By 
When shopping for a probiotic supplement, it is very important to be an informed consumer and a label reader.
For example, when a consumer watchdog group recently tested 25 popular probiotic products, it found that 8 contained less than the perfect live bacteria advertised on the label. Worse still, six had only a few million living cells at the time they were tested, not the one or two trillions announced.
Here’s what to look for when shopping for a probiotic supplement.
#1. Must contain both lactobacillus and bifidobacteria.
The first thing that any probiotic product should contain is a mixture of various “live” cultures. Ideally, these should be a mix of both. lactobacillus and bifidobacteria.
Lactobacillus The bacteria are lactic acid-producing bacteria that function in the small intestine. They help digest the sugar (lactose) and protein (casein) in dairy products, but the lactic acid they produce also kills harmful bacteria.
bifidobacteria lives in the large intestine. Members of this strain station themselves along the intestinal wall and stop dangerous pathogens, as well as yeast. Candida albicans grab on. bifidobacteria they also help you absorb the health-boosting B vitamins.
We have high levels of bifidobacteria when we’re young, but levels drop dramatically as we get older. This causes gas and indigestion. It also hinders your ability to digest certain foods. As a result, a probiotic supplement must contain several strains of both lactobacillus and bifidobacteria.
#2. It must contain several billion viable cells per capsule.
The second thing to look for is how many viable cells the probiotic contains.
Many store-bought probiotics provide as little as one to three billion cells per capsule. Sure, that may seem like a lot. But with about 80 trillion bacteria in your intestines, one to two million “good” cells provide little, if any, benefit. Researchers say that a probiotic supplement needs to contain at least seven to ten BILLION cells for you to feel any benefit.
#3. Crops must be well protected from light and air.
Finally, probiotics are delicate and very sensitive to light, heat, and air. To prevent this, some manufacturers use a special enteric coating. However, this does not always work. Often times, this coating is applied at high temperatures, which kills the microbes inside. This renders the product useless.
Although probiotics can survive at room temperature for several days, it is best to purchase supplements that are kept refrigerated. This puts the microbes in a state of “suspended animation.” As a result, they will live longer and reap the health benefits much faster.