How to Read a Probiotic Label like a Functional Nutritionist
1. SERVING SIZE
indicates standard dosage, adjust as needed:
decrease if slowly introducing
increase to reach therapeutic dose of 1 billion (1x10^9) CFUs per strain
2. PERCENT DAILY VALUE
not established for probiotic supplements
3. PROBIOTIC AMOUNT
should be listed in CFUs (colony-forming units), with at least 1 billion (1x10^9) CFUs per strain
*to consume a therapeutic dose of each strain in this formulation, you would need to take 1 capsule for the first 4 strains, 2 capsules for B. lactis, and 1000 capsules for the remaining 4 strains
4. BLENDS OF PROBIOTICS
often listed, which is acceptable as long as individual strains AND amounts of each strain are specified (a generic “probiotic blend” is a red flag)
5. PROBIOTIC STRAINS
need to have letters and/or numbers behind the Genus species name
*without the strain information, we do not know if this is the clinically studied CNCM I-745 strain OR simple baker’s yeast (both are Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
Which probiotic strains should I look for?
If supplementing to support a specific condition or goal, seek a formulation containing strain(s) with clinical research to show strain-specific benefit.
If consuming for general health, find a diverse formulation with multiple strains AND prebiotics.
6. PREBIOTICS
often included to make a synbiotic (look for FOS, GOS, inulin, Jerusalem artichoke, guar gum, etc)
7. ADDITIONAL HERBS & NUTRIENTS
may be added by supplement manufacturers
8. OTHER INGREDIENTS
should be as minimal as possible
ADDITIONAL PROBIOTIC CONSIDERATIONS
third-party verification
indicates reputable supplier
refrigeration
not necessarily an indicator of quality, usually to preserve CFU counts
timing
consume with food to improve upper GI viability
if taking antibiotics
consume probiotic concurrently
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References
Probiotics. National Institutes of Health. Fact Sheets. Retrieved from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional/#h16h16
Jones, D. S., Bland, J. S., & Quinn, S. (2010). Textbook of Functional Medicine. Institute for Functional Medicine.Gaby, A. R. (2017). Nutritional Medicine (2nd ed.). Fritz Perlberg Publishing.Mailing, L. The Ultimate Quick Start Guide to the Microbiome. Retreived from: https://www.lucymailing.com/the-ultimate-quick-start-guide-to-the-gut-microbiome/
Davani-Davari, D., et al (2019). Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 8(3), 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8030092
McDonald, D., Hyde, E., Debelius, J. W., Morton, J. T., Gonzalez, A., Ackermann, G., Aksenov, A. A., Behsaz, B., Brennan, C., Chen, Y., DeRight Goldasich, L., Dorrestein, P. C., Dunn, R. R., Fahimipour, A. K., Gaffney, J., Gilbert, J. A., Gogul, G., Green, J. L., Hugenholtz, P., Humphrey, G., … Knight, R. (2018). American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research. mSystems, 3(3), e00031-18. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSystems.00031-18 Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29795809/