What should you be looking for when selecting probiotics?

When you look for a probiotic, there are a lot of products to pick from. Below is a quick summary of things we recommend you to consider when selecting one. 

  • Plant, dairy, and human strains to ensure probiotic activity throughout the GI tract. Human strains can help make a probiotic supplement more effective as it survives in the intestine longer.

  • Look for species and the strains with the specificity number/code. This will tell you the exact bacteria is in a supplement that should be backed by research to have a proven effect. Even though a probiotic species is identified as helping with a condition some of the associated specific strains may not be. Specificity is key!

  • At New Roots Herbal we believe enteric-coated capsules are important. PH5D enteric coating guarantees that the contents of the capsule survive stomach acid and are released only in the intestine. Some strains are more resistant to stomach acid but others will still be affected. We don't want to take that chance.

  • Has the probiotic you are about to purchase gone through disintegration testing? If it hasn’t there is no guarantee that it will reach the right place in the intestine, and hence the therapeutic effect may be lost altogether.

Our Probiotic Guide will help you dig a little deeper into the species and strains, and really assess the specific strains and benefits you are looking for. If you are a health-care professional, create an account or login to view it in our Professional Zone.