Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that help keep your digestive system healthy. The colony of microorganisms in the body is essential in maintaining physiological processes, most notably the conversion of food to essential nutrients and transport of nutrients in the body.
 
Before we delve into sources of probiotics and their associated health benefits, let’s understand what they are, how they function, and the mechanism in which they influence other functions in the body. 
 
You will find that you can improve your gut’s bacterial ecosystem (a.k.a. gastrointestinal microbiome) by eating fibrous plant foods, complex carbohydrates, fermented food, and taking probiotic dietary supplements.   
 
Probiotics are “good” bacteria that:
  • Supports healthy gut function and digestive health†
  • Supports healthy immune system function and a healthy GI tract†
  • Supports normal microflora in the gut and normal digestion†
They have metabolic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties crucial in maintaining holistic wellness. Gut microbiome converts food to essential nutrients which are vital in all body functions. Probiotics also attach to the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and improve gut immune system capabilities.

The popularity of probiotic has led to hundreds of brands flooding the marketplace; however not all supplements are created equal! Unfortunately, more than 90% of probiotics supplements in the market simply DON’T WORK!

We understand the challenges in finding the right supplement for your health needs. That’s why we gathered years of research and made this guide to help you find the top-rated formulas that work for you.

Which Probiotic Supplement is Right for You?

When gut microbiome is thrown out of balance by a combination of factors including age, diet, environment, genes, and medication, the body’s overall health declines. Sometimes probiotics from ingested food are not enough to support and maintain the body. For those with an imbalanced gut ecosystem, probiotic supplements provide an excellent source of beneficial bacteria to promote holistic wellness.

There are numerous different probiotics brands, our result show the majority of products don’t live up to their claims. That’s because most probiotic supplements can be destroyed by stomach acid before they even get to the digestive tract.

5 things To Consider When Buying Probiotics

  1. Contain Soil-Based Probiotics and Be Shelf-Stable: Make sure your probiotic supplement has soil-based probiotics and is shelf-stable, meaning it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Ideally you want your probiotic to have a shelf-life of 2 years.†
  2. High CFU Count: Choose a probiotic brand that has a higher number of probiotics, from at least 40 billion to 75 billion per serving. Latest studies have found the best probiotics contain 51 Billion CFUs and 18 different strains.
  3. Strain Diversity: Select a probiotic supplement that has at least 15 or more probiotic strains, such as Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus thermophilus strains.
  4. Survivability: Look for formulas that are in delayed release capsules such as DRcaps that protects the probiotics from stomach acid; or at least have MAKTrek in their formula.
  5. Prebiotics: To support the growth of probiotics once they get into your system, it is essential that prebiotics are also included in the formula.

Things To Be Cautious About

Has your brand been third-party tested? You should never buy supplements that don’t have Certificate of Analysis. The studies should be conducted in labs that are not affiliated with the manufacturer. These labs verify the product for safety and potency.

Does your supplement contain cheap synthetic fillers? Some brands add artificial fillers to cut cost to offer cheap products. Some of these cheap fillers we found were titanium dioxide and artificial coloring. You should never purchase cheap products when it comes to supplements.

No return policy or customer service – A reputable supplement company will offer 100% money-back guarantee policy and provide customer support through phone number and email. We noticed many formulas out there are just copies of the top-rated brands. They don’t offer an easy refund policy or don’t even have a phone number to prove they are real.

Top 5 Probiotic Supplements

The Result: we tested over 100+ Probiotic Supplements in the market. We did extensive research on top brands, examined consumer’s reviews and surveyed over 72,168 customers and complied a list of top 5 formulas based on effectiveness, safety, pricing, return policy, and overall customer satisfaction.

#1 Gives Wholesome Probiotics

  • Essential Ingredients 97% 97%
  • Label Accuracy 98% 98%
  • Potential Results 98% 98%
  • Overall Score 97% 97%

Consumers have voted Gives Wholesome Probiotics as their number #1 daily probiotic supplement. It is one of the most potent formulas on the market. Wholesome Probiotics has 51 billion live cultures, 18 robust and clinically studied strains, NutraFlora prebiotic fiber, with no synthetic fillers or additives and vegan friendly.

Wholesome Probiotics is one of few doctor formulated probiotics on the market with DRcaps™ delivery system to help protect your ingredients from stomach acid. It does NOT require refrigeration and has 2 years shelf life (most other brands have 1 year or less). We highly recommend this formula. 

Directions: 1 capsule per day

  • Supports healthy gut function and digestive health†
  • Supports healthy immune system function and a healthy GI tract†
  • Supports normal microflora in the gut†

The quality of this formula has been confirmed using a third-party independent laboratory that ensures its label accuracy, high quality and consistency of each batch.

#2 PureNature Probio40

  • Essential Ingredients 97% 97%
  • Label Accuracy 98% 98%
  • Potential Results 98% 98%
  • Overall Score 97% 97%

Probio40 contains 40 Billions CFUs, no cheap filler, no binders and no artificial colors. All purchases from PureNature is backed by a 365 day Risk Free 100% Money Back Guarantee. Made in the USA with all-natural, fast dissolving veggie capsule and are made in an FDA registered laboratory that is cGMP certified and 3rd Party Tested.

Contains All Essential Probiotics Strains With MAKTrek 3-D Probiotic Delivery System
Verified: Non-refrigeration probiotics.

The quality of this formula has been confirmed using a third-party independent laboratory that ensures its label accuracy, high quality and consistency of each batch.

#3 Ultimate Flora 50 Billion

  • Essential Ingredients 95% 95%
  • Label Accuracy 94% 94%
  • Potential Results 97% 97%
  • Overall Score 96% 96%

Ultimate Flora came in 3nd place in our survey. It’s no wonder because Ultimate Flora is a great product with 50 Billions CFUs which is in the range of the recommended dosage. It also has 12 robust strains but lacks prebiotics and delivery system.

Another complain some customers had was that Renew Life Ultimate Flora only offers a 60 days return policy.

The quality of this formula has been confirmed using a third-party independent laboratory that ensures its label accuracy, high quality and consistency of each batch.

#4 MegaFood MegaFlora

  • Essential Ingredients 92% 92%
  • Label Accuracy 94% 94%
  • Potential Results 97% 97%
  • Overall Score 94% 94%

MegaFlora comes in 60 capsules per bottle. It is backed by many happy customers, although some people complain about the amount CFUs per capsules. There are only 10 Billion CFUs per capsule which is inconvenient for some people who like to have the recommneded dosage of 50 Billion CFUs per day.

One thing the customers don’t like about MegaFlora is their return policy which is only 30 days, depending which retail you purchase them from.

The quality of this formula has been confirmed using a third-party independent laboratory that ensures its label accuracy, high quality and consistency of each batch.

#5 Nature’s Way Fortify

  • Essential Ingredients 92% 92%
  • Label Accuracy 93% 93%
  • Potential Results 95% 95%
  • Overall Score 92% 92%

Nature’s Way Fortify contain a good dosage of CFU’s per capsule, however each packet only contains 30 capsules which is inconvenient. There are varied reports from users about how effective Fortify actually is. While some report a perceived positive impact after many months of use, others have found either no effect at all. As the number of complaints grows it does cast a long shadow over how effective this supplement might be. It seems like many people take 1 capsule a day and are not seeing great results from this product.

The quality of this formula has been confirmed using a third-party independent laboratory that ensures its label accuracy, high quality and consistency of each batch.

Essential Ingredients: we check every products ingredients list for safety and dosage amount in comparison to published research studies.

Potential Results: we consider the dosage and essential ingredients in each label and then compare them to published studies to measure their potential effectiveness.

Return Policy: we check the products’ return procedure and policy and make sure top brands offer a hassle-free refund.

Overall Score: we take essential ingredients, potential results and return policy scores and rank the top 5 brands based on their average score.

 

#1 Gives Wholesome Probiotics

  • Essential Ingredients 100% 100%
  • Label Accuracy 100% 100%
  • Potential Results 99% 99%
  • Overall Score 99% 99%

Consumers have voted Gives Wholesome Probiotics as their number #1 daily probiotic supplement. It is one of the most potent formulas on the market. Wholesome Probiotics has 51 billion live cultures, 18 robust and clinically studied strains, NutraFlora prebiotic fiber, with no synthetic fillers or additives and vegan friendly.

Wholesome Probiotics is one of few doctor formulated probiotics on the market with DRcaps™ delivery system to help protect your ingredients from stomach acid. It does NOT require refrigeration and has 2 years shelf life (most other brands have 1 year or less). We highly recommend this formula. 

The quality of this formula has been confirmed using a third-party independent laboratory that ensures its label accuracy, high quality and consistency of each batch.

Sources

There are numerous scientific papers on the benefits of collagen. We have compiled some of the literature for your convenience.

Sources and Citation:

Section 22.3 Collagen: The Fibrous Proteins of the Matrix https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21582/

Oral Intake of Specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides Reduces Skin Wrinkles and Increases Dermal Matrix Synthesis https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259628887_Oral_Intake_of_Specific_Bioactive_Collagen_Peptides_Reduces_Skin_Wrinkles_and_Increases_Dermal_Matrix_Synthesis

Effects of a nutritional supplement containing collagen peptides on skin elasticity, hydration and wrinkles http://www.jmnn.org/article.asp?issn=2278-1870;year=2015;volume=4;issue=1;spage=47;epage=53;aulast=Borumand

Skin anti-aging strategies https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583892/

Collagen supplementation as a complementary therapy for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis: a systematic review http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rbgg/v19n1/1809-9823-rbgg-19-01-00153.pdf

Role of collagen hydrolysate in bone and joint disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11071580

*This is a subjective assessment based on the strength of the available information and our independent research and customer feedback.
**Results may vary based on individual.
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