What the Manufacturers of Probiotics May Not Want You to Know

Each day you probably see a TV commercials that tout the benefits of adding probiotics or a friendly bacteria to your daily regime. The benefits of probitics range from improving the immune health by crowding out the bad bacteria as well benefiting  your digestive health.  Even one study from Standford showed that probiotics were even  helpful with weight loss for people who had gastric by-pass.  However, many unsuspecting consumers do not realize that the products they are purchasing to improve their digestion are worthless.

Store shelves are packed with new yogurts with “extra cultures” that promise to make you regular. Some companies make special “probiotic beads” that will stop gas and eliminate lactose intolerance. Perhaps you’ve even tried some of these products yourself.
Unfortunately, many probiotic supplements contain the wrong strains of bacteria. Or include strains so weak and ineffective you can’t possibly feel any benefits.

When a consumer watchdog group recently tested 25 popular probiotic products, it found that eight contained less than one percent of the live bacteria advertised on the label. And 3 out of 4 liquid probiotic supplements failed to deliver anywhere near the promised amount of good bacteria needed to make a real difference in your digestive health.

So how do you know if a probiotic supplement is worth the money?

• The product should tell you how many the amount of friendly bacteria that will colonize your intestines.    Obviously  the more friendly microorganisms you send to the work site, the more benefits you’ll feel.  Most probiotic supplements contain only 1 to 3 billion  per capsule. That may sound like a lot but isn’t when  you consider that your intestines are home to about 80 trillion then one billion or 2 billion is simply not enough to get good results.

Clinical studies show that five to seven billion is the minimum amount you need to feel any benefits.

• A good  probiotic should include several strains of both lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. Lactobacillus bacteria are lactic acid producing bacteria that work in your small intestine. They help digest the sugar (lactose) and protein (casein) in dairy products, but the lactic acid they produce also kills harmful bacteria

The other important strain is Bifidobacteria live in the large intestine. Members of this genus compete for ‘parking spaces’ along the intestinal wall. When you have enough bifidobacteria in your gut, it’s extremely difficult for pathogenic invaders such as the yeast Candida albicans to do harm. Not only do bifidobacteria produce acetic and lactic acids, they also assist in the absorption of B  vitamins.

We have high levels of bifidobacteria when we’re young, but our levels plummet dramatically as we get older. Low bifidobacteria levels bring on gas, indigestion, and a host of other digestive problems. You may also find that you don’t digest certain foods as well as you once did. That is why it’s important to keep supplementing with a good probiotic everyday.

Taken together, bifidobacteria and lactobacillus closely mimic the intestinal flora found in your own body.

• Your Probiotic Must Pass the Acid Test

The ideal probiotic supplement should contain a variety of ‘live” cultures. In order to be effective, the friendly bacteria must pass through the stomach and arrive alive in your intestinal tract.

Unfortunately, if the manufacturer doesn’t create a good product that go through your stomach acid then the bacteria are d.o.a. (dead on arrival) when it reaches your intestines….then the benefits are completely wasted.

I like Shaklee Optiflora because it  has a triple encapsulation so it is guaranteed to get to the lower colon and is not destroyed by  stomach acid. Optiflora also comes with a prebiotic that  supports the growth of the friendly bacteria in the lower colon. These ingredients are fructooligosaccharides, inulin and Jerusalem artichoke, which selectively feed only the good bacteria.

The recommended dosage for the prebiotic is 1 tsp. I would suggest that you start off with a 1/4 or 1/2….what happens if you start off with too much pre biotic powder (this is mixed in a little water) then you get flatulence…so many will need to work up to the full 1 tsp.

Also please note that the recommended  dose may not be enough if you are on antibiotics, going through chemo, have I.B.S (irritable bowel Syndrome) or have Candida. Some people on chemo or those with candidia and other digestive issues may increase them as much as 5 to 8 a day with a double dose of the Pre biotic.  After these events are over  or under control then the dosage can be adjusted downward.  As you know everyone is different. My daughter even gives this to her 20 month old.

This technology that is used in Optiflora allows the probiotic to withstand shipping and the storing process, while guaranteeing the delivery of 500 million live beneficial microflora to the intestines..a big difference in what it contains and guaranteeing it arrives to the lower colon.

When using the Optiflora product it is important to use the prebiotic with the probiotic in order to get the maximum amount of  friendly bacteria in the lower colon.

A probiotic supplement is great way to bring a health-restoring balance into your life. It eliminates the root cause of digestion problems that can be agony. It patrols your GI tract to defuse toxins and repel invaders. It stimulates your immune system, and can make you feel more refreshed and invigorated than you’ve felt in years — maybe even decades!