There is such a variety of probiotic products available for purchase that choosing one can be difficult. On top of that, our tests showed that some products are lacking in quality and were "Not Approved". To help, we suggest that you first check our Results table to find identify products "Approved" for quality in our testing. Then consider the following:
- Choose a product that contains the type(s) and amounts of probiotic organism(s) shown to work for your condition. See the "What They Do" section and then check the Results table for products that contain that/those organism(s).
- See our Top Picks for some of the most common uses of probiotics.
- Be aware that there can be huge variation in the number of viable cells (CFUs) from product to product. Among products tested, this ranged from just 100 million to hundreds of billion! Typically, an adult probiotic should provide at least 1 billion cells daily — although, as discussed in the "What They Do" section, some probiotics have been shown to work at a lower dose.
- Cautions If you have a milk allergy, be aware that trace amounts of milk proteins may occur in some probiotics (see Concerns and Cautions).
