When our guts are not happy, we are not happy. Period. A well-functioning gut, in our opinion, is one of the keys to happiness. Our guts are made up of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes. Even the slightest change can have effects on our immune system, digestive health, and gut microbiota.
Probiotics are a combination of live, yes live, good bacteria. Yes, there is such a thing as good bacteria; not all bacteria are bad. We need these good bacteria to maintain a healthy balance in our gut, and that is what TruNature Digestive Probiotic aims to achieve.
TruNature Digestive Probiotics are made up of a blend of lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, and L. rhamnosus GG. I know those were some words that take a minute to pronounce, but we will be breaking them down later when we discuss how these ingredients help our guts.
So, is this probiotic worth using? Does it have the ingredients your body needs? Can it really help your digestive health? In this TruNature Digestive Probiotic Review, we’ll answer all of those questions and more so you can find out if this is the right supplement for you. Let’s get started!
TruNature Digestive Probiotic Benefits
TruNature Digestive Probiotic offers three main benefits. This supplement aims to help maintain good digestive health, naturally restore digestive balance, and promote a healthy immune system. We will further discuss these benefits below.
Helps Maintain Digestive Health
As mentioned before, probiotics aid in a healthy balance of our gut. When one is burdened with constant constipation, gas, bloating, and diarrhea, it is not a fun time. Probiotics help to provide the gut with healthy bacteria, while removing some of the bad. We must have that balance in there, so the gut functions properly. They also aid in the digestion and breakdown of complex carbohydrates and fiber. The body can break down carbohydrates naturally, but these are the ones that the body is not able to do that with and needs that little push to make it a bit easier.
Naturally Restores Digestive Balance
TruNature can help to restore that digestive balance by providing the gut with the healthy bacteria it needs to fight off toxins and to help the good bacteria to stick to the lining of the gut. It can help to give some relief to those experiencing some discomfort when it comes to gastrointestinal diseases, traveler’s diarrhea, and even diarrhea that comes as a side effect with some antibiotics.
Supports a Healthy Immune System
Probiotics can play a beneficial role in supporting a healthy immune system in the gut. One way they do this is by producing short-chain fatty acids that help to stimulate the immune response and protect the body against pathogens. Probiotics also produce lactic acid, which can also be found in the gut and possibly aid in the stimulation and alteration of immune responses. They also play a role in pathogens not sticking to the mucosal lining of the gut, so that it can stay healthy. In a way, probiotics are the 911 call center of the body.
TruNature Digestive Probiotic Ingredients
TruNature Digestive Probiotic contains a blend of three different probiotics: lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, and L. rhamnosus. Let’s dive into this probiotic blend to see how it works in the gut.
Probiotic Blend (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Lactis, L.Rhamnosus)
The first one we will look at is L. acidophilus, which is a probiotic that is widely studied. One of the odd things about this probiotic and a few others is that this was isolated from the human GI tract, specifically infant stool in the 1900s. L. acidophilus makes lactic acid through the production of an enzyme called lactase. Lactase then breaks down the lactose, which is a sugar found in milk, into lactic acid. Lactic acid can aid the immune response by reducing the risk of infections like the common cold and flu. Another way that acidophilus can aid in the immune response is through the interaction with dendritic cells. These cells are the gatekeepers and regulators of the immune response. These dendritic cells interact with the gut microbiota and viruses. L. acidophilus helps to mature these dendritic cells into the antivirus cells, so that they can increase the stimulation of the immune system and protect against viral infections.
L. acidophilus is also said to help prevent pathogenic bacteria from sticking to the intestine mucosa and restore a leaky gut by improving the tight junctions on a cell. A study that used the Simulator of the Human Intestine Microbial Ecosystem showed that L. acidophilus created a significant increase in the short-chain fatty acids acetate, propionate, and butyrate. This is important because these short-chain fatty acids help to protect the body against pathogens and stimulate the immune response. Another study showed that probiotics increase the expression of genes in our intestines that are involved in our immune response.
When it comes to gut health, L. acidophilus has been shown to prevent and reduce diarrhea that is associated with side effects of antibiotics and Clostridium difficile, better known as c. diff. Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome could also be improved with the probiotic. In a study with 60 people who were diagnosed with IBS as well as other bowel disorders showed that taking a combination of probiotics, including L. acidophilus, for 1-2 months showed a reduction in bloating. However, there is mixed research. Most of the research says that the best way to take probiotics is to take a single strain and not a mix for no more than 8 weeks and less than 10 billion CFU’s a day.
Bifidobacterium Lactis is another probiotic that is found in the intestine along with L. acidophilus and makes up less than 10% of the gut microbiome. This probiotic helps to digest fiber and other complex carbohydrates that the body is not able to digest on its own, along with L. acidophilus. Some of these carbohydrates include monosaccharides and oligosaccharides. Again, this probiotic produces short-chain fatty acids, and these short-chain fatty acids can play a role in controlling hunger. Another benefit of Bifidobacterium is that it can help prevent infections by producing chemicals that stop the toxins from getting into our blood. The mechanism that helps to stimulate the immune system is not fully understood, but it could have something to do with a short-chain fatty acid called acetate.
Once the carbohydrates are broken down, one of the end products is acetate. Acetate can be used as a substrate to make butyrate and propionate, and these are shown to have anti-inflammatory effects. Symptoms that are associated with irritable bowel syndrome, such as bloating, cramps, and abdominal pain, can also potentially be eased by Bifidobacterium lactis. Studies have shown that gastrointestinal diseases themselves are increased in those individuals who have a low number of probiotics in their intestines. 362 people who were taking a probiotic for four weeks showed significantly improved symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
This next probiotic is one that we have not heard too much about, but is a highly studied probiotic; it is called L. rhamnosus (LGG). Like the two previous probiotics, this one is also found in the intestines. It was founded in 1983 by Sherwood Gorbach and Barry Goldwin when they isolated a strain from humans. This probiotic is special in its own way. It is very resistant to bile and acid, making it not easily destroyed in the body, meaning it could have longer-lasting effects. It is from the same group as lactobacillus acidophilus and produces lactic acid and increases the production of short chain fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate). Lactic acid can prevent harmful bacteria from surviving in the digestive tract. It can even restore the microbiome.
When an individual takes certain medications, antibiotics, or even has diseases of the bowel, it can cause some of those good bacteria in the gut to be lost. This probiotic can help to restore those good bacteria by sticking to the gut lining. It can rid the gut of the bad bacteria by blocking it from growing by competing for the same nutrients that the good bacteria need to grow as well.
Some benefits, such as reducing or relieving symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome, are like the other probiotics in this strain. L. rhamnosus can also strengthen the gut barriers. It does this by taking those loose, damaged cells that align the gut and tightening the junctions on them so that it makes it harder for toxic bacteria to get into the blood stream. As far as the immune response goes, L. rhamnosus can help to regulate the immune response by binding to the proteins on the immune cells to activate the immune system.
Does TruNature Digestive Probiotic Work?
These capsules contain the appropriate probiotics to help maintain that digestive balance in the gut. It does not state a time frame for it to work for an individual, so that may vary. All you need is one capsule a day, preferably in the morning with some food to get that gut stimulated. Let’s look at the claims this probiotic makes versus the reality of what could happen instead. It is important to note that none of these claims have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Claim vs. Reality
One claim that this product makes is that it can help to maintain digestive health. Based on the science and study of these probiotics, these capsules do have the potential to maintain a healthy gut. These probiotics can keep the bad bacteria out and toxins from entering our bloodstream and keep the gut lined with healthy bacteria.
Another claim is that it supports a healthy immune system. The mechanisms as to how these probiotics accomplish this are not fully understood. There are some speculations as to how they might be able to do this, and some of it must deal with the short-chain fatty acids and the tight junctions on the cells.
The last claim is that it can naturally restore digestive balance. From improving symptoms of bloating and diarrhea that are associated with antibiotics and IBS to maintaining that healthy balance of good and bad bacteria, this can really help individuals out.
When it comes to probiotics, they can also be added to a certain food, such as yogurt, cheese, milk, and other dairy products. Speaking for myself, I have not tried a probiotic supplement, but when some issues do arise, I will tend to hit the yogurt a little more than I would normally. This way, I am still getting in some of those good bacteria along with other vitamins and minerals that the yogurt provides.
Who is TruNature Digestive Probiotic Best For?
TruNature Digestive Probiotic would work best for those who are struggling with minor issues of digestive discomfort such as bloating, and diarrhea. It is not recommended for women who are pregnant or nursing. It is important to note that you should discuss taking this supplement with your doctor prior to starting it.
Is TruNature Digestive Probiotic Safe?
Overall, TruNature Digestive Probiotic is relatively safe, and I have not seen many reviews that say it gave them severe side effects. There was the occasional review that it made more of an upset stomach, but that was the worst of it. When it comes to L. rhamnosus, that strain can come with some side effects if too much is taken, and those range from causing infections to having the body become resistant to other bacteria in the gut. The dose of these capsules seems to be in a good range of 10 million CFUs based on research. Official dosing guidelines are not set in stone yet.
Where to Buy TruNature Digestive Probiotic
TruNature Digestive Probiotic can be purchased from Walmart, Amazon, and Costco for prices ranging from $14.99 – $22.75 per 100 capsules. This comes out to about .15 to .23 cents per serving, which is not too bad, considering some yogurts will cost you over a dollar per serving. This probiotic supplement was interesting as it did not have a manufacturer’s page to go to and order from directly.
There are also a few versions of this supplement that pretty much say it will do the same thing, but the ingredient label is different. It makes you really think about where your supplements come from and where your retailer gets the product from. It seems that the Amazon version is the one that came across differently, with the ingredient label than those from other retailers. It is hard to say which one is the real version or the fake one. Just be aware of this when purchasing not only this supplement, but any supplement. Do your research.
FAQ: TruNature Digestive Probiotic Review
Why does it say there are 12 strains of probiotics in this but on the label, it only says 3?
On other versions of this supplement the label does state which probiotic strains are included. From what I came across, all the strains come from the Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium strains. Most of the benefits that are found in one of these strains, can be found in other strains of the same family, which is true for lactobacillus acidophilus and lactobacillus rhamnosus. This is one of the negatives about this probiotic. There could be fake products out there. Without having a manufacturer’s website to order directly through there. You must rely on it being sold by other retailers, so there could be several versions out there.
Are TruNature Digestive Probotic’s capsules vegetarian?
Yes! They are vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free.
Do I need to take more than 1 capsule of TruNature Digestive Probiotic?
No. Just take one capsule per day, preferably in the morning with food.
If TruNature Digestive Probiotic doesn’t work for me, can I get a refund?
Unfortunately, no. This product does not offer any type of refund if it doesn’t work.
When will I notice a difference with TruNature Digestive Probiotic?
This will vary from person to person. They do not state a time frame for when your symptoms will improve.
Is TruNature Digestive Probiotic worth using?
Overall, the ingredients of this supplement have the greatest potential to do what they are intended to do. These are highly researched ingredients, and the mechanisms of the way they work are mostly understood. There are many products out there that can be verified by the manufacturer and use the same ingredients. It is important to know where your supplement is coming from and do your research on what you put into your body. You only have one body for the rest of your life, take the time and make sure you know what you are putting into it. If you have questions, contact your medical provider so that you have all the information before making any decisions.
