If you’re looking for the best probiotics to get your gut health in order, then this guide from our nutritionist James Dixon sorts the wheat from the chaff. Here’s a full overview of why you need probiotics, how they work, and which probiotic is leading the way to improved gut health.
Maintaining a good microbiome – a healthy balance of gut bacteria, in other words – is incredibly important for your overall well-being. However, it isn’t always easy to do.
Factors like illness, pollution, and poor nutrition can disrupt your microbiome, leading to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria and a deficiency of beneficial bacteria. The consequences for our health can be severe.
Probiotics can help you to overcome this. They are key for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. And, happily, there are some great probiotic supplements out there. They work in large part by counteracting harmful bacteria by bolstering levels of beneficial ones.
Today, I want to take a look at some of the best probiotics going, ultimately choosing a top pick. These products all have proven track records in promoting gut health, and each represents an incredibly valuable ally in your efforts to maintain a robust and thriving immune system, shielding you from a wide range of health complications.
Quick Verdict: Our No.1 Probiotic Supplement
YourBiology Gut+ takes my no.1 spot and for most users will be the best probiotic.
It’s a fantastic option. Its superior ability to deliver the goodness of probiotics undigested and non-degraded sets it apart.
By ensuring the effective transfer of beneficial microorganisms to the gut, YourBiology Gut+ outshines other options. With YourBiology, you can fortify your immune system, enhance digestive health, and protect your overall well-being.
If you’re looking for reliable and effective probiotic support, you can’t do much better. It’s all about that delivery mechanism.
Our top Probiotics
The modern market is rich in probiotic supplements. However, not all are what they’re cracked up to be – not all are worth your time and money. Then again, some of them really are – there are some fantastic options to choose from.
I’ve collected a few of my favorites below. These really are some of the best probiotics available today.
YourBiology
YourBiology is a cutting-edge supplement designed to support your overall health and well-being. With a unique blend of ingredients, YourBiology aims to provide a wide range of benefits that can enhance various aspects of your life.
Firstly, of course, YourBiology includes a potent combination of probiotic strains, including the likes of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum.
These probiotics help maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, promoting optimal digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function – all the benefits listed above, in short. By supporting a diverse and thriving gut microbiome, probiotics in YourBiology contribute to better overall health.
YourBiology also contains prebiotic fibers like inulin and fructooligosaccharides. Prebiotics act as food for probiotics, helping them to thrive in the gut, thus supporting their beneficial effects. By providing a source of fuel for the beneficial bacteria in your gut, the prebiotics in YourBiology help to promote a healthy gut ecosystem and improved digestion.
It is also packed with essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. These nutrients play vital roles in maintaining a strong immune system, promoting bone health, and supporting overall wellbeing, complementing the probiotic formula nicely. With YourBiology, you’ll receive the necessary nutrients to support your body’s daily needs.
YourBiology also incorporates powerful antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium into its formula. Antioxidants help to neutralize harmful free radicals, reducing oxidative stress and preventing cell damage. By combating oxidative stress, YourBiology supports healthy aging and protects against various chronic diseases.
There is also a good dose of omega-3 fatty acids sourced from fish oil, such as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Omega-3s are essential fats that contribute to heart health, brain function, and inflammation reduction.
There are some great botanicals at work, too. YourBiology includes a blend of herbal extracts like turmeric, green tea, and ginger, which collectively possess powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, promoting overall wellness. Additionally, they may support joint health, aid in digestion, and contribute to a healthy metabolism.
The formula is also rich in adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha and rhodiola rosea. Adaptogens help the body adapt to stress, promote a balanced mood, and support optimal energy levels. With these herbs, YourBiology aims to improve resilience to stress and boost overall mental and physical well-being.
Finally, YourBiology includes digestive enzymes like amylase, protease, and lipase. These enzymes further support macronutrient breakdown, ensuring optimal digestion and nutrient absorption. By enhancing digestive efficiency, YourBiology contributes to better nutrient utilization and overall digestive well-being.
It’s not the ingredients that set YourBiology apart for me, though. YourBiology’s delivery system is where the real magic happens.
Unlike many probiotics that are lost during digestion, YourBiology uses advanced technology to ensure the effective transfer of probiotics to the gut undigested and non-degraded.
This ensures that the goodness of probiotics remains intact and reaches the target location, promoting optimal immune and digestive health.
In fact, YourBiology’s cutting-edge delivery system has been tested and shown to deliver more than 80% of probiotics to the gut, compared to only 4% in some other products. This high rate of delivery has earned YourBiology a reputation as one of the best probiotic supplements in the world, offering exceptional value to consumers seeking to safeguard their gut health.
YourBiology is an incredibly well-designed, comprehensive supplement that combines the benefits of probiotics, prebiotics, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, herbal extracts, adaptogens, and digestive enzymes.
This unique blend of ingredients aims to support digestion, immunity, energy levels, mental wellbeing, and overall health better than just about anything else on the market. It really should enhance pretty much every part of your well-being.
Biotics 8
Biotics8 is another high-quality probiotic supplement that offers a range of benefits for your health and overall well-being. It boasts an incredibly powerful blend of ingredients, with which it aims to support multiple aspects of your body’s natural functions – so far so good.
As you would expect, Biotics 8 contains a combination of beneficial probiotic strains, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum. These probiotics help maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, supporting optimal digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function.
By promoting a thriving gut microbiome, the probiotics in Biotics 8 contribute to improved overall health, as we have seen (and will continue to see – honestly, I can’t emphasize enough how much a healthy microbiome can do for you!).
You also get plentiful prebiotic fibers, including inulin and fructooligosaccharides, just as you do with YourBiology. As we have seen, prebiotics act as fuel for probiotics, helping them to flourish in the gut and enhancing their beneficial effects. By providing nourishment for the beneficial bacteria in your gut, prebiotics in Biotics 8 promote a healthy gut ecosystem and optimal digestion.
The similarities don’t end there. Biotics 8 also incorporates digestive enzymes such as amylase, protease, and lipase. As above, these enzymes assist in the breakdown of macronutrients, ensuring efficient digestion and nutrient absorption. By improving digestive capacity, Biotics 8 supports better nutrient utilization and overall digestive health.
Biotics 8 is also rich in essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. These nutrients are crucial for maintaining a strong immune system, promoting healthy skin, supporting bone health, and overall well-being. With Biotics 8, you can provide your body with the necessary vitamins and minerals for optimal functioning.
Its formula incorporates potent antioxidants, just like YourBiology, including the likes of vitamin E and selenium. These antioxidants help neutralize harmful free radicals, reducing oxidative stress and protecting cells from damage. By combating oxidative stress, Biotics 8 supports healthy aging and may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
Biotics 8 goes a little further, though. It includes a blend of dietary fibers such as psyllium husk and acacia fiber. These fibers in turn promote healthy bowel movements, support regularity, and contribute to a healthy gut environment. By supporting proper digestion and elimination, the fiber blend in Biotics 8 further helps in maintaining that all-important healthy digestive system.
As well as all of this, Biotics 8 incorporates herbal extracts like ginger and turmeric. These botanical extracts possess anti-inflammatory properties and contribute to overall wellness. They may help to reduce inflammation, support joint health, aid digestion, and promote a healthy immune response.
Then there are the superfoods in its makeup, such as spirulina and chlorella. These nutrient-dense algae are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, providing a concentrated dose of essential nutrients. By incorporating superfoods, Biotics 8 helps bridge nutritional gaps and supports optimal health.
Biotics 8 really is a comprehensive supplement. It combines the benefits of probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, a solid fiber blend, herbal extracts, and superfoods to give you something close to universal well-being coverage.
This powerful blend aims to support digestive health, immune function, nutrient absorption, antioxidant protection, and overall well-being. It’s really very impressive.
ProBio7
ProBio7 is a high-quality supplement that, as you should expect, supports gut health and immune function. It incorporates a blend of beneficial probiotic strains, prebiotic fibers, and vitamin D to support a healthy gut microbiome and overall well-being. Though it’s perhaps a little more minimal in its range than others on this list, it dives very deeply into the probiotic side of things.
In fact, ProBio7 contains a blend of a full seven beneficial probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Streptococcus thermophilus.
As ever, these probiotics will help you to maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, promoting optimal digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function. By supporting a thriving gut microbiome, probiotics in ProBio7 should contribute admirably to improved overall health.
ProBio7 also includes inulin and fructooligosaccharides, prebiotics which by now you should be realizing are kind of an auto-include in probiotic supplements of this caliber. These prebiotics should help the growth of beneficial bacteria, giving the probiotics in ProBio7 everything they need to flourish.
This is most of the work done. However, there are three added ingredients that I think really represent a nice touch – vitamin D, cranberry extract, and aloe vera.
Vitamin D plays an essential role in supporting your immune system and overall health. It supports the growth and function of immune cells, helping the body fight off harmful pathogens, whilst also supporting calcium absorption and bone health.
Meanwhile, cranberry extract has been traditionally used for urinary tract health, helping to balance the pH levels of urine. Finally, aloe vera has traditionally been used to support digestive health and soothe digestive discomfort. Aloe vera possesses anti-inflammatory properties and helps support a healthy gut environment.
This all comes together very nicely, as you might imagine. ProBio7 is incredibly comprehensive in its probiotic delivery, whilst also combining the benefits of these probiotics with decent prebiotic fiber, vitamin D, cranberry extract, and aloe vera.
This unique blend aims to promote a healthy gut microbiome, support immune function, and enhance overall wellbeing, all working really very well.
Bio-Kult
Finally, we have Bio-Kult, which outdoes even ProBio7 in the diversity of its probiotic strains.
Bio-Kult is another very high-quality probiotic supplement that supports gut health and overall well-being. It contains a blend of 14 different probiotic strains, however, providing an incredibly diverse range of beneficial bacteria which should support a thriving gut microbiome.
These 14 different probiotic strains include the likes of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bacillus subtilis. This wide-ranging blend of probiotics should help to restore and maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria. By supporting a diverse gut microbiome, Bio-Kult contributes to improved digestion, enhanced immune function, and overall well-being.
Bio-Kult includes prebiotic fibers, such as cellulose and inulin, which serve as fuel for the beneficial bacteria in the gut, as you might imagine. Those 14 strains therefore start off with a real fighting chance – the prebiotics will support probiotic growth and colonization, helping them to thrive and bring their benefits to bear.
Bio-Kult contains vitamins B6 and D, as well as zinc.
Vitamin B6 is an essential nutrient that supports several functions in the body, including nervous system function and energy metabolism. It plays a role in the production of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, which are involved in mood regulation.
Meanwhile, zinc is an essential mineral that plays a vital role in immune function, cellular growth, and repair. Zinc supports the development and function of immune cells, helping the body fight off infections and maintain overall health.
Finally, as we have seen, vitamin D plays a crucial role in immune function, bone health, and overall well-being. It supports the growth and function of immune cells and helps regulate calcium absorption and bone health.
Bringing them all together represents some top-rate synchronicity. It’s lovely to see.
Bio-Kult is about the most comprehensive probiotic supplement that I’ve seen, offering the benefits of 14 different probiotic strains alongside that lovely prebiotic fiber, vitamin B6, zinc, and vitamin D. This unique blend aims to support a healthy gut microbiome, enhance digestion, strengthen immune function, and promote overall well-being, giving you the best chance going, with one of those 14 strains being sure to hit the mark.
Feel Beauty Probiotic+
Feel Beauty Probiotic+ is a top-of-the-line supplement specially designed to support beauty from within, promoting healthy skin, strong hair, and nails – though, of course, the benefits don’t end here… far from it.
Feel Beauty Probiotic+ contains a blend of probiotics, such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains. As you would expect, these probiotics help promote a healthy immune system and support your gut microbiome. By maintaining a healthy gut ecosystem, probiotics in Feel Beauty Probiotic+ can enhance nutrient absorption and contribute to healthy-looking skin, hair, and nails.
Feel Beauty Probiotic+ also includes prebiotic fibers, like those stalwarts inulin and galactooligosaccharides, to give your microbiome everything that it needs in order to flourish. By supporting a healthy gut microbiome, prebiotics can help improve overall skin, hair, and nail health.
Feel Beauty Probiotic+ departs a little from the rest of this list by containing collagen, a crucial protein that supports the skin’s elasticity, hair growth, and nail structure. Collagen is essential for maintaining healthy skin, reducing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, and promoting healthy hair and nails.
And then it’s back to the same kind of DNA we’ve already seen in this list – vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Feel Beauty Probiotic+ is rich in essential vitamins and minerals, including biotin, vitamin C, and zinc. These nutrients support healthy skin, hair, and nails by enhancing collagen production and supporting antioxidant protection. Vitamin C supports collagen formation and helps reduce oxidative stress, while biotin and zinc promote healthy hair and nails.
It includes a blend of powerful antioxidants derived from berries, such as blueberry and acai. These antioxidants help neutralize free radicals, reducing oxidative damage and promoting healthy-looking skin. Additionally, berry antioxidants support healthy immune function and contribute to overall well-being.
Feel Beauty Probiotic+ is a comprehensive beauty supplement that works a little differently to other beauty products – it targets your internal health. Then you simply have to wait for this health to manifest externally. By supporting a healthy gut microbiome, promoting collagen synthesis, and reducing oxidative stress, Feel Beauty Probiotic+ contributes to healthy, radiant skin, strong hair, and nails.
Verdict
Choosing the right probiotic can be incredibly difficult, given the variety of options available. It’s a wide-ranging market full of some absolute belters (and some real trash, too). However, anything from the list above should work wonders, giving you all the benefits on offer from a good probiotic loadout, each with a truly brilliant list of ingredients.
However, it’s not just about the individual ingredients or the quantity of live colony forming units in a probiotic. The delivery method also plays a crucial role. It’s essential to ensure that the probiotic can effectively reach your gut and deliver its benefits.
That’s why YourBiology stands out as one of the best probiotics that money can buy. It excels at delivering its goodness to where it’s most needed, undigested and non-degraded. If you want a probiotic that provides value for your money and reliably delivers the beneficial components precisely where your body can utilize them, YourBiology is the one to go for.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms that keep you healthy when you eat them in proper amounts. These beneficial bacteria and yeasts, often referred to as ‘good bacteria’, help to maintain and restore the natural balance of microorganisms in your digestive system.
The word ‘probiotic’ comes from Greek and literally means ‘for life’. And indeed, these microorganisms play a crucial role in supporting our overall health and wellbeing. While our bodies naturally contain trillions of microorganisms, probiotics are specifically selected strains that have been scientifically proven to confer health benefits.
Probiotics mainly live in our gut, particularly in our large intestine. They work by enhancing the diversity and abundance of beneficial bacteria, which helps to prevent the overgrowth of harmful bacteria. This balanced microbial environment (your microbiome) in your gut has been linked to various health benefits, such as improved digestion, enhanced immune function, and even mental wellbeing.
One of the primary roles of probiotics is to aid in the digestion and absorption of nutrients. They help to break down complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into smaller molecules that our body can absorb and make use of. By enabling digestion in this way, probiotics can help alleviate common digestive issues like bloating, gas, IBS, and constipation.
In addition to improving your digestive health, probiotics also play a crucial role in supporting your immune health. A significant portion of our immune cells can be found in our guts.
Probiotics stimulate the production of certain immune cells, enhance their activity, and help to maintain a robust immune response. They can also reduce the risk and duration of respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal infections.
Recent research has even indicated a strong connection between our guts and brains, often referred to as the gut-brain axis. Probiotics have shown promise in alleviating symptoms of anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. They can influence brain function and behavior by producing certain neurotransmitters, reducing inflammation in the brain, and modulating the communication between the gut and brain.
Not all probiotics are created equally – they are far from all being the same. There are numerous strains of bacteria and yeasts, each with its own unique properties and potential health benefits. Some common probiotic strains include Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, and Saccharomyces boulardii. Each strain may have different effects on your body, so selecting the right probiotic supplement or food source is very important.
Probiotics are available in various forms, including dietary supplements, fermented foods, and even drinks. Popular sources of probiotics include yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha. It is important to note that not all fermented foods contain live probiotics, as certain processing methods can eliminate or reduce their viability.
And, when choosing a probiotic supplement, it is important to consider factors such as the strain, dosage, and viability. Some probiotics need to be refrigerated to maintain their potency, while others are shelf stable. Consulting with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian can help you to figure out what the most appropriate probiotic might be for your own individual needs.
While probiotics are generally safe for most people, some people with compromised immune systems or specific health conditions should be a little careful. It’s always a good idea to talk with your healthcare provider before starting any new dietary supplements, especially if you have any underlying health concerns.
What can probiotics do for you?
Probiotics offer a range of benefits for our health and wellbeing. As we have seen, they can be pretty fundamental to keeping you well. They can have positive effects on digestion, immune function, mental health, and even skin health, among others. Benefits can include:
Digestive Health
Probiotics support digestive health by aiding in the breakdown and absorption of nutrients. They help to break down complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, making them easier for your body to digest.
This can lessen common digestive issues such as bloating, gas, IBS, and constipation. Probiotics also promote a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut, preventing the overgrowth of harmful bacteria that can disturb your digestive health.
Immune Function
Your gut houses a significant portion of your immune cells. In keeping your gut healthy, probiotics play a crucial role in supporting a strong immune system. They stimulate the production and activity of immune cells, helping to enhance immune response and defend against infections.
They have been shown to reduce the risk of respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal infections, among others.
Mental Wellbeing
Emerging research has highlighted the gut-brain axis, a vital connection between the two. Probiotics can influence your mental health. They have shown promise in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.
In producing certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, they can impact mood and behavior. Probiotics also help to regulate the communication between your gut and brain, reducing inflammation in the brain and promoting optimal brain function.
Skin Health
Probiotics can also have a positive impact on your skin health. Certain skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, and rosacea, are associated with imbalances in the gut microbiome. By restoring and maintaining a healthy balance of bacteria in the gut, probiotics can improve skin conditions.
Probiotics also have anti-inflammatory properties that can help in reducing skin inflammation and promoting a healthier complexion.
Women’s Health
Probiotics can provide specific benefits to women’s health. They can help prevent and treat vaginal infections, such as yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis, for example. They maintain a healthy vaginal pH and prevent the overgrowth of harmful bacteria.
Probiotics can also reduce the risk of urinary tract infections by preventing the attachment of harmful bacteria to the urinary tract lining.
Antibiotic-Associated Issues
Antibiotics are essential for fighting bacterial infections, but they can also disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the gut. They can kill good bacteria just as easily as bad. This disruption can lead to antibiotic-associated side effects like diarrhea and yeast infections.
Probiotics can help in restoring the disrupted gut microbiome, thus alleviating these side effects. Taking probiotics alongside antibiotics, and for a while after use, can minimize these negative impacts.
Allergy Prevention
Studies suggest that early exposure to probiotics, particularly during infancy, may help in reducing the risk of allergy development. Probiotics can modulate the immune response, preventing hypersensitivity reactions that lead to allergies. They can also support the development of a diverse and resilient gut microbiome, which is important for immune health.
It is important to note that the benefits of probiotics can vary depending on the specific strain and dosage. Different probiotic strains have different mechanisms of action and target different health conditions. Individual differences mean a lot of variation, too. We will not all react in the same way to the same strains.
As above, talk to your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian, who will be able to help you to determine the most suitable probiotic for your specific needs.