The Most Important Thing You Have Never Learned
About Probiotics

By Dr. Kevin Passero

Probiotic supplements are wildly popular and more than ever people are aware of the importance of the billions of microorganisms that live within the gut.

These friendly bacteria are involved in almost every biological process and have been implicated in conditions impacting every organ of the body including the brain, heart, gut, kidneys, pancreas and of course the stomach as well as the small and large intestines. They are also absolutely essential for the breakdown and digestion of the nutrients in our food and play a profound role in the balance of our immune system.

In fact, researchers believe that the microbes in our gut are the most important factor when it comes to regulating the proper balance of our immune response! But before you get all excited about supporting your health with a probiotic supplement, you must learn a few simple things about them so you can choose a product wisely.

The single most important thing to know when choosing a probiotic supplement to support your health is related to its genetic verification. What does this mean? Let’s take a closer look.

DNA-verification is a process that ensures the probiotic bacteria you are taking has been verified down to the genetic level. For example, many products might contain a common probiotic called lactobacillus acidophilus. Lactobacillus is the genus and acidophilus is the species. Without this being too similar to a boring 8^th grade biology class, it is important to understand that each species of probiotic has a vast amount of genetic variation, referred to as a strain. A strain is just a specific type of bacteria, in the same way that a Yellow Labrador is a specific type of dog. Different probiotic manufactures will use different strains. So even though the labels may all say Lactobacillus acidophilus, the actual strains used may not be the same.

Think of several dog breeders, one selling Chihuahas, one selling Great Danes and another selling Bulldogs. Technically, they are all dogs, but how they look, how they behave and everything about them is very different. If your probiotic is not verified down to the level of the strain, you really have no idea what you are getting or the effects it might have on your body. For example, the findings from a 2016 study published in the journal Nature found that 94% of all commercial probiotic capsules tested contained completely different strains of bacteria compared to the strains stated on the label. Having DNA verification ensures that what is stated on the bottle is in fact what you are taking. Furthermore, strain-based probiotics are the only ones with human clinical trials and research backing the beneficial effects.

For these reasons, DNA-verification is the single most important thing to look for on a label when buying a probiotic. This is more important than the number of bacteria, or the dose, in my opinion. And it is something that is easy to identify on a label if you know what you are looking for. Genetically verified strains are typically identified on a label with a sequence of numbers and/or letters listed after the probiotic species. For example, Lactobacillus acidophilus (NCFM), or Bifidobacterium lactis (Bi-07). So, make sure to look for a sequence of letters or numbers (or a combination of both) after the species name to ensure you are getting a genetically-verified strain.

When I formulated Durable PROBIOTIC®, I combined five of the most extensively studied, patented and genetically verified strains proven to provide cardiovascular health benefits beyond what typical probiotics provide, along with powerful support for digestive and immune health. In fact, this formula is one of the only probiotic supplements on the market made with a unique blend of strains proven to lower total cholesterol and boost HDL.