10 Best Probiotics Gummies 2024 in the US

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria, or flora, that replicate in your digestive tract. They assist the body in producing and assimilating important vitamins. Equally important is the fact that supplementing the beneficial bacteria in your system will help control any unwanted gastrointestinal infections.Since the beneficial bacteria compete with harmful bacteria for food, by increasing the number of beneficial flora, it will provide a mechanism for eliminating the harmful bacteria that can lead to diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and more. Also, if you have just completed a course of antibiotics--which will kill off a lot of those beneficial florae in your gut--it’s much more important to add some probiotics to your diet, in order to restore them to your body.

To increase the number of probiotics in your system, you can consume foods like yogurt with live cultures. But a lot of those bacteria don’t make it through the acids in the stomach. An alternative is a dietary supplement which can contain billions of beneficial bacteria in a single dose. And there are many delicious supplements on the market that come in the form of chewable gummies, which are good for children as well as adults.

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting probiotic gummies. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of  probiotic gummies,

• See useful tips about that particular type of  probiotic gummies,

• Read reviews of different brands of  probiotic gummies, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of  probiotic gummies, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

Among the many types of probiotic supplements on the market, you’ll see the following main ingredients:

• Types of flora: In probiotic caplets and powders, you’ll see a greater variety of flora, including, for example, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium longum. That’s because caplets have a gel-like substance to protect the probiotics. In probiotic gummies, you don’t have such a protective layer. You’ll generally only see Bacillus Coagulans and Bacillus subtilis, as contained in the Smarty Pants Adult Probiotic Complete. This is because they are in spore form, with a natural coating to resist stomach acid. This way, an appreciable number of the bacteria will be able to make it to the intestines.  

• Supplemented with vitamins: You’ll find products that add vitamins to the probiotics. For example, Sundown Naturals add Vitamin D to their product, for immune system support.

• Supplemented with prebiotics: Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber, which passes through the system undigested. They are usually in the form of long-chain sugars, that are naturally found in fruits and vegetables. Prebiotics go through the stomach and small intestine without getting digested--but when they reach the large intestine, they stimulate the growth of the probiotic, beneficial bacteria. Nutritionists say that giving the flora their nutrients in the form of prebiotics will help the probiotic bacteria multiply at an astronomical rate. So, if possible, try to look for probiotic supplements that also contain fiber and prebiotics. The Smarty Pants Probiotic supplement has such a formula, as do the Probiolicious Probiotic Gummies by Rainbow Light. They contain inulin and fructooligosaccharides (= FOS) that promote the growth of probiotics.

• Check how it is derived: Some probiotic formulas will have strains of bacteria derived from milk products. If you have a milk allergy, prefer probiotic gummies that explicitly say that they are vegan. Also, many supplements explicitly say that they are free of gluten, soy, or gelatin, such as the Flamingo Supplements Sugar-Free Probiotic Gummies.

• Check if suitable for children: Just because the supplement is in gummy bear chewable form, you shouldn’t assume that your child can have as many as they want. The Smarty Pants Probiotic & Prebiotic Immunity Gummies are specifically for adults. The adult formula contains 7 billion Colony Forming Units (a means of estimating the number of bacteria in a serving), while their formula for children contains only 4 billion CFUs. As we mention below, taking too many probiotics can lead to an upset stomach and a bloated feeling. There are also probiotic gummies for toddlers, such as the Digestive Advantage Kids formula, with only 500 million CFUs.

• Colony Forming Units: You’ll see the dosages of probiotics listed as “CFUs”. This stands for “Colony Forming Units”. This tells how many live bacteria are in a serving of the probiotic supplement. Some supplements have 5 billion CFU, while others as much as 7 billion CFU.

• Don’t take too much: A person with a healthy immune system can take up to 30 billion CFUs a day--and exceeding that number might give minor discomforts, such as a bloated feeling or intestinal gas. But people who have immunosuppressed conditions or diabetes should only take these supplements with the advice of a doctor.

• Side-effects when starting taking probiotics: When you start taking probiotics, it may cause a bloated feeling. This is because of the gas-producing bacteria in the intestine. It is, therefore, best to start out slowly, not taking too much of the supplement at any one time.

• Digestive Advantage--is a dietary supplement made by Schiff Nutrition International, including probiotics for kids and adults. Schiff was founded by Joe Weider in 1936 in Salt Lake City, but they were later acquired by Reckitt-Benckiser. Other supplements Schiff makes are MegaRed (Omega-3 supplements), Airborne (to strengthen the immune system), and Move Free (a supplement for joint health).

• Nature’s Bounty--Nature's Bounty Company started with the Holland & Barrett stores in England in 1870. They presently make every vitamin, mineral, herb, and nutrition supplement product category.  Their brands also include such names as Solgar, Sundown Naturals, Pure Protein, and more. Their products are for bone and joint health, beauty support, digestive health, heart health, general wellness, etc.

• Sundown Naturals--are makers of vitamins and dietary supplements, suitable for enhancing the health of the digestive, immune, and cardiovascular systems. Their gummies for the digestive system include probiotics and fiber supplements.

• Olly--are makers of dietary supplements, such as multivitamins, compounds to reduce stress and to increase energy, derived from natural sources.

• BeLive--was founded in 2017 as makers of dietary supplements for weight loss, sexual wellness, bone and teeth health, and probiotics. Their Probiotics and Fiber Gummies are recommended for both children and adults.