4 ms·

Anyone have recommendations for which probiotics are the best ones to buy? I always get confused while looking at all the various options, and this seems like

Anyone have recommendations for which probiotics are the best ones to buy? I always get confused while looking at all the various options, and this seems like a good place to find someone who’s done a lot of research.

wtk 4y ago
I think the market is flooded with supplements, while you can help your gut bacteria with natural products like kefir (kind of buttermilk), kombucha, kimchi like products. I happen to love all those mentioned.
- 0daystock 4y ago
  Those are all very bad recommendations. Buttermilk is loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat, kombucha with sugar, and fermented vegetables like kimchi have shown to increase prostate adenocarcinoma. You want to regulate your gut flora with a variety of whole plant-based foods, not quick fixes like pills and a jar of stinky cabbage.
  - enviclash 4y ago
    You are telling me milk kefir is the cause of health issues? I would suggest limiting it to a few spoons a few times per week, then.
    - glogla 4y ago
      How would you make that practical? How long can you keep a bottle of kefir open before it goes bad?
      - enviclash 4y ago
        I have half glass of milk with kefir cultures, only, and I keep in the fridge. I use it also ad sauce, because the cultures get big and it gets concentrated and strong.
  - monadgonad 4y ago
    Neither dietary cholesterol nor saturated fat nor sugar are bad in moderation, and that's completely orthogonal to the point of them providing probiotics.
    - 0daystock 4y ago
      Motor oil could provide probiotics if cultured - wouldn't make it healthy to consume, except in "moderation".
  - blindmute 4y ago
    > milk is loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat Neither of these are bad for you, just don't be obese > kombucha with sugar Every bottle of kombucha I have ever seen has at most 16g of non-added sugar from fruits, the same as a banana > fermented vegetables like kimchi have shown to increase prostate adenocarcinoma Fake / trash science. More studies say the opposite than agree with this
    - 0daystock 4y ago
      > Neither of these are bad for you, just don't be obese Every nutritional authority in the world disagrees. > Every bottle of kombucha I have ever seen has at most 16g of non-added sugar from fruits, the same as a banana Right, sugar from a drink and banana are identical, even though only one has fiber. What mental gymnastics! > Fake / trash science. More studies say the opposite than agree with this Why didn't you cite them?
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
  - MrDresden 4y ago
    > "fermented vegetables like kimchi have shown to increase prostate adenocarcinoma." Since you did not link to any literature backing up your claim, I want to share this paper[0] as a counterpoint. Kimchi has been found to have active ANTI-cancerous effects, opposite to your claim. Please change my mind with referenced material. [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4285955/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4285955/
    - 0daystock 4y ago
      Do preserved foods increase prostate cancer risk? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409746/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409746/ Vegetables, but not pickled vegetables, are negatively associated with the risk of breast cancer https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20432165/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20432165/ Your study was in vitro and given the authors' background and affiliation was most likely made to promote agricultural production.
- enviclash 4y ago
  Same here, loving all things fermented! I am surprised people actually spend on probiotics, while kefir cultures (et alli) are so easy to buy.
vecter 4y ago
I've had bad gas most of my life. I just kind of assumed it was me and there was nothing I could do about it. I started on 10 Billion CFUs of Lactobacillus Acidophilus [0] a few weeks ago and my gas went away in literally one day. I take 10B CFUs every day or every other day now (every other is probably sufficient), and it's still gone. I'm literally amazed. I started taking it because I saw a video from Dr. Eric Berg [1] about how to deal with a potential candida overgrowth. [0] https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-acidophilus/art-20361967 https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-acidophilus/art... [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9wWC7M0QxI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9wWC7M0QxI
- pionar 4y ago
  It should be noted that Eric Berg is a known quack and conspiracy theorist. I'd be careful taking what he says as fact. He is not a medical doctor, he is a chiropractor.
- pkrotich 4y ago
  It’s a shame because in the bygone ages you could have been knighted as Touch Wood or Safety champion - flatulence games for those wondering. ;)
logankeenan 4y ago
Disclaimer, I’m a software engineer for Ritual. Antidotally, I recently started taking a probiotic and have had great improvements in digestive health. I also have a chronic digestive disease. Ritual recently launched a probiotic which includes the two most studied strains, LGG and BB-12. Our formulation and technology is very much driven by science. Maybe it’s right for you. https://ritual.com/products/synbiotic-plus-for-gut-health https://ritual.com/products/synbiotic-plus-for-gut-health
- okdood64 4y ago
  Off-topic: Please don't take this the wrong way. What sorts of engineering does an engineer at Ritual do? From an outside perspective it's just a website selling healthcare products. Is there some sort of big data driven approach to developing the products?
  - logankeenan 4y ago
    None taken and thanks for asking! I'll speak generally about this, at some point eCommerce sites will out grow what Shopify/etc offers. They need better integration with their partners and better control of their data. We rely on data to help measure the outcomes of decisions we make. This is not just engineering, but the whole company. The engineering side operates very much like any other software startup where we iterate on features that will help us grow and support our existing customers. A fun example is that we did not have the concept of a cart at the very beginning. You don't need a cart when you only have one product, so why spend development time building that? My most recent work has been performance because that was worth spending time on now. Before that, I worked on allowing customers to update their subscriptions via an email magic link for the launch of Synbiotic+ (the probiotic). We then look at our data to see how effective our efforts were in supporting the hypothesis which initially kicked off the work. Hope that helps!
willseth 4y ago
Visibiome has OTC and rx-only probiotics products, the latter of which is used to treat severe IBS and ulcerative colitis. Their OTC products are also very high potency and regularly recommended by doctors as well. Also, nicer grocery stores typically have a refrigerated probiotics section, and those are typically good brands as well (Garden of Life is one). Generally, shelf stable probiotics are less potent and varied in cultures than ones requiring refrigeration.
- thrwy_918 4y ago
  >Visibiome has OTC and rx-only probiotics products It's worth pointing out that the actual biotic payload is exactly the same between the two products, only the dosage is different. In other words, taking two packets of the regular unflavored powder should deliver the same payload as one packet of the rx-only "extra-strength" powder. I suspect the only reason the higher strength product exists, and is rx-only, is so that it can be covered by health insurance for some people.
  - willseth 4y ago
    Sure, I was pointing this out only because it's a signal that their product has gone through a more rigorous approval process to be accepted by insurance

wtk 4y ago

I think the market is flooded with supplements, while you can help your gut bacteria with natural products like kefir (kind of buttermilk), kombucha, kimchi like products. I happen to love all those mentioned.

0daystock 4y ago
Those are all very bad recommendations. Buttermilk is loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat, kombucha with sugar, and fermented vegetables like kimchi have shown to increase prostate adenocarcinoma. You want to regulate your gut flora with a variety of whole plant-based foods, not quick fixes like pills and a jar of stinky cabbage.
- enviclash 4y ago
  You are telling me milk kefir is the cause of health issues? I would suggest limiting it to a few spoons a few times per week, then.
  - glogla 4y ago
    How would you make that practical? How long can you keep a bottle of kefir open before it goes bad?
    - enviclash 4y ago
      I have half glass of milk with kefir cultures, only, and I keep in the fridge. I use it also ad sauce, because the cultures get big and it gets concentrated and strong.
- monadgonad 4y ago
  Neither dietary cholesterol nor saturated fat nor sugar are bad in moderation, and that's completely orthogonal to the point of them providing probiotics.
  - 0daystock 4y ago
    Motor oil could provide probiotics if cultured - wouldn't make it healthy to consume, except in "moderation".
- blindmute 4y ago
  > milk is loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat Neither of these are bad for you, just don't be obese > kombucha with sugar Every bottle of kombucha I have ever seen has at most 16g of non-added sugar from fruits, the same as a banana > fermented vegetables like kimchi have shown to increase prostate adenocarcinoma Fake / trash science. More studies say the opposite than agree with this
  - 0daystock 4y ago
    > Neither of these are bad for you, just don't be obese Every nutritional authority in the world disagrees. > Every bottle of kombucha I have ever seen has at most 16g of non-added sugar from fruits, the same as a banana Right, sugar from a drink and banana are identical, even though only one has fiber. What mental gymnastics! > Fake / trash science. More studies say the opposite than agree with this Why didn't you cite them?
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- MrDresden 4y ago
  > "fermented vegetables like kimchi have shown to increase prostate adenocarcinoma." Since you did not link to any literature backing up your claim, I want to share this paper[0] as a counterpoint. Kimchi has been found to have active ANTI-cancerous effects, opposite to your claim. Please change my mind with referenced material. [0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4285955/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4285955/
  - 0daystock 4y ago
    Do preserved foods increase prostate cancer risk? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409746/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409746/ Vegetables, but not pickled vegetables, are negatively associated with the risk of breast cancer https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20432165/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20432165/ Your study was in vitro and given the authors' background and affiliation was most likely made to promote agricultural production.
enviclash 4y ago
Same here, loving all things fermented! I am surprised people actually spend on probiotics, while kefir cultures (et alli) are so easy to buy.

vecter 4y ago

I've had bad gas most of my life. I just kind of assumed it was me and there was nothing I could do about it. I started on 10 Billion CFUs of Lactobacillus Acidophilus [0] a few weeks ago and my gas went away in literally one day. I take 10B CFUs every day or every other day now (every other is probably sufficient), and it's still gone. I'm literally amazed. I started taking it because I saw a video from Dr. Eric Berg [1] about how to deal with a potential candida overgrowth. [0] https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-acidophilus/art-20361967 https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-acidophilus/art... [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9wWC7M0QxI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9wWC7M0QxI

pionar 4y ago
It should be noted that Eric Berg is a known quack and conspiracy theorist. I'd be careful taking what he says as fact. He is not a medical doctor, he is a chiropractor.
pkrotich 4y ago
It’s a shame because in the bygone ages you could have been knighted as Touch Wood or Safety champion - flatulence games for those wondering. ;)

logankeenan 4y ago

Disclaimer, I’m a software engineer for Ritual. Antidotally, I recently started taking a probiotic and have had great improvements in digestive health. I also have a chronic digestive disease. Ritual recently launched a probiotic which includes the two most studied strains, LGG and BB-12. Our formulation and technology is very much driven by science. Maybe it’s right for you. https://ritual.com/products/synbiotic-plus-for-gut-health https://ritual.com/products/synbiotic-plus-for-gut-health

okdood64 4y ago
Off-topic: Please don't take this the wrong way. What sorts of engineering does an engineer at Ritual do? From an outside perspective it's just a website selling healthcare products. Is there some sort of big data driven approach to developing the products?
- logankeenan 4y ago
  None taken and thanks for asking! I'll speak generally about this, at some point eCommerce sites will out grow what Shopify/etc offers. They need better integration with their partners and better control of their data. We rely on data to help measure the outcomes of decisions we make. This is not just engineering, but the whole company. The engineering side operates very much like any other software startup where we iterate on features that will help us grow and support our existing customers. A fun example is that we did not have the concept of a cart at the very beginning. You don't need a cart when you only have one product, so why spend development time building that? My most recent work has been performance because that was worth spending time on now. Before that, I worked on allowing customers to update their subscriptions via an email magic link for the launch of Synbiotic+ (the probiotic). We then look at our data to see how effective our efforts were in supporting the hypothesis which initially kicked off the work. Hope that helps!

willseth 4y ago

Visibiome has OTC and rx-only probiotics products, the latter of which is used to treat severe IBS and ulcerative colitis. Their OTC products are also very high potency and regularly recommended by doctors as well. Also, nicer grocery stores typically have a refrigerated probiotics section, and those are typically good brands as well (Garden of Life is one). Generally, shelf stable probiotics are less potent and varied in cultures than ones requiring refrigeration.

thrwy_918 4y ago
>Visibiome has OTC and rx-only probiotics products It's worth pointing out that the actual biotic payload is exactly the same between the two products, only the dosage is different. In other words, taking two packets of the regular unflavored powder should deliver the same payload as one packet of the rx-only "extra-strength" powder. I suspect the only reason the higher strength product exists, and is rx-only, is so that it can be covered by health insurance for some people.
- willseth 4y ago
  Sure, I was pointing this out only because it's a signal that their product has gone through a more rigorous approval process to be accepted by insurance