Best Probiotic Supplements
If you're a living, breathing human in 2018, you should be at least a tiny bit familiar with probiotics. These microorganisms are touted as the key to good gut health, which, in turn, can lead to great things like better skin and decreased anxiety. "The microbiome is radically transforming our approach to medicine, hygiene, diet, living, our definition of health and the choices we make for ourselves and our children, every day," says Seed co-founder and co-CEO Ara Katz. "Beyond demystifying probiotics, we use the microbiome as a pathway to empower consumers with a more holistic understanding of their body and actionable ways to positively impact their health," she says.
But not all probiotic supplements are created equal—which is why we did some digging to track down the best in the biz. Here, the ones worth your hard-earned money.
The goods: Seed, Female Synbiotic
Seed is a new supplement startup that counts celebs like Jessica Biel and Karlie Kloss as investors. Its chief scientist, Dr. Gregor Reid, was literally the chair of the United Nations and World Health Organization panel that defined the term probiotic (a definition that is recognized globally).
The Daily Symbiotic is the the brand's first product launch, with formulations for both men and women. The female-focused product contains 24 strains of probiotics and prebiotics that were painstakingly chosen for their efficacy—and, these aren't strains you'll find in your bottle of kombucha. (Prebiotics are what probiotics eat.)
The goods: Hum Nutrition, Gut Instinct
This 10-strain probiotic has 25 billion organisms per dose—an impressive number, considering that lots of probiotics tap out at around four or five billion. They're also sustainably sourced, non-GMO and gluten-free.
The goods: Care/of, Probiotic Blend
Care/of's probiotic blend only contains two strains of probiotics, but for good reason—they're the ones that have been most extensively researched for their benefits. These two strains, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis, help colonize the good bacteria in your gut—which sounds gross, but is actually really great for your digestion.
The goods: Dr. Axe Nutrition, SBO Probiotic
Dr. Axe is the guy you go to when you have health questions—his site is a smorgasbord of well-researched information—so it makes sense that his line of probiotics would be equally impressive. Each serving contains 50 billion organisms, plus prebiotics.
The goods: Kimberly Snyder, Beauty Detox SBO Probiotics
Kimberly Snyder is a nutritionist to such glowy-skinned celebs like Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon. One of her secrets: balancing digestion. That's where her soil-based probiotics come in. (We promise, they don't taste like dirt.) The soil part is important, because it supposedly mimics what we'd find in nature eating unwashed fruits and veggies. Only, you know, without it being unsanitary.
Pop two capsules a day, and say hello to better digestion and more radiant skin.
