How Do I Decide Which Probiotic To Use?
When considering which nutritional products are right or best for you, remember that different products work for different individuals, and this is especially true for probiotics.
As we have said many times, the content of a person's microbiome, (i.e. the bacteria in and on their body...mostly in the gut), is like a fingerprint. Yes, there can be a lot of similarities and overlaps, but no two are exactly the same.
How many friendly microorganisms make up our microbiome?
When you swallow a probiotic supplement, the fact is you are adding such a relatively small amount of beneficial bacteria to such a massive mixture of bacteria, yeasts, food, toxins etc., that it is like adding a pinch of sand to a 5 litre pail.
Even if you take a capsule containing 100 billion CFUs (colony-forming units), you are adding it, on average, to approximately 40 trillion existing bugs, the population of which is now 40.1 trillion, (until you go to the bathroom!) [1]
So it is the characteristics, quality, and potency of the probiotics that matter. And even if a product says it is for a specific purpose, (eg. mood), finding out what works for you is going to involve some trial and error.
However, you can improve your chances of getting it right the first time.
"Going With The Odds"
There are some probiotics that have high response rates and are well-researched. This doesn't mean they work 100% of the time, but out of 10 people using a product, if 7-8 of them notice a positive difference when they are using the product correctly, we consider this a high response rate.
This is how we chose our Opti-Elite Probiotics, which I have been using and recommending since the early 1990's - because it worked. For me and for a very, very high percentage of my clients.
What make Opti-Elite Probiotics different?
Not only is the human strain DDS-1 acidophilus the most researched, having been on the market for over thirty years, but along with the Bifidobacterium strains it contains, it has been shown to be highly anti-inflammatory. For example the DDS-1 strain has been approved to make claims for helping IBS.(See our prior article: Health Canada authorizes claims for DDS-1 Probiotic strain found in Opti-Elite Probiotics).
DDS-1 acidophilus has also been shown to colonize the gut effectively. [2] Once established it then reproduces on its own. So you get your own little bug colonies going.
Why do probiotics address so many wellness issues?
Remember that the gut is the seat of inflammation in the body. This means that if or when inflammation is initiated, the gut is the most likely starting point due to immune responses which occur there. (Having the most immune tissue and surveillance in the gut makes perfect sense as you are exposed to so much foreign matter on an ongoing basis with the food you eat.) And given that inflammation is involved, or outright causes virtually all the health problems we are dealing with in the 21st century, making sure your levels are balanced and under control is one of the best things you can do for your health, period!
Inflammation spreads very much like a fire. It might be contained and useful...or it might not. By calming or upsetting the immune system via the gastrointestinal tract of the small and/or large intestine, (i.e. the gut), through this "spreading effect" you can positively or negatively affect inflammatory processes virtually anywhere in the body.
Given that our Opti-Elite Probiotics were the most anti-inflammatory probiotics I could find by a long-shot, when we finally had the opportunity to add the product to our own Optimum Health line in 2017, we jumped at the chance! Over the years we have found it to be the most effective for:
- The overall maintenance of good health
- Addressing digestive disturbances like gas, bloating, and constipation
- Alleviating allergic reactions and histamine-related food intolerances
- Treating Candida Albicans - the pathogenic overgrowth of yeast throughout the body
- reducing inflammation in the gut!
Gut Health is where it's at!
There will be a lot more on this to come this month, including how gut health, probiotics, and other immune issues can affect anxiety.
Until next time,
Be Well!
John
References