Just Ask Terry

Terry is happy to provide his opinion on diet and nutrition, supplements and lifestyle choices. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to replace the advice of your physician and is not to be considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you have any concerns please contact your physician directly.

Q. Terry, “Since it’s expensive, I want to make sure my probiotic supplement really contains live, beneficial bacteria. The internet offers instructions on how to test the “vitality” of your supplement by putting the probiotic in a glass of milk and leaving it stand for 24-48 hours. If the milk does not curdle, it means the probiotics are not viable (alive). Does this really work? How can I be sure my probiotic supplement is really working?” — Jason D., Bismarck, ND

A. Dear Jason, I completely understand your concerns in wanting to make sure that anything you put into your body is only of the highest quality. However, the test you are alluding to is not a validated test for determining whether probiotic bacteria are alive or not. In fact, the reported test is likely to kill any live bacteria due to exposure to oxygen, as well as moisture, for an extended period of time. While there are methods to determine whether probiotic bacteria are alive in a product, these tests must be done under extremely controlled circumstances using accepted microbiological methods in a laboratory. There are no home tests that would allow one to make this determination. Additionally, there are a set of industry guidelines called “Good Manufacturing Practices” or “GMPs” that relates the steps that are necessary for making products. Make sure any products you purchase are from a company that follows GMP guidelines and is FDA-inspected.

I’d also look for companies that have had some of their products used in high-quality clinical studies. In studies published in peer-reviewed, legitimate journals, researchers are usually highly selective of what they choose to include. While this is not the only criteria for a quality product, when you find a supplement or ingredient that has been used in one or more published studies, it is an indicator that it has met the requirements of these researchers.

Lastly, I encourage you to build a good relationship with a health food store or integrative pharmacy that you feel can offer you solid guidance in product selection. It is their job to know about the products they carry, and they should be able to answer your questions about various companies and give you an idea if they fall into the good, better or best category.

Healthy Regards!

Terry . . . Naturally