Top 5 Probiotic Supplements of 2022

Probiotic supplements work to restore the balance of healthy bacteria in the stomach. These bacteria are responsible for digestion and can help you overcome symptoms of digestive ailments.

The American diet consists of lots of carbohydrates, sugars, alcohol, and processed foods. Consuming these types of food can gradually deplete the gut of healthy bacteria, leading to problems like heartburn, bloating, gas, and inflammation in the digestive tract. Most of it boils down to the food not being properly digested, and causing problems later in the body.

By supplementing your diet with additional probiotics, you can increase your ability to digest foods, eliminate bloating and gas, and ensure a diverse and healthy microbiome. A diverse gut microbiome helps regulate mood, increase energy levels, and can even boost immune function.

Breakdown

Benefits: By supplementing your diet with additional probiotics, you can increase your ability to digest foods, eliminate bloating and gas, and ensure a diverse and healthy microbiome. A diverse gut microbiome helps regulate mood, increase energy levels, and can even boost immune function.

Key Ingredients: In a probiotic supplement, there are a few key indicators of the product’s quality. Probiotic supplements should ideally contain many different strains, which can work as a team to break down the foods in your stomach. Certain strains of probiotics will break down certain types of food like sugars, dairy products, and carbohydrates. Additionally, you want the probiotic supplements to contain high CFU’s, meaning “Colony Forming Units”. The amount of CFU being higher will mean that the healthy probiotic bacteria will be able to multiply more effectively in the stomach and function more effectively.

What to avoid: Low amounts of CFU, a short ingredient list, any sort of artificial filler or binder, and any promise of instant results. Most probiotic supplements will need to be taken regularly over a few weeks for the results to show.

What To Look For In A
Probiotic Supplement

Diverse Blend of Probiotic Strains
Quality supplements will contain multiple different probiotic strains. Certain strains of probiotics are responsible for breaking down different kinds of foods. With a comprehensive list of strains, a supplement will more effectively aid in digestion. 
Prebiotics
Prebiotics are essential for effective delivery of the probiotic strains – they act as food for the probiotics to feed on in order to multiply and create colonies of bacteria in the gut. Prebiotics can be found in fibrous foods and leafy greens – but most people don’t get enough of them in their regular diet.

Restore the Optimal Microbiome in your Gut

Probiotics are a foundational component of the digestive system – better digestion can lead to increased energy, lower levels of stress, decreased bloating, and decreased inflammation in the body.

What To Avoid In A Probiotic Supplement

Low Diversity of Probiotic Strains
Multiple strains are crucial for an effective probiotic supplement.
Quick Dissolving Formulas or Capsules
In order to make sure that the probiotics are delivered successfully, the formula should delay the release of the live bacteria so they are not killed by stomach acid. 

Top 5 Probiotic Supplements Of 2022

When putting together our rankings, we consider the quality of ingredients, safety, return policies, projected effectiveness, and customer satisfaction.

First, here’s a side-by-side comparison of how industry-leading supplements stack up against each other.

9+ Probiotic Strains
Prebiotics
Advanced Formula
cost per serving
Terra Health Essentials
9+ Probiotic Strains
Prebiotics
Advanced Formula
cost per serving
$1.53
Seed
9+ Probiotic Strains
Prebiotics
Advanced Formula
cost per serving
$1.67
1MD
9+ Probiotic Strains
Prebiotics
Advanced Formula
cost per serving
$1.67
Thorne
9+ Probiotic Strains
Prebiotics
Advanced Formula
cost per serving
$1.60
Ancient Nutrition
9+ Probiotic Strains
Prebiotics
Advanced Formula
cost per serving
$1.66

Based on our independent research, we have compiled the five best Probiotic Supplements on the market – we factor in many details such as purity, ingredient statement, dosage, and price to build the list.

Below are the final rankings from our editors, complete with detailed reviews of each supplement:

Terra Health Essentials Advanced Probiotic

5/5
*Results are based on the Top Market Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.

Terra Health Essentials product line has been a consistent contender in our rankings, and their Advanced Probiotic offering has not come up short. It’s our top pick for our 2022 probiotic supplement showdown. Packing a whopping nine different probiotic strains, you know you’re getting a formula that’s well thought out and stuffed to the brim with the good stuff for your gut.

One thing we really appreciated about this supplement is that it’s been reformulated for optimal survival in the gut – there’s nothing worse than taking a supplement that doesn’t even make it to where it needs to go. Additionally, Terra Health Essentials has included prebiotics and calcium to help the probiotics colonize and increase effectiveness.

When it comes to cost, this supplement is definitely a value. At just $1.53 per serving, it’s affordable and there are even bundle and subscription options available to save more.

Now for the cons – Terra Health Essentials products are only available online. But they have super fast shipping. You can also find it stocked online at Amazon and Walmart, so getting your hands on it is pretty easy… and dare I say… convenient in this modern era of online shopping.

Overall, we highly recommend the Terra Health Essentials Advanced Probiotic for anyone looking to support their digestive health. It’s a solid #1 pick in our book.

PROS
  • 9 crucial probiotic strains
  • Prebiotics
  • Low cost per serving ($1.53)
  • Value-friendly bundle & subscription options 
CONS
  • Only available online

Seed DS-01 Probiotic

4/5
*Results are based on the Top Market Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.

When we tried out Seed’s probiotics we expected good things and let me tell you, they’re pretty darn good! The blend of probiotics is top notch and the packaging is oh-so-sleek and earth-friendly. The customer service is also a major plus. And, not only do you get probiotics, but you also get prebiotics to really give your gut the love it deserves. Plus, the advanced delivery system ensures that the probiotics actually make it to where they need to go in your body.

Now, here’s the thing. Seed is definitely on the pricier side, coming in at $1.67 per serving. The bigger drawback is that you can only get it through a subscription service, which is a very out dated way to lock your customers into reoccurring charges they might not really want. If you’re willing to splurge for high quality probiotics and don’t mind being pulled into a monthly fee each month whether you take them or not, then Seed could be the way to go for you. However, if you’re looking for a more budget-minded and less predatory option, we recommend checking out Terra Health Essentials Advanced Probiotic. It offers similar benefits, allows for bulk orders for deep discounts and tops our list at #1 for a more than just the lower cost benefit.

PROS
  • Excellent blend of probiotics
  • Sleek packaging
  • Good customer service
  • Prebiotics and probiotics
  • Advanced delivery system ensures probiotics make it to the gut intact
CONS
  • Ultra premium price point
  • Subscription only

1MD Complete Probiotics

3.5/5
*Results are based on the Top Market Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.

1MD Complete Probiotics were a solid choice for a probiotic supplement, offering a high CFU and quality formula, but making you pay a premium price. While it didn’t take the top spot in our Top 5 rankings for 2022, it definitely held its own against the other supplements we’ve tested. One of the standout features for us was the high CFUs, which gave confidence that you are going to get a good dose of probiotics in each serving.

A big drawback is the fact that the supplement includes some fillers like Silicon Dioxide and a vegetarian capsule that may not deliver optimal survival in the gut.

While 1MD Complete Probiotics offers a high CFU and diverse probiotic blend, the value per serving makes the product score lower than other options on the market who’s ingredients are geared specifically to prevent bloat and discomfort such as Terra Health Essentials Advanced Probiotics.

PROS
  • High CFUs 
  • Includes prebiotics
  • 10 different probiotic strains
CONS
  • Contains jerusalem artichoke root

Thorne FloraMend Probiotic

*Results are based on the Top Market Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.

Thorne FloraMend offers a solid formula that is backed by scientific research and comes in an acid-resistant capsule. By encapsulating the probiotics in an acid-resistant capsule, it helps to protect them and ensure that they are able to survive the journey through the digestive system and reach the intestines, where they can provide the most benefit. It is also geared towards weight-loss, which may be appealing to some consumers.

However, the product does have some significant drawbacks. First, it only contains a few crucial enzymes for digestion. Additionally, the ingredient list is limited to only 3 strains of probiotics, which is a significant drawback when compared to other probiotic supplements on the market that offer a wider variety of beneficial bacteria strains. Finally, the high price point per serving is another negative, as there are other options available at a lower cost that provide similar benefits. Overall, while Thorne FloraMend may have some positives, the negatives make it hard to justify giving it a try. Stick with our #1 pick if you’re looking for a probiotic offering that costs less and delivers more.

PROS
  • Acid-resistant capsule
  • Geared towards weight-loss
CONS
  • Only 3 strains of probiotics
  • High price point per serving

Ancient Nutrition SBO Probiotic

3/5
*Results are based on the Top Market Reviews Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.

Ancient Nutrition SBO Probiotic is a disappointing product that does not offer a diverse enough blend of probiotics to justify its high price. One major issue is that it includes only 4 strain-specific probiotics, which is significantly less than other probiotic supplements on the market that offer a wider variety of beneficial bacteria strains. Additionally, the inclusion of Saccharomyces Boulardii, a type of yeast, may not be suitable for everyone and could potentially cause negative side effects for some users.

Another concern is that while the product claims to have a high CFU count, it does not specify the amount of each individual probiotic strain, which means that a significant portion of the CFU count could be going towards the Saccharomyces Boulardii. This raises questions about the overall effectiveness of the product.

While the inclusion of a fermented botanical blend and high number of servings per container may be appealing to some consumers, these positives are outweighed by the negatives. Additionally, the use of non-deglycyrrhized licorice root, which can be harmful when taken daily, is another major drawback. Overall, while Ancient Nutrition SBO Probiotic may have some benefits, its limited probiotic strains, potentially harmful ingredient, and lack of transparency about the CFU count make it difficult to recommend.

PROS
  • Includes a fermented botanical blend
  • High amount of servings per container
CONS
  • Includes only 4 strain-specific probiotics
  • Higher cost
  • Non-deglycyrrhized licorice root

REFERENCES

Harish, K., & Varghese, T. (2006). Probiotics in humans–evidence based review. Calicut Med J4(4), e3.

Kerry, R. G., Patra, J. K., Gouda, S., Park, Y., Shin, H. S., & Das, G. (2018). Benefaction of probiotics for human health: A review. Journal of food and drug analysis26(3), 927-939.

Sanders, M. E., Merenstein, D., Merrifield, C. A., & Hutkins, R. (2018). Probiotics for human use. Nutrition bulletin43(3), 212-225.

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