Shannon Wright, M.S., R.D.
Sep 16, 2011
With summer ending and the winter season not far behind, doing everything we can to keep healthy should be at the top of our list. We hear quite a bit about vitamin C, exercise, hand washing and even echinacea, but one important component of immune system health that may actually surprise you is probiotics.
Probiotics are probably best known for their role in digestive health, but emerging science shows they are powerful components of immune system health as well. Since 60% of our immune cells are located in the digestive tract it makes sense that keeping those cells functioning well is vitally important for staying healthy. Adding a probiotic to your daily supplement routine may be a missing piece for optimizing your health this fall and winter season.
Which Probiotic is Right for Me? Probiotics appear to be popping up everywhere in our lives, you can even find probiotic butter and chocolate bars if you look hard enough. Probiotics have been around for centuries in forms such as cheeses, yogurts and other fermented foods. Probiotics in dietary supplements are growing in popularity and are available in a variety of forms such as: probiotic liquids, powders, tablets, and capsule form.
Not all probiotics are created equal. Different probiotics are created for different needs. Some are beneficial for digestive health while others may support immune health. Before you choose a probiotic you should do your homework and review the information available on the particular strain of probiotic. (also see Probiotics 101) You can usually find information on the probiotic company website. This should tell you more about:
• The strain used in the product.
• How much of the probiotic each serving contains.
• The research that was done to confirm a health benefit from the probiotic (immune health, digestive health or other)
Nature Made® Probiotics
Nature Made currently offers two products in our probiotic offerings:
Nature Made Triple Probiotic is Nature Made’s specially designed multivitamin and probiotic blend for immune system health. Triple Probiotic not only offers 3 clinically proven strains of probiotic, it is combined with a multivitamin giving you a convenient combination to support your immune system.
Nature Made Acidophilus is a single strain probiotic containing lactobacillus acidophilus, a very common probiotic, for general digestive health.
We could all use extra support for our immune system health as we head into the fall and winter season. Trust Nature Made as your source for quality probiotics to keep you functioning at your best.