Now Foods Probiotic-10 100 Billion

What is Now Foods' Probiotic-10 100 Billion?

Now Foods Probiotic-10 100 Billion is a live culture supplement in vegetable capsules. One capsule provides 100 billion colony-forming units, spread across ten strains each named and referenced individually. The product comes in 30 and 60 capsules, and it must be kept refrigerated.

Colony-forming units, abbreviated to CFU, count the micro-organisms viable at the time of manufacture. It is the unit of measurement in this category, and 100 billion per capsule places this product at the top end of the market — the usual formulas sit rather between 1 and 30 billion.

But the most interesting figure on this label is not the CFU count: it is the fact that every strain is identified by its exact reference. Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14, Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04, Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lr-32… These codes designate precise strains, not a vague bacterial genus. The rest of the American range can be browsed in our Now Foods section, and the other products in the category in our probiotic section.

What does one Probiotic-10 capsule contain?

Naming the strains is not a bureaucratic detail, it is what separates a serious product from a display product. Two strains from the same bacterial genus can behave very differently, and research is always carried out on identified strains, never on a genus. A product that announces “lactobacilli and bifidobacteria” with no further precision tells you nothing about what you are buying. Here, ten strains, ten references, and the manufacturer states that they are identified by genetic fingerprinting.

The formula also contains fructo-oligosaccharides, fibres that serve as a substrate for the bacteria — this is what is called a prebiotic, as opposed to the probiotic, which refers to the micro-organisms themselves.

On the regulatory side we need to be precise, because this category is saturated with promises: no health claim is authorised in Europe for these strains. Not on digestion, not on immunity, not on transit, not on the microbiota. The dossiers submitted in this category came to nothing. So we describe strains, their number and their directions for use, without announcing any effect. That is as frustrating to write as it is to read, but it is the state of the law.

The manufacturer states production in the United States, non-GMO, kosher and halal, along with the absence of gluten, dairy, soya, egg, fish and tree nuts in the formula.

List of ingredients

Blend of ten lactic acid bacteria strains (100 billion CFU), hypromellose (vegetable capsule), microcrystalline cellulose, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), ascorbyl palmitate, silicon dioxide.

Gluten-free, dairy-free, soya-free, egg-free, fish-free and tree-nut-free. Made in a facility that handles other allergens. Do not consume the desiccant sachet inside the bottle.

How should you take Probiotic-10?

Dose: 1 capsule. Liquid: a glass of water. Timing: in the morning on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before breakfast, or between two meals. Frequency: one serving a day. Duration: a course of 3 months minimum according to the manufacturer.

Let us start with the constraint that decides everything about this product: refrigeration is compulsory, between 2 and 8 °C. This is not a comfort tip, it is what keeps the bacteria alive until the use-by date. Take the bottle out only for as long as it takes to swallow the capsule and close it again straight away. A bottle left for a day on the worktop in high summer loses part of its value, and nobody can tell you which part.

That constraint has a practical consequence you have to accept: this product travels badly. In hot weather, plan to be there for the delivery and to put it in the fridge without waiting. It is the kind of detail that does not show up on a product page, and that nonetheless makes the difference between a bottle that works and a useless one.

Taking it on an empty stomach has a precise reason: stomach acidity. The bacteria have to pass through that very acidic environment to reach the intestine, and an empty stomach is less acidic than a stomach in the middle of digestion. Thirty minutes before breakfast, or two hours after a meal, are the two windows the manufacturer settles on.

If you are on antibiotics, leave at least two hours between them. An antibiotic does not sort between bacteria: taking the two together amounts to destroying what you have just swallowed. This product combines without overlap with digestive enzymes, which act through an entirely different mechanism, or with a glutamine.

Who is Probiotic-10 for, and who is it not for?

It is aimed at an adult looking for a formula with identified strains and a high dose, and who accepts the fridge constraint. The 30-capsule size lets you try one month before moving to the 60.

It is not recommended for people whose immune system is weakened, nor for those taking immunosuppressive medication without medical advice. This is the most important contraindication on this page and the manufacturer is explicit about it: giving live micro-organisms to someone whose defences are diminished is not a trivial matter. If you are in that situation, the question goes to your doctor, without exception.

Medical advice is also required in the event of pregnancy, breastfeeding or ongoing medication. The product is for adults only, and the desiccant sachet inside the bottle obviously must not be consumed.

What you should not expect from it. No health claim exists for these strains in Europe: not digestion, not immunity, not transit. A digestive disorder that persists, pain or an established change in transit are matters for a doctor, not for a supplement. And a higher CFU figure does not automatically mean a better product: it is the strains and their documentation that count, not the race to the billion.

100 billion CFU or a more modest dose?

This is the question everyone asks in front of this category, and the answer is not the one people expect.

A high dose is not in itself a guarantee of superiority. Published protocols use very variable quantities depending on the strains, and much of the work concerns doses well below 100 billion. What counts more is the precise identification of the strains — which this product does very well — and regularity in taking it.

Where, then, does the value of such a high dose lie? In the margin: bacteria suffer losses in storage and on the way through the stomach, and starting from 100 billion leaves more survivors than starting from 5 billion. That is safety-margin reasoning, not a promise of proportional efficacy.

In which cases is a more modest product enough? Often, and that is what we say readily in the shop. A lower dose costs less, is sometimes stable at room temperature — a serious advantage — and suits maintenance use. Our spirulina section and our other everyday supplements do in fact offer options that simply go in a cupboard. And if your subject is digestive comfort after meals rather than the microbiota, our oat flour section and dietary fibre sources answer a different logic, through the plate.

Frequently asked questions

How many live cultures per capsule?

100 billion colony-forming units, spread across ten strains. That is a dose at the top end of the market, the usual formulas sitting rather between 1 and 30 billion. The formula also contains fructo-oligosaccharides, fibres that serve as a substrate for the bacteria.

Does it really have to be kept in the fridge?

Yes, between 2 and 8 °C, and it is imperative. It is the condition for the bacteria to stay alive until the use-by date. Take the bottle out only for as long as it takes to swallow the capsule and close it again immediately. In hot weather, put it somewhere cold as soon as your order arrives.

Why take it on an empty stomach?

Because the bacteria have to pass through the stomach to reach the intestine, and an empty stomach is less acidic than a stomach in the middle of digestion. The manufacturer settles on thirty minutes before breakfast, or two hours after a meal.

Can it be taken with antibiotics?

Not at the same time: leave at least two hours between them. An antibiotic does not distinguish useful bacteria from the rest, and taking both together would destroy what you have just swallowed. If you are on medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Why are the strains numbered?

Because two strains from the same bacterial genus can behave very differently, and because research is always carried out on identified strains. The codes La-14, Bl-04 or Lr-32 designate precise strains. A product that writes only “lactobacilli” tells you nothing about what you are buying.

What is the difference between the pack sizes?

Only the number of capsules: 30 or 60, with the same formula. At one capsule a day, that represents one or two months. Since the manufacturer recommends a course of three months minimum, the 60 size is more consistent if you have already made up your mind.

Are the capsules suitable for vegetarians?

The shell is a vegetable capsule made of hypromellose, and the manufacturer declares the absence of gluten, dairy, soya, egg, fish and tree nuts. It also states that the product is non-GMO, kosher and halal, and made in the United States.

Where can you buy Now Foods' Probiotic-10?

The pack sizes can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, we always warn about the fridge constraint: it is the leading cause of disappointment with this product, and the local summer does not forgive a bottle left in a car. The rest of our selection can be browsed in the sports nutrition section, and micronutrient intakes in our multivitamins.