BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.
Which Nature’s Bounty or Culturelle probiotic is best?
Probiotics contain good bacteria that help enhance your gut health, improve digestion and prevent inflammation. Nature’s bounty and Culturelle probiotics are among the most popular brands of probiotics that your doctor may recommend.
Nature’s probiotics are made using naturally sourced fruit flavors and contain different strains of good bacteria. On the other hand, Culturelle probiotics only contain one strain of friendly bacteria. Whether or not Nature’s Bounty or Culturelle probiotics will be appropriate for you depends on your health needs.
What to know before you buy a Nature’s bounty probiotic
Nature’s Bounty makes nutrition-based supplements, such as Vitamin B-12, calcium, magnesium, zinc and more. They are also known for using up to 10 strains of friendly bacteria in their probiotics. Nature’s Bounty claims their probiotics help with bloating, gassiness, heartburn and other stomach-related issues.
Pros of Nature’s Bounty probiotics
Since they have various probiotic options that can help with issues, such as bloating, heartburn and other general health issues, you are in a better position to get a probiotic that is appropriate for you. They also offer probiotics in both capsule and chewable form and they come either flavored or unflavored.
There are affordable options in the form of smaller bottles that have a smaller capsule count or bottles with capsules or gummies with lower CFU counts. Bottles that contain more than 100 capsules with high CFU counts cost significantly more. A CFU count is the number of viable bacteria in a serving or capsule. This variation in pricing makes their probiotics accessible to more people.
Cons of Nature’s Bounty probiotics
Generally, reviews of Nature’s Bounty probiotics are positive, but there are complaints about their confusing labeling, especially for new users. They do not know what CFU or strain means, which may make it harder for them to get the right probiotic. This is made worse by the fact that they offer several other probiotic options at different prices.
Just like other probiotics, you may experience side effects, such as bloating, or even get infections if you do not take the right dosage. If you experience unpleasant side effects, you should contact your doctor as soon as possible.
How much you can expect to spend on a Nature’s Bounty probiotic
When looking at the price, pay attention to the number of live probiotic cultures, because a higher number means the probiotic has more strength. You should also consider the number of capsules or gummies in a bottle or box and the type of bacteria strain used. The smaller bottles with 30 capsules or gummies cost about $12-$14. Bottles with 60 or more capsules go for between $17-$60.
What are the best Nature’s Bounty probiotics to buy?
Nature’s Bounty Ultra-Strength Probiotic 10
Just like its name suggests, Probiotic 10 contains 10 species or strains of bacteria and offers 20 billion live cultures per serving. Nature’s Bounty claims that this is why it is better at improving immunity and digestion compared to other probiotics offered by the company. You can get this probiotic in a 140-capsule bottle or a pack of 60 capsules.
Nature’s Bounty Controlled Delivery Women’s Probiotic
This probiotic is targeted at women and contains over 2 billion live cultures from six species of friendly bacteria. The caplets are enrobed in a stomach-acid resistant gel so that they can be delivered to targeted areas in your digestive system. While they have some milk ingredients, they are GMO-free and don’t have any yeast, artificial sweeteners, sugar, starch, soy, wheat or fish.
Nature’s Bounty Acidophilus Probiotics
Nature’s Bounty claims that this option contains 100 million live cultures at the time of manufacture and that you only need to take one tablet a day. It is sodium-free and does not contain artificial color, artificial sweeteners, sugar, starch, lactose, soy, wheat or fish.
What to know before you buy a Culturelle probiotic
What makes Culturelle unique is that its probiotics only contain one strain of good bacteria called Lactobacillus rhamnosus (also called LGG). Despite using only one strain, the manufacturer emphasizes that you only have to take one capsule of Culturelle probiotics daily to experience its benefits.
Pros of Culturelle probiotics
The Lactobacillus rhamnosus contained in Culturelle probiotics can help alleviate diarrhea in kids, prevent urinary tract infections, prevent certain skin conditions and provide relief for irritable bowel syndrome. Since it is only one strain of bacteria, it doesn’t have to fight other strains for resources, making it a lot more effective.
Culturelle probiotics do not need refrigeration and contain up to 15 billion active cultures. They also don’t contain preservatives, gluten, milk or soy, and are non-GMO products. This lessens the possibility of triggering your allergies when you take the probiotics.
If you don’t like capsules, you can always go for Culturelle flavored gummies, which are also dairy-free and non-GMO. They also offer probiotics with lower CFU for children.
Cons of Culturelle probiotics
They have fewer probiotic options because they only use a single strain of good bacteria in their products. This may also be the reason why some people who take Culturelle probiotics complain that it takes awhile before they notice any change. Lack of variety also makes them slightly more costly compared to Nature’s Bounty options.
How much you can expect to spend on a Culturelle probiotic
The price of Culturelle probiotics is determined by factors like the number of capsules and CFU count. For example, a pack of 30 capsules with a CFU count of 12 billion is going to cost less than a pack of 30 capsules with a CFU count of 15 billion. So, with this in mind, a pack of 30 capsules can cost between $17-$23.
A pack of 50 to 60 capsules can cost between $22-$30. The options made for kids may cost more, especially if there is fiber added.
What are the best Culturelle probiotics to buy?
Each capsule has 10 billion CFUs of the proven LGG strain of bacteria that provides a healthy balance of gut bacteria. The probiotics included in each capsule help promote the growth of friendly bacteria in your digestive system. People concerned about allergies will be pleased to know that this option is free from animal products, wheat, tree nuts and peanuts.
Culturelle Health & Wellness Probiotic
With a formula that includes 15 billion LGG CFUs and no refrigeration requirement, it’s no wonder that Culturelle Health and Wellness is popular among many people who take probiotics. It is allergy-friendly and supports overall health.
Culturelle Kids Chewable Daily Probiotics: available at Amazon and iHerb
Your kids will love the chewable tablets, because they have a natural berry flavor. This probiotic is designed to help boost your child’s immune defenses and promote digestive health.
Should you buy Nature’s Bounty probiotics or Culturelle probiotics?
Nature’s Bounty probiotics are easier to find and are more affordable than Culturelle probiotics. This is because Nature’s Bounty offers several versions of its probiotics with different counts per bottle or package. On the other hand, Culturelle only uses a single strain of friendly bacteria called Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG), which is more effective at reducing diarrhea, compared to the strains used in Nature’s Bounty alternatives.
But whether or not Culturelle or Nature’s Bounty probiotics are best can only be determined if you try products from both brands to see what works for you.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Michael Rodgers writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved.