How to Pick Live Cultures: 7 Key Factors to Consider

With so many live culture options out there, finding the right one can be overwhelming. The right live cultures can support gut health, digestion, and immunity,¹ but the wrong ones may leave you bloated and wasting money. So, how do you pick live cultures that work? Here are 7 key factors to consider.

1. CFU Count: The strength in numbers

One of the first things to look for when choosing live cultures is the colony-forming units (CFUs). This number tells you how many live, active bacteria are in each serving. However, not all brands make this easy to spot. Some companies require multiple capsules per serving, so always check the label closely to see how much you’re really getting per capsule.

Typically, you want live cultures with billions of CFUs per serving. ² But strength alone isn’t enough. It’s also important to look at the types of bacteria (called strains) that are included.

2. CFUs per Strain: More than just a hight count

While a high CFU count is important, you also need to look at how many CFUs each bacterial strain has.

Live cultures work by repopulating your gut with beneficial bacteria, but if the strength per strain is too low, the bacteria won’t be able to thrive in your gut.

For example, if a live culture supplement contains 10 different strains, you want each strain to have at least 5 billion CFUs to ensure they’re effective. So, for a 10-strain supplement, a total CFU count of around 50 billion is a good benchmark (this is the CFU count in our Adult Live Cultures). This ensures that every strain is strong enough to make a real difference in your gut.

Studies have shown that maintaining a diverse and well-populated gut flora is essential for health. ^{3 4} Live cultures with insufficient CFUs per strain won’t be able to accomplish that.

3. Patented Strains: Why do they matter?

Not all live cultures are the same. Patented strains come with a wealth of research backing their effectiveness, meaning you know exactly what benefits they provide. Otherwise, they’re more likely to be cheap, generic bacteria that may not offer the benefits you’re hoping for. ⁵

So, how can you tell if a live culture supplement contains patented strains?

Look for a number after the strain’s name. For instance, the bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus is a common strain, but it’s only when you see something like Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14 that you know you’re dealing with a patented strain.

That said, the strains we use in our live cultures are chosen for their ability to resist stomach acid and bile, so they can pass through your digestive system and reach the intestines, where they do the real work. Without these qualities, the bacteria may die before they can do any good.

 4. Enteric coating or delayed-release capsules

Even if you’ve found live cultures with a high CFU count and patented strains, you need to make sure the bacteria can survive the trip to your gut. Enteric-coated or delayed-release capsules are designed to protect the live cultures from your stomach acid, ensuring they make it to your intestines intact. ⁶

Without this coating, the bacteria may dissolve in your stomach and never reach the intestines where they’re most needed. Enteric or delayed-release capsules act as an extra layer of protection, increasing the chances that the live cultures survive the journey.

5. Shelf Stability: No refrigeration needed

Many live cultures on the market require refrigeration, but that could actually be a sign of lower-quality strains. High-quality live cultures are shelf-stable, meaning they don’t need refrigeration to stay effective.

One of the big issues with live cultures that require refrigeration is that when they leave their manufacturing facility they won’t be refrigerated during transportation, and during the time they spend hanging around in warehouses.

This time period can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. During that time, their strength will be constantly weakening as the bacteria die off, and consequently, they will be far less effective. 

6. Prebiotics: Fuel for live cultures

When choosing live cultures, don’t forget to check if they contain fibre. Look at the ingredient list for common fibres like guar fiber or fructooligosaccharides (FOS).

Fibre is essentially food for live cultures. It helps ensure that the live cultures are nourished while in the capsule, keeping them alive until you take them. Once in your gut, fibre continues to feed the live cultures, helping them thrive.

Without fibre, the live cultures may struggle to survive long enough to be effective. A supplement that includes both fibre and live cultures is often called a “synbiotic” and provides a powerful one-two punch for gut health. ⁷

7. Third-party testing for quality assurance

How can you be sure you’re getting what’s promised on the label? Look for live cultures that undergo third-party testing. Independent testing ensures that the product contains the strains and CFU counts advertised, and that the bacteria are alive and viable.

A study found that many commercial live culture supplements didn’t contain all the promised strains, and some even had harmful bacteria! Out of 890 isolated bacteria strains, less than half met the criteria for live cultures, with only 420 strains qualifying. ⁸

If you’re investing in live cultures for your health, make sure the company is transparent about its testing process. This step helps ensure you’re getting the potency and strains you’re paying for.

Final Thoughts on How to Pick Live Cultures

Picking the right live cultures doesn’t have to be complicated, but it’s important to know what to look for. By focusing on CFU count, patented strains, shelf stability, fibre, and third-party testing, you can feel confident that you’re selecting live cultures that will work for you.

If you’re looking for live cultures that check all these boxes, explore our range of Adult Live Cultures with Fibre, Women’s Live Cultures, and Kids’ Live Cultures.

References:

1. National Institutes of Health. “Probiotics.” Nih.gov, 3 Nov. 2023, ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Probiotics-HealthProfessional/. ↩︎
2. Kechagia, Maria, et al. “Health Benefits of Probiotics: A Review.” ISRN Nutrition, vol. 2013, no. 1, 2 Jan. 2013, pp. 1–7, https://doi.org/10.5402/2013/481651. ↩︎
3. Lozupone, Catherine A., et al. “Diversity, Stability and Resilience of the Human Gut Microbiota.” Nature, vol. 489, no. 7415, 13 Sept. 2012, pp. 220–230, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11550. ↩︎
4. Hills, Ronald D., et al. “Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease.” Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 7, 16 July 2019, p. 1613, https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071613. ↩︎
5. Fijan, Sabina. “Microorganisms with Claimed Probiotic Properties: An Overview of Recent Literature.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 11, no. 5, 5 May 2014, pp. 4745–4767, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110504745. ↩︎
6. Govender, Mershen, et al. “A Review of the Advancements in Probiotic Delivery: Conventional vs. Non-Conventional Formulations for Intestinal Flora Supplementation.” AAPS PharmSciTech, vol. 15, no. 1, 25 Sept. 2013, pp. 29–43, https://doi.org/10.1208/s12249-013-0027-1. ↩︎
7. Pandey, Kavita. R., et al. “Probiotics, Prebiotics and Synbiotics- a Review.” Journal of Food Science and Technology, vol. 52, no. 12, 22 July 2015, pp. 7577–7587, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-015-1921-1. ↩︎
8. Marinova, Viktoria Yonkova, et al. “Microbiological Quality of Probiotic Dietary Supplements.” Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, vol. 33, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2019, pp. 834–841, https://doi.org/10.1080/13102818.2019.1621208. ↩︎

Related posts:

The Best Time To Take Live Cultures For Maximum Effectiveness Live Cultures: The Ultimate Supplement Guide Taking Live Cultures With Antibiotics – Is It Safe To Do So?