Choosing the right probiotic or synbiotic is not the easiest. A common question that many people ask is – how many strains and how many bacteria should a good supplement contain? The more bacteria strains and the more bacteria the better, right? 

More is not necessarily better 

Naturally, in theory it sounds great to have a preparation that contains lots of strains – in our gut alone we already have around a thousand different strains of bacteria. The same applies to the amount of bacteria, since there are about 100,000 billion bacteria inhabiting the gut flora. But in reality, it’s not always the amount of strains or the number of bacteria that determine whether the product works better or worse. The important thing is which strains are used and that their effects have been proven in clinical tests. 

Combination of bacteria strains 

The strains that are combined are also important for the supplement’s effect. Lactic bacteria are very sensitive and different strains can compete against each other. For supplements that contain a lot of strains, it can therefore be hard to ensure that all the strains survive in the correct dosage until the preparation is consumed. On the other hand, certain bacteria strains can work in symbiosis with other strains, which means they reinforce each other’s properties. Therefore, for a dietary supplement to be of good quality, the individual effect of both strains and their interaction needs to have been studied thoroughly. 

Millions or billions? 

How many bacteria a supplement should include to be effective also varies. Certain strains can require larger amounts than others in order to fulfil their function. The need for bacteria can also vary between different people depending on whether they take supplements for the purpose of improving their general health or to act as a remedy, for example, for stomach problems. 

Choose a supplement based on research 

In summary, the most important thing is that the dosage and the combination of bacteria in the supplement are backed up by clinical tests. However, it’s also good to keep in mind that the composition of everyone’s gut flora is unique. Therefore, it’s hard to give general advice about choosing probiotics or synbiotics. Certain supplements work better for some people and worse for others, and this means the best option is always to try things out and listen to your body.