grow.

Summary of Our Best Picks

Best Weight Loss Probiotic – Nucific Bio X4
Best Probiotic Supplement – VitaPost Probiotic Support
Best Overall – ActivatedYou Advanced Restorative Probiotic
Best Affordable – 1MD Complete Probiotics Platinum
Best for Weight Management – Multi-GI 5
Best Polyphenol Rich Green Superfood – Gundry MD Primal Plant
Best for Weight Loss – Gundry MD Bio Complete 3
Best Pre- and Probiotic – 1MD Nutrition BiomeMD
Best for Diarrhea – 1MD Nutrition BalanceMD
Best for Digestive Health – Probiotic America Perfect Biotics
Best for Smoother Digestion – Nucific Probiotic Complex
Best for Well-Balanced Gut – Yourbiology Gut+
Best Probiotic for Women – Garden of Life Once Daily Women’s
Best Gummy Probiotic – Olly Probiotic Gummy
Best Vegetarian Probiotc – Renew Life Ultimate Flora Probiotic Extra Care Go-Pack
Best Probiotic for Immunity – Florastor Daily Probiotic Supplement
Best For Healthy Gut – HUM Nutrition Gut Instinct
Best Probiotic for Gas, and Bloating – Culturelle Daily Probiotic

How We Picked Probiotics Supplements?

To compile this list, our team of editors, contributors and healthcare experts spent hours reviewing the top products available in this category and assessing their significant factors, such as ingredients, product facts, and price range. We evaluated the article by Andrew Ossa, RD, CDNC, a well-known Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist in United States. Articles are examined for medical correctness by medical specialists, and Customer feedback and other reliable sources are also considered. Additionally, our staff members included their testimonies of trying out things in real life. Finally, every item on our list has been examined to ensure that it complies with Wellness Digest’s business and medical requirements.

To locate the best probiotics on the market, we have also done our own research with our team and tested a few items before reviewing each one based on online reviews. Check out the below product review summary of the best probiotics for gut health supplements of 2024.

Dietitian Recommended Probiotics

1. Nucific Bio X4

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Review Summary

Nucific Bio-X4 is a 4-in-1 probiotic supplement. Each capsule contains a nutrient blend that promotes digestive system balance, suppresses food cravings, promotes metabolism, and encourages healthy weight loss. Nucific Bio-X4 is containing solely organic components and no harmful additives or fillers.

Pros

Can help improve your digestive health.
Boosts metabolism and supports healthy weight loss.
Strengthen the immune system.

Cons

The outcomes will differ depending on the user.
Some customers may find it difficult to take 3 capsules per day.

Highlights

Contains 100% organic ingredients.
Gluten-free, allergen-free capsules.
GMP-certified facility.
Manufactured in the USA.

About the Brand

Bio X4 is manufactured by the Nucific Company in collaboration with Dr. Amy Lee. She is a member of the American Board of Obesity Medicine as well as the National Board of Physician Nutrition and Specialists.

Nucific provides a wide range of supplements to aid with a variety of health goals, including digestive health, weight management, and immune support. All products are third-party tested, gluten-free, and allergen-free.

Key Facts

Best For Improves Digestive Health, Energy, Immune Support, Promotes Weight Loss, Boosts Metabolism

Ingredients Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, Amylase, Bifidobacterium Lactis, Green Tea Extract, and More

Price $49.00

Form Capsule.

Dosage 1 Capsule with Each Meal

Company Nucific

Refund Policy 90 Days