You have likely heard that “probiotics” can be good for you?

But it can also be hard to know which is the best type as it can be a very confusing area.

Therefore, I wanted to give a bit of an overview today on the different types of probiotics that are available…

Different Categories

Probiotics can be broken down into a few different categories, all of which can have very different effects on different people.

The first category is the most commonly used and mainly contains types of bacteria known as “Lactobacillus” and “Bifidobacterium”.  

These are the ones you’ll find in most shop bought probiotic supplements.  

They are very well studied and have been shown to have numerous potential health benefits.

These types are found in our Advanced Flora product.

The second category is something known as “Saccharomyces Boulardii”…

This isn’t as commonly used as the first category but certainly has many potential benefits and is well studied, especially in the areas of diarrhea and clostridium difficile infection, and it's actually one of my favourite supplements with my private clients.

This is found in our Advanced Protection.

In the third category are soil-based probiotics. Many of these strains start with “Bacillus” – though shouldn’t be confused with lactobacillus which is in the first category.  So you have strains such as Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus subtilis, and others like that.

And then the fourth category is E. coli Nissle 1917.   This again has been used in a number of studies and shown to be potentially beneficial for a range of people. 

Understanding that there are different categories of probiotics is very important. 

The fact is that some probiotics will work for some people, and not for others, but if one type of probiotic didn’t work for you, its normally beneficial to try out a different probiotic from a different category as they can have a VERY different effect.

Quality

The quality of a supplement within a chosen category is also very important.  

In particular, the strength of the product plays a part, as does the delivery of it (how much beneficial live bacteria actually reaches your gut is essential for you to derive the benefits from it).  

Unfortunately, there are very few on the market with sufficient quantities of bacteria in the first place, or ones that are sufficiently designed to survive as they move through the body.  

So whilst categories are important, the quality of the product is also a factor. 

Therefore, use a brand you trust, and look for deliverability and strength as being 2 potentially important factors. 

Summary  

As you can see, probiotics can be a complicated area, and a very easy way to waste a lot of money, but they can also be extremely beneficial. 

The two friendly bacteria products that we currently offer are from the first 2 categories I mentioned above.

They are both are designed to survive transit through your stomach acid, and both contain strains that have been shown in studies to have a wide range of potential benefits. 

You can find out more about them on our website by clicking these links - Advanced Flora and Advanced Protection (they are also both part of our “Gut Bundle” which comes at a large saving.

Hopefully this has helped.

As ever, if you have any questions at all then always feel free to get in touch.