BUYING VIABLE PROBIOTICS, ACIDOPHILUS BLUES

Monday, December 18, 2006

Today the Seattle Post Intelligencer reported on some of the latest probiotic information. They noted that the sales of probiotics by the unregulated supplement industry climbed to $243 million in 2005.

More relevant, the paper listed two reports which tested commercial probiotics for their viability.

1 - Bastyr researchers published a report showing 4 out of 20 commercial products did not contain viable Lactobacillus. In addition, 30% of the products contained contaminants. Finally, only one of the products contained all of the ingredients listed on the bottle. The research results note that "one product found to be a viable, non-contaminated supplement identified as the organism advertised on the bottle was also the most expensive per capsule."
Failed products: Nature's Bounty Acidophilus, Natrol Acidophilus, Twin Lab Yeast Fighter, Natural Brand Acidophilus

The full report may be read here: http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/ijam/vol1n2/lacto.xml

2 - www.consumerlab.com tested 13 commercial products and found similar results. Four of the 13 products did not contain the 1 billion organisms per dose considered to be a minimum. In addition, a fifth product, had the 1 billion minimum but claimed to have 30 billion. For full information, please read the original report.
Failed products: Advocare Probiotic Restore, DDS Acidphilus with FOS, Nature's Secret Ultimate Probiotic, Rite Aid Acidophilus, Flora Source (had 1 billion but not the claimed 30 million)

For more Specific Carbohydrate Diet acidophilus information, including brand efficacy and which strains are appropriate on the diet, contact Lucy's Kitchen Shop. (www.lucyskitchenshop.com)