Oz has spoken again! This time the good doctor sheds some light on a common health scam involving probiotics. Dr. Oz has been a great proponent of probiotics to support healthy digestion, immunity and overall health, but in the video segment below he exposes how some probiotic companies can swindle unsuspecting shoppers. Dr. Tod Cooperman of Consumer Labs reveals that the amount of probiotic bacteria that some products claim often does not match the actual amount detected. In fact, some test results showed that some probiotic products can contain as little as 7% of the label claim of colony forming units (CFU) or live probiotic cultures. Talk about a rip off!
The trick is that many probiotic companies still claim the number of total probiotic bacteria at “time of manufacture.” While these products may have started with a certain amount of probiotics, the live bacteria can actually die off before the product ends up in your hand. Now this doesn’t mean there aren’t good probiotics out there, you just have to know what to look for. I’m so excited that Dr. Oz is bringing this up and raising awareness about these powerful good bacteria, but there’s a little more to this story, so here’s my 2 cents.
First, Dr. Oz left something critical out – probiotic shopping tips. Instead of choosing products that list the number of their live bacteria “at time of manufacture,” be on the look-out for probiotics that guarantee their potency until time of expiration. Quality products like the Vital Flora line of probiotics claim only the potency that they can guarantee until the product’s expiration date. No sneaky label tricks there.
Second, in the segment Dr. Cooperman says that we should consume at least 1 billion live bacteria each day. In my humble opinion, that is nowhere near enough! In my latest PBS Special, The Road to Perfect Health, I talk about the benefits of probiotics, and the absolute minimum I recommend is 15 Billion live bacteria per day. When it comes to probiotics, more is better. And guess what, after age 50 probiotic levels, especially Bifidobacteria, start to decline. If you’re fifty or older, you should double that dose to 30 Billion per day to maintain good digestive and immune health.
So that is as they say “the rest of the story” about this probiotic scam. The key here is to be a smart shopper – diligent label-reading is an absolute must. So take your probiotics daily to support optimal health and don’t fall victim to these tricks.
I am a 50-year-old female overweight trying to lose weight for the long unable to do so or six years ago I had my thyroid removed I don’t know if that have anything to do with it what can you tell me about my situation I am in desperate need I need to lose weight diabetes runs in my family: cancer heart disease and so far so I don’t have any of those right now
Have you heard anything about the Probiotic America advertising their product “Perfect Biotics”? I am considering ordering their product and would like to get your opinion on this particular biotic.
I, too, would like to know if Probiotic America is legitimate, and if it is as good as it claims.
Get ready for sticker shock. Watched their online presentation. Normal price for a 30-day supply? $69.95..one time intro price of $39.95 for a month’s supply then back to the $69.95 a month.
Big scam!
I have tried Perfect Biotics for about 1 month. I did get sucked into the weird scam where I thought i only bought 3 bottles and somehow ended up buying 5. That being said, after the 30 days, I switched to Dr Mercolas probiotics and I have been taking that for about 1.5 months. At this point I feel like I did like the Perfect Biotics better. I was very regular on it and with Dr Mercola I am regular but just not as much. And Dr Mercolas is 70 billion. As for effectiveness of either(other than being regular), who really knows! The Perfect Biotics is a lot more expensive, but I think I will try another 30 days on it and see. And I almost forgot the most important thing, I started giving the perfect biotics to my boyfriend and he stopped having the most foul smelling gas. I have not tested Dr mercolas probiotic on him yet.