PRObiotics! We’ve all heard of them and probably use them in one way shape or form these days. They come in the form of dietary supplements (capsules) that are easily taken, but you can also find them in food products like chocolates, food bars, powder-enhanced yogurt and so much more. Why have they become so…
Should my child be taking a probiotic? If you’re a parent of a young child, you may have already asked yourself this question. As an adult, we understand the health benefits of taking a daily probiotic – support for digestion and immune health. But do the benefits for adults translate to your child? The answer…
If you’re looking for the ideal probiotic dietary supplement, you’ve probably noticed the broad array of brands and ingredients available in forms that include capsules, powders, and liquids. Trying to make direct comparisons between them can be confusing – unless you know what to look for. Let’s examine some key factors that can help you…
In the world of health and nutrition, we talk a lot about the important role of probiotics in maintaining a healthy balance of gut flora, aiding digestion, supporting a robust immune system, and promoting overall health. But there’s a similar term you may also have heard—“prebiotics.” Let’s take a look at what prebiotics are and…
Summer is a time we can all use a little relief from the heat. But for probiotic products, staying cool isn’t a matter of comfort—it’s a matter of life or death. Probiotics are colonies of living organisms (measured in colony-forming units, or CFUs) that must reach your gut alive in order to confer their many…
If you search online for “probiotics” you’re likely to find a wealth of information on the health benefits that these “good bacteria” confer when taken as a dietary supplement. They rebalance our gut flora, promote effective gut motility, and support a healthy immune response, to name a few. But to achieve any of these goals,…
We often tend to think of our body’s many systems—digestive, immune, circulatory, neurologic—like workstations on an assembly line, each contributing separately to our overall health and function. But, in fact, these systems are far more interconnected with multiple channels of communication, feedback, and gatekeeping. It is this delicate web that helps us maintain both health…
Most of us have grown up thinking of bacteria as “bad”— a source of disease and food spoilage. And in some cases, this is true. But it is only one small part of the overall picture. Many forms of bacteria that live within and on the body are helpful, even necessary, to health and wellness….
There are hundreds of probiotics available to consumers today, and there are some key differences among brands. It’s essential to make informed choices when selecting the best probiotic products for you. Here we’ll look at 4 important criteria you can use to help you select the highest quality and most beneficial probiotic products on the…
The health benefits of probiotic bacteria are manifold. They rebalance gut flora, boost the immune system, reduce the severity of some gastrointestinal challenges. But to perform these vital functions, health-promoting bacteria must arrive alive and healthy in the gut. This is no small challenge, considering the extremely acidic and hostile environment of the upper digestive…