Probiotics are live bacteria that help keep your digestive system healthy. The colony of microorganisms in the body is essential in maintaining physiological processes, most notably the conversion of food to essential nutrients and transport of nutrients in the body.
 
Before we delve into sources of probiotics and their associated health benefits, let’s understand what they are, how they function, and the mechanism in which they influence other functions in the body. 
 
You will find that you can improve your gut’s bacterial ecosystem (a.k.a. gastrointestinal microbiome) by eating fibrous plant foods, complex carbohydrates, fermented food, and taking probiotic dietary supplements.   
 
Probiotics are “good” bacteria that:
  • Supports healthy gut function and digestive health†
  • Supports healthy immune system function and a healthy GI tract†
  • Supports normal microflora in the gut and normal digestion†
They have metabolic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties crucial in maintaining holistic wellness. Gut microbiome converts food to essential nutrients which are vital in all body functions. Probiotics also attach to the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and improve gut immune system capabilities.

Which Probiotic Supplement is Right for You?

When gut microbiome is thrown out of balance by a combination of factors including age, diet, environment, genes, and medication, the body’s overall health declines. Sometimes probiotics from ingested food are not enough to support and maintain the body. For those with an imbalanced gut ecosystem, probiotic supplements provide an excellent source of beneficial bacteria to promote holistic wellness.
 
There are numerous different probiotics brands, our result show the majority of products don’t live up to their claims. That’s because most probiotic supplements can be destroyed by stomach acid before they even get to the digestive tract.

5 Things To Consider

  1. Contain Soil-Based Organisms and Shelf-Stable: Make sure your probiotic supplement has soil-based probiotics and is shelf-stable, meaning it doesn’t need to be refrigerated. Ideally you want your probiotic to have a shelf-life of 2 years.†
  2. High CFU Count: Choose a probiotic brand that has a higher number of probiotics, ideally at least 50 billion per serving.
  3. Strain Diversity: Select a probiotic supplement that has 10 or more probiotic strains, such as Bacillus coagulans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus thermophilus strains.
  4. Survivability: Look for formulas that are in delayed release capsules such as DRcaps that protects the probiotics from stomach acid.
  5. Prebiotics: To support the growth of probiotics once they get into your system, it is essential that prebiotics are also included in the formula.

Research & Verify Process

We evaluate the top brands, research about their ingredients, verify their label accuracy, return policy and overall customer satisfaction. Below we have listed the top 5 rated probiotics formula based on 8,675 consumer survey results.*

Here Are The Top 5 Brands

#1 Gives Wholesome Probiotics

  • 51 billion live cultures per serving 
  • 18 diverse strains
  • DR capsules delivery system and acid-resistant
  • Vegan, Soy Free and All Natural
  • NutraFlora Prebiotic Fiber is included
  • Endorsed by an MD 
  • Essential Ingridients* 100% 100%
  • Potential Results* 99% 99%
  • Return Policy* 100% 100%
  • Overall Score* 99% 99%

Consumers have voted Wholesome Probiotics as their number #1 daily probiotic supplement. It is one of the most potent formulas on the market. Wholesome Probiotics has 51 billion live cultures, 18 robust and clinically studied strains, NutraFlora prebiotic fiber, with no synthetic fillers or additives and vegan friendly.

Wholesome Probiotics is one of few doctor formulated probiotics on the market with DRcaps™ delivery system to help protect your ingredients from stomach acid. It does NOT require refrigeration and has 2 years shelf life (most other brands have 1 year or less). We highly recommend this formula. 

See The #1 Rated Brand

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on USHealthReport.org Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

#2 PureNature Probio40

  • 40 billion live cultures per serving 
  • 6 diverse strains
  • MAKTREK delivery system and acid-resistant
  • Vegan, Soy Free and All Natural
  • Essential Ingridients* 95% 95%
  • Potential Results* 96% 96%
  • Return Policy* 100% 100%
  • Overall Score* 97% 97%

Probio40 contains 40 Billions CFUs, no cheap filler, no binders and no artificial colors. All purchases from PureNature is backed by a 365 day Risk Free 100% Money Back Guarantee. Made in the USA with all-natural, fast dissolving veggie capsule and are made in an FDA registered laboratory that is cGMP certified and 3rd Party Tested.

Contains All Essential Probiotics Strains With MAKTrek 3-D Probiotic Delivery System
Verified: Non-refrigeration probiotics

Learn More

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on USHealthReport.org Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

#3 Ultimate Flora 50 Billion

  • 50 billion live cultures per serving 
  • 12 diverse strains
  • No delivery system 
  • Vegan friendly, Soy Free and All Natural
  • Essential Ingridients* 93% 93%
  • Potential Results* 95% 95%
  • Return Policy* 91% 91%
  • Overall Score* 95% 95%

Ultimate Flora came in 3nd place in our survey. It’s no wonder because Ultimate Flora is a great product with 30 Billions CFUs which is in the range of the recommended dosage. Many people that we surveyed complained about the fact that this brand offers only 30 capsules per package. So it does get expensive to buy 60 capsules.

Another complain some customers had was that Renew Life Ultimate Flora only offers a 60 days return policy.

Learn More

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on USHealthReport.org Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

#4 MegaFood MegaFlora

  • 20 billion live cultures per serving 
  • 14 diverse strains
  • No delivery system 
  • Vegan friendly, Soy Free and All Natural
  • Essential Ingridients* 91% 91%
  • Potential Results* 93% 93%
  • Return Policy* 93% 93%
  • Overall Score* 94% 94%

MegaFlora comes in 60 capsules per bottle. It is backed by many happy customers, although some people complain about the amount CFUs per capsules. There are only 20 Billion CFUs per capsule which is inconvenient for some people who like to have the recommended dosage of 50 Billion CFUs per day.

One thing the customers don’t like about MegaFlora is their return policy which is 30 days.

Learn More

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on USHealthReport.org Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

#5 Nature’s Way Fortify

  • 50 billion live cultures per serving 
  • 8 diverse strains
  • No delivery system 
  • Vegan friendly, Soy Free and All Natural
  • Essential Ingridients* 91% 91%
  • Potential Results* 92% 92%
  • Return Policy* 91% 91%
  • Overall Score* 92% 92%

Nature’s Way Fortify contain a good dosage of CFU’s per capsule, however each packet only contains 30 capsules which is inconvenient. There are varied reports from users about how effective Fortify actually is, but there are a great number of consumers who like the formula. It contains 50 billion CFUs per serving but the number of strains are much lower than the recommended.

Again, the return policy for Nature’s Way products are very unclear, depending on where you buy their product the policy changes from no returns to 30 days return policy.

Learn More

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on USHealthReport.org Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

Ranking Factors

Essential Ingredients: we check every products ingredients list for safety and dosage amount in comparison to published research studies.

Potential Results: we consider the dosage and essential ingredients in each label and then compare them to published studies to measure their potential effectiveness.

Return Policy: we check the products’ return procedure and policy and make sure top brands offer a hassle-free refund.

Overall Score: we take essential ingredients, potential results and return policy scores and rank the top 5 brands based on their average score.

#1 Gives Wholesome Probiotics

  • 51 billion live cultures per serving 
  • 18 diverse strains
  • DR capsules delivery system and acid-resistant
  • Vegan, Soy Free and All Natural
  • NutraFlora Prebiotic Fiber is included
  • Endorsed by an MD 
  • Essential Ingridients* 100% 100%
  • Potential Results* 99% 99%
  • Return Policy* 100% 100%
  • Overall Score* 99% 99%

Consumers have voted Wholesome Probiotics as their number #1 daily probiotic supplement. It is one of the most potent formulas on the market. Wholesome Probiotics has 51 billion live cultures, 18 robust and clinically studied strains, NutraFlora prebiotic fiber, with no synthetic fillers or additives and vegan friendly.

Wholesome Probiotics is one of few doctor formulated probiotics on the market with DRcaps™ delivery system to help protect your ingredients from stomach acid. It does NOT require refrigeration and has 2 years shelf life (most other brands have 1 year or less). We highly recommend this formula. 

See The #1 Rated Brand

*Individual Results May Vary – Ratings are based on USHealthReport.org Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We encourage consumers to research by visiting each product websites for more information.

Sources & Citation

Degnan FH. The US Food and Drug Administration and probiotics: regulatory categorization. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2008;46(Suppl 2):S133–S136.
Didari T, Solki S, Mozaffari S, et al. A systematic review of the safety of probiotics. Expert Opinion on Drug Safety. 2014;13(2):227–239.
Duffy LC, Sporn S, Hibberd P, et al. Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. In: Coates PM, Betz JM, Blackman MR, et al., eds. Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Informa Healthcare; 2010:469–478.
Hibberd PL, Kleimola L, Fiorino AM, et al. No evidence of harms of probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 in healthy elderly—a phase I open label study to assess safety, tolerability and cytokine responses. PloS One. 2014;9(12):e113456.
Moayyedi P, Ford AC, Talley NJ, et al. The efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review. Gut. 2010;59(3):325–332.
Sanders ME, Akkermans LMA, Haller D, et al. Safety assessment of probiotics for human use. Gut Microbes. 2010;1(3):164–185.
Ford AC, Moayyedi P, Lacy BE, et al. American College of Gastroenterology monograph on the management of irritable bowel syndrome and chronic idiopathic constipation. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2014;109:S2–S26.
Goldenberg JZ, Ma SS, Saxton JD, et al. Probiotics for the prevention of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea in adults and children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2013;(5):CD006095. Accessed at www.thecochranelibrary.com on April 24, 2015.
Guarner F, Khan AG, Garisch J, et al. World Gastroenterology Organisation Global Guidelines. Probiotics and Prebiotics. October 2011. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2012;46(6):468–481.
Hempel S, Newberry SJ, Maher AR, et al. Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2012;307(18):1959–1969.
Hempel S, Newberry S, Ruelaz A, et al. Safety of Probiotics to Reduce Risk and Prevent or Treat Disease. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment no. 200. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2011. AHRQ publication no. 11-E007.
Lactobacillus acidophilus, University of Maryland http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/lactobacillus-acidophilus

*This is a subjective assessment based on the strength of the available information and our independent research and customer feedback.
**Results may vary based on individual.
***Disclosure of Material Connection: we only recommend products and services which we believe will add value to the users. However, you should assume the owner of this website and/or blog has an affiliate relationship and/or another material connection, to any suppliers of goods and services that may be discussed here and may be compensated for showing ads or recommending products or services or linking to the supplier’s website.