[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fxLN3MUwXCdr5RPjwZYIDpOj8CHyjOmngWTgoKXPtZbg":3,"$f4Zzh1jR6Lf9O5e6XjQhZ1n0m1iNUkZNnSpJ2KTxHbSs":32,"$f3Ft0rKFJHppdzE-vuveecxx1BUcg9iOlMLtyzf_MJDg":100},[4,8,12,16,20,24,28],{"title":5,"slug":6,"path":7},"About Microbeonline.com","about-microbeonline-com","\u002Fabout-microbeonline-com\u002F",{"title":9,"slug":10,"path":11},"About Me","about-me","\u002Fabout-microbeonline-com\u002Fabout-me\u002F",{"title":13,"slug":14,"path":15},"Advertise with Us","advertise-us","\u002Fadvertise-us\u002F",{"title":17,"slug":18,"path":19},"Privacy Policy","privacy-policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{"title":21,"slug":22,"path":23},"Abbreviations","abbreviations","\u002Fabbreviations\u002F",{"title":25,"slug":26,"path":27},"Microbes","microbes","\u002Fmicrobes\u002F",{"title":29,"slug":30,"path":31},"Books","recommended-books","\u002Frecommended-books\u002F",{"type":33,"data":34},"blog",{"slug":35,"title":36,"description":36,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":38,"createdDate":39,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"body":43,"faq":44,"tags":45,"related":47},"which-probiotics-to-use","Which Probiotics to Use?",null,"Acharya Tankeshwar","2022-05-11","2026-07-05",false,"general-microbiology","Our gut is colonized by 10^14 microbes, ten times more than the human cells. The microbiota of the gut is quite diverse and establishes a mutually beneficial relationship with the host. Intestinal flora plays an important role in our health and nutrition by supplying essential nutrients including vitamin B-12 & vitamin K, aiding in the digestion of cellulose, and promoting angiogenesis and enteric nerve function. So, choosing probiotics is crucial for human health.\n\nStress, unhealthy diet, illness, antibiotics, lifestyle, and aging can affect the gut microbiome predisposing individuals to chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, cancer, and autism. Thus the restoration of a healthy human microbiome is necessary.\n\n## Why Probiotics?\n\nProbiotics are needed when a person has a disrupted gut microbial balance. In most cases, gut flora is restored without the use of probiotic supplements because these good bacteria are also found in various foods that we take daily such as fermented milk products (yogurt and cheese) and fermented food products (kefir, kombucha, tempeh, natto, kimchi, etc).\n\nIn some cases, doctors may prescribe [microorganisms with probiotic properties](\u002Fmicroorganisms-probiotic\u002F)to restore the normal flora. There are no official recommendations for probiotic use by healthy people. If you want to try probiotics, ask your healthcare provider for advice about which probiotic to choose, what dose to take, and how long to use the product.\n\nA number of commercial providers are marketing various probiotic products. With so many options choosing a probiotic can be confusing.\n\n> Probiotics are identified by their specific strain, which includes genus, species, subspecies (if applicable), and an alphanumeric strain designation. For example, in the probiotic strain ‘Bifidobacterium infantis 35624’, ‘Bifidobacterium‘ is genus, ‘infantis’ is species and 35624 is alphanumeric strain designation.\n\n**Points to remember while choosing probiotics;**\n\n1. [Health benefits are demonstrated by only particular probiotic strains](\u002Fprobiotics-prebiotics\u002F). Having other bacteria in the formulation besides the ones listed on their labels may not confer desired benefits.\n2. Different strains provide different benefits. Look for multiple diverse strains listed on the packaging and their probiotic benefits so you know what you are getting.\n3. Not all strains provide meaningful benefits. Looks for strains clinically studied for your specific needs.\n4. Probiotics are generally safe and beneficial for otherwise healthy individuals but consumption of probiotics by immunocompromised patients may cause infections, bacteremia, sepsis, etc.\n5. Probiotics are living cultures so make sure these organisms are live till their expiration date. Improper storage of the probiotics may kill the organism depriving the individuals of the supposed benefits.\n\n> Check product labels for the expiration or “use by” date and follow the storage instructions. Some probiotics need to be kept in the refrigerator, but others can be stored at room temperature.\n\n## Popular Probiotic Brands\n\nSome of the most popular commercial probiotic brands for choosing probiotics are as follows;\n\n### Align probiotics\n\nAlign uses *Bifidobacterium* *infantis* 35624 as a probiotic strain in its formulation. According to the manufacturer, each capsule contains 1 x 10^9 (1 billion) (4 mg) live bacteria\u002FCFU when manufactured, and provides an effective level of bacteria (1 x 10^7 CFU). This probiotic strain helps to promote and support a healthy digestive system. If your physician has recommended this probiotic to you, his\u002Fher plans seem to restore or build a healthy gut for you with probiotics.\n\n*Bifidobacterium* is a non-spore-forming, Gram-positive, V-or Y-type branched, rod-shaped, anaerobic bacteria that belong to the family Bifidobacteriaceae and the phylum Actinobacteria. *Bifidobacterium* strains are being employed to prevent and treat gastrointestinal disorders, including intestinal infections and cancers. Many probiotic Bifidobacteria have shown beneficial effects on humans or animals, e.g., antiinfection, anti-depression, regulating the host immune system, and facilitating host nutrition adsorption.\n\n![Choosing probiotics - Beneficial effects of common probiotic Bifidobacterium strains.](https:\u002F\u002Fassets.microbeonline.com\u002Fblogs\u002Fbifidobacterium-beneficial-roles.jpg)Figure: Beneficial effects of common probiotic Bifidobacterium strains.\n\n### Culturelle probiotics\n\nCulturelle offers a range of probiotic products for gummies, babies, kids, adults, and women. Their formulation contains *Lactobacillus rhamnosus*GG, which is one of the most clinically studied probiotic strains which supports good digestion and immune health.\n\n*Lactobacillus rhamnosus*GG (LGG) is a widely studied probiotic strain used in a variety of commercially available probiotic products. Documented health benefits of this probiotic strain include prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal infections and diarrhea, stimulation of immune responses, and prevention of certain allergic symptoms, among others.\n\n### Garden of life probiotics\n\nTo support a healthy microbiome for individuals, Garden of Life uses diverse probiotic strains in its formulation. Common probiotic strains found in their formulation include; Bifidobacteria, *L. reuteri,* and *L. fermentum*. They have a wide range of probiotic options to serve various health needs of an individual. Based on the nature of the product, their formulation may help in digestion, enhance the immune system or balance the ecosystem in the external genitalia of females.\n\nLactic acid-producing bacteria are the most commonly used probiotic strains. *Lactobacillus fermentum* is a Gram-positive bacterium belonging to *Lactobacillus* genus. Organisms of the lactobacillus genus are found to play an important role in protecting the host by strengthening the immune system, improving digestion, and reducing metabolic disorders. *L. fermentum* enhances the immunologic response as well as prevent community-acquired gastrointestinal and upper respiratory infections.\n\n![ - Beneficial roles of lactic acid bacteria (Image source: Ref-1)](https:\u002F\u002Fassets.microbeonline.com\u002Fblogs\u002FBeneficial-roles-of-lactic-acid-bacteria.jpg)Figure: Beneficial roles of lactic acid bacteria (Image source: Ref-1)\n\n*Lactobacillus reuteri* is a well-studied probiotic bacterium that can colonize a large number of mammals. It is also found in different body sites of humans such as the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, skin, and breast milk. Beneficial effects of this probiotic bacterium include inhibition of severity of enteric infections by producing antimicrobial molecules, such as organic acids, ethanol, and reuterin. Some strains of this bacteria also modulate the immune system by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines while promoting regulatory T cell development and function. Studies have found that direct supplementation or prebiotic modulation of *L. reuteri*may help to prevent or treat inflammatory diseases.\n\n### ReNew life probiotics\n\nLike any other probiotic company, RenewLife also offers different ranges of products to support digestive health, women’s health, and enhance immune response. Based on the product type, chosen probiotic strain may be *Bifidobacterium*, *Lactobacillus*, or *Bacillus* (such as *B. coagulan*s, *B. subtilis*) or a combination of these bacteria.\n\n### GoodBelly probiotics\n\nGoodBelly Probiotics uses *Lactiplantibacillus plantarum* 299v probiotic strain in its formulation. *L. plantarum*299v (formerly named *Lactobacillus plantarum* 299v) is the most documented *L. plantarum* strain in the world. It was isolated from the healthy human intestinal mucosa.\n\nIn vitro, animal, and clinical studies show that this probiotic strain promotes gastrointestinal health, and reduces flatulence and abdominal pain in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). *L. plantarum* 299v is stable at room temperature, enabling long shelf-lives of consumer healthcare products such as capsules, tablets, or powder sachets. This strain can survive the harsh conditions of the human gastrointestinal tract thus making it an ideal probiotic strain.\n\n## Other Probiotics\n\nApart from the probiotics mentioned above, other popular probiotics are\n\n- Florastor probiotics\n- Walgreens probiotics\n- Pearl probiotics\n- Visbiome probiotics\n- Kefir probiotics, and\n- Just thrive probiotics\n\n**References and further readings**\n\n1. Ayivi RD, Gyawali R, Krastanov A, Aljaloud SO, Worku M, Tahergorabi R, Silva RCd, Ibrahim SA. Lactic Acid Bacteria: Food Safety and Human Health Applications. *Dairy*. 2020; 1(3):202-232. \u003Chttps:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.3390\u002Fdairy1030015>\n2. Mu Qinghui Mu, Vincent JT, Luo XM. Role of *Lactobacillus reuter*i in Human Health and Diseases. *Frontiers in Microbiology*. 2018;9.\u003Chttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.frontiersin.org\u002Farticle\u002F10.3389\u002Ffmicb.2018.00757>\n3. Chen J, Chen X, Loong HC. Recent Development of Probiotic Bifidobacteria for Treating Human Diseases. *Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology*. 2021;9. \u003Chttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.frontiersin.org\u002Farticle\u002F10.3389\u002Ffbioe.2021.770248>\n4. Fijan S. Microorganisms with claimed probiotic properties: an overview of recent literature. *Int J Environ Res Public Health*. 2014;11(5):4745-4767. Published 2014 May 5. doi:10.3390\u002Fijerph110504745",[],[46],"food-microbiology",[48,55,62,70,76,82,88,94],{"slug":49,"title":50,"description":50,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":51,"createdDate":52,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"faq":53,"tags":54},"food-preservation-method-canning","Canning: Types, Procedure, and Applications","Samikshya Acharya","2023-05-22",[],[46],{"slug":56,"title":57,"description":57,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":58,"createdDate":59,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"faq":60,"tags":61},"food-spoilage-causes-and-prevention","Food Spoilage: Causes and Prevention","Alisha Tripathi","2023-03-15",[],[46],{"slug":63,"title":64,"description":64,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":65,"createdDate":66,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"faq":67,"tags":68},"pasteurization-food-preservation-method","Pasteurization: Types and Advantages","Aastha Shrestha","2023-03-01",[],[69,46],"sterilization-disinfection",{"slug":71,"title":72,"description":72,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":65,"createdDate":73,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"faq":74,"tags":75},"lactic-acid-fermentation","Lactic Acid Fermentation","2023-02-19",[],[46],{"slug":77,"title":78,"description":78,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":65,"createdDate":79,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"faq":80,"tags":81},"microorganisms-found-in-food","Microorganisms Found in Food","2023-02-17",[],[46],{"slug":83,"title":84,"description":84,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":65,"createdDate":85,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"faq":86,"tags":87},"food-preservation-methods","Food Preservation: Methods and Their Importance","2023-02-08",[],[46],{"slug":89,"title":90,"description":90,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":65,"createdDate":91,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"faq":92,"tags":93},"fermented-foods-types-examples-and-health-benefits","Fermented Foods: Types, Examples, and Health Benefits","2022-12-19",[],[46],{"slug":95,"title":96,"description":96,"seoTitle":37,"seoDescription":37,"author":65,"createdDate":97,"lastUpdatedDate":40,"draft":41,"category":42,"image":37,"faq":98,"tags":99},"prebiotics-mechanisms-sources-and-examples","Prebiotics: Mechanisms, Sources, and Examples","2022-12-04",[],[46],[101,107,114,119,122,125,129,134,138,142],{"slug":102,"name":38,"description":103,"image":104,"body":105,"postCount":106},"acharya-tankeshwar","Editor-in-chief","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.microbeonline.com\u002Fauthors\u002Ftankeshwar-acharya-author-microbeonline.jpg","***Tankeshwar Acharya, MSc (Medical Microbiology)***\n\n*Tankeshwar Acharya is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology at Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), Nepal, where he has been teaching and practicing clinical microbiology for over 14 years. He is the founder of Microbe Online, one of the leading free microbiology education resources on the web, covering bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, immunology, and clinical laboratory diagnostics written from direct experience in both the classroom and the diagnostic laboratory.*",433,{"slug":108,"name":109,"description":110,"image":111,"body":112,"postCount":113},"ashma-shrestha","Ashma Shrestha","SEO Copywriter and Science Communicator\nKathmandu, Nepal","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.microbeonline.com\u002Fauthors\u002Fashma-shrestha.png","Ashma Shrestha holds a Master of Science in Medical Microbiology from the Institute of Science and Technology (IOST), Tribhuvan University, Nepal, where she developed a strong foundation in virology, molecular biology, and diagnostic microbiology.\n\nShe now works as an SEO Copywriter at Resolution Digital, where she combines her scientific training with research-driven content strategy. She is certified in Google Analytics and Google Business Profile (GBP), and brings a data-informed approach to science communication writing content that is not only accurate but structured to reach and serve the students who need it most.\n\nAt microbeonline, Ashma contributes articles primarily in virology and molecular biology, areas she finds most compelling for their mechanistic depth and their growing clinical relevance. Her writing reflects the same standard the site is built on: factual rigor, clear explanation of the *why* behind microbiology concepts, and content that helps students move from memorization to genuine understanding.\n\nShe is passionate about making complex microbiological concepts accessible without sacrificing accuracy; a skill that sits at the intersection of her scientific training and her professional work in content and SEO.",81,{"slug":115,"name":116,"description":117,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":118},"sushmita-baniya","Sushmita Baniya","Author \u002F Contributor",32,{"slug":120,"name":51,"description":117,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":121},"samikshya-acharya",20,{"slug":123,"name":58,"description":117,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":124},"alisha-tripathi",6,{"slug":126,"name":65,"description":127,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":128},"aastha-shrestha"," Author \u002F Contributor",10,{"slug":130,"name":131,"description":132,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":133},"guest-author","Guest Author","Guest Author \u002F Contributor",2,{"slug":135,"name":136,"description":117,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":137},"srijana-khanal","Srijana Khanal",18,{"slug":139,"name":140,"description":132,"image":37,"body":37,"postCount":141},"dr-poonam-acharya","Dr. Poonam Acharya",1,{"slug":143,"name":144,"description":117,"image":37,"body":145,"postCount":146},"nisha-rijal","Nisha Rijal","**Nisha Rijal** is a microbiologist and quality assurance specialist. She served for nearly 12 years as a microbiologist at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), Nepal's national reference laboratory, and continues to work as a consultant microbiologist in international public health organization. ",51]