Why Your Body Needs a Probiotic Supplement

Heard all the buzz lately about the health benefits of probiotics? Let’s just say I’d be in trouble if I had to rely on the expired carton of yogurt sitting in the back of my fridge to receive my dietary dose of goodness. Fortunately, the USANA® Probiotic makes it easy. Here’s a quick look behind the importance of probiotics.

What Is a Probiotic?

First things first, a probiotic is a live bacteria that is found naturally in the body and can also be found in foods and supplements. Probiotics can be extremely beneficial to your health, especially your digestive health. The human digestive system is a delicate balance of both “good” and “bad” bacteria, called microflora. The secret is in finding proper balance of the microflora with the help of probiotics.

Probiotics: Keeping Your Body in Balance

Imagine what would happen if a gymnast tried performing on a beam wearing stilettos—you could kiss balance goodbye and the results could be disastrous! It’s the same with our body. It doesn’t take much for bad bacteria to throw your digestive health out of whack. Anything from your everyday environment, to poor diet, to medication like antibiotics, to stress, and lack of sleep can upset the fine bacterial balance in the gut.

Probiotic dietary supplements work to keep your digestive system in balance and harmony by replenishing the good microflora—this in turn can help aid digestion and can also have a positive impact on your overall health.

How Probiotics Can Help

Studies suggest that probiotics may help to keep you healthy in many ways:

• Replace good bacteria after you’ve lost them through the use of antibiotics*
• Relieve intestinal irregularity*
• Improve fecal properties and microbiota*
• Have positive effects against acute unsettled stomach*
• Reduce the risk of traveler’s unsettled stomach*
• Restore the intestinal microbiota after antibiotic treatment*

Clinically Tested Benefits

There are a number of different strains of probiotics available and USANA uses two of the most widely studied strains that have clinically tested benefits:

• Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG®
• Bifidobacterium BB-12®

Some studies have suggested that probiotics that use multiple species have been shown to be more effective than those with only one strain. These two strains have been well documented to completely endure the journey as they travel through the harsh acids in the stomach en-route to the intestines.

This is just one more way USANA’s got the bases covered.

The Perfect Dosage

Sure, you can rely on yogurt for your dietary probiotics, but there’s a slight hitch—how do you know if you’re getting enough? The USANA Probiotic, on the other hand, boasts a powerful 12 billion colony-forming unit (CFU) per serving. I personally had no clue what CFU meant, but I now think of it as a geeky, yet impressive, scientific way of saying that it’s a perfect dosage.

Convenient Packs On-the-Go

Since the bacteria only last in your digestive tract about a week, you’ll want to take the probiotic on a regular basis in order to experience the maximum health benefits. And reaping the benefits is easy—simply take one stick pack of the sweet-tasting dairy, gluten, and sugar-free powdered formulation alone, or add it to your morning Nutrimeal™ shake, or glass of milk every 1-2 days. I even take mine with just a little water and it tastes great. It’s a breeze to take a pack to go. Toss one in your gym bag, your purse, or keep them handy at your desk.

It’s time to clean the fridge and throw out the expired yogurt—keep your stomach happy with USANA Probiotics instead. I know I plan to.

Interested in learning more? Contact your local independent USANA Associate and be sure to check out USANA’s fun YouTube video for more info.

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