Culturelle Probiotic Review 2024: Recipe for Digestive Health Success?

Not only can poor gut health cause bloating, diarrhea, and general pain, but it may also have a harmful impact on your overall well-being. While there are some natural ways that you can soothe your digestive discomfort, probiotic supplements provide a convenient yet powerful solution for a healthy gut.

One supplement that has received a lot of credit in the world of probiotics is Culturelle. To see what all of the fuss was about, I decided to take a deeper dive into the ingredients, packaging, and research. I wanted to decide if this probiotic has the potential to ease stomach discomfort and what it has to offer in terms of overall health.

Using my medical knowledge, I’ve pulled all of my thoughts together in this Culturelle Probiotic review to help you perhaps discover a fix to your tummy troubles. So, if you’re curious to find out more, keep reading.

What Is Culturelle Probiotic?

Culturelle Probiotic is a daily dietary supplement designed to strengthen the gut and help your digestive system work efficiently. This is particularly beneficial if you occasionally experience stomach cramps, gas, bloating, or diarrhea. 

Backed by more than 35 years of science, the probiotic supplement achieves this with the help of friendly bacteria, which rebalances the gut microbiome to maintain a healthy digestive system, good immune function, and even weight loss.

Not only is Culturelle Digestive Daily Probiotic designed to keep your gut healthy on an everyday basis, but it’s also ideal for taking on your travels if you suffer from a sensitive stomach.

⭐ Rating	4.0
🥦 Vegetarian?	Yes
🧪️ Dosage	1 or 2 capsules per day
💊 How to use	For daily use, take 1 capsule with or without food. Take 1 in the morning and 1 at night to relieve occasional digestive upset.
🍎 Key ingredients	Lactobacillus rhamnosus and inulin
📱 Where to buy?	Official website

Code: HW20 | Discount: 20% for all Culturelle products

Culturelle product range

As one of their most popular products, I wanted to investigate the Digestive Daily Probiotic further to see whether it lived up to the hype. However, Culturelle’s vast product range caters to everyone, from adults hoping to boost their immunity to kids with tummy troubles.

Here’s a breakdown of everything that the brand offers:

• Metabolism + Weight Management Capsules – Works with your gut to safely manage weight
• Women’s 4-in-1 – Designed specifically for women’s vaginal, urinary, digestive, and immune health
• Digestive Daily Probiotic Capsules – Reduces occasional digestive upset including gas, bloating, and diarrhea
• Abdominal Support and Comfort Packets – Contains probiotics and prebiotics to relieve occasional abdominal discomfort
• Health & Wellness Capsules – Supports your gastrointestinal microbiome and immune system for overall health and wellness
• Kids Immune Defense Chewables – Promotes good immune and upper respiratory health for kids
• Kids Purely Probiotics Chewables – Designed to maintain a healthy digestive system for kids and reduce occasional digestive upset
• Digestive Baby Calm + Comfort Drops – Reduces fussiness and crying by keeping your baby’s gut microbiome balanced and healthy
• Baby Immune + Digestive Support Drops – Promotes healthy development for babies, including strong bones, strong immune function, and good digestive health
• Feminine Health & Weight Support Bundle – Contains Women’s 4-in-1 and Metabolism + Weight Management Capsules
• Digestive & Weight Support Bundle – Contains Digestive Daily Probiotic and Metabolism + Weight Management Capsules

If you’re unsure of which is the ideal choice for your needs, you can always take Culturelle’s quiz, which will make a personalized recommendation.

Why I Decided to Review Culturelle Probiotic

As a medical professional, I often see patients who are struggling with digestive health symptoms such as cramps, bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Many have tried eliminating certain tummy-upsetting foods from their diets but have failed to see any improvement.

Probiotic supplements contain good bacteria that may be effective in reducing these symptoms and can even treat digestive conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I was, therefore, on the hunt for the best one to recommend to my patients when I came across Culturelle Probiotic.

Culturelle stood out to me as it contains just one clinically studied probiotic strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus. Many other probiotic supplements are packed with multiple strains, some of which have little to no scientific support. So, I selected a 30-capsule pack of the Digestive Daily Probiotic to see whether it could offer a good solution.

How Do Culturelle Probiotics Work?

Daily probiotic supplements like Culturelle work well for digestive health as they contain live beneficial bacteria. Once these microorganisms enter the body, they travel through the digestive tract and enter the gut microbiome, where they get rid of harmful bacteria that causes infection, illness, and disease.

A probiotic supplement works best when combined with prebiotics, a type of plant fiber that feeds the probiotics in your gut to ensure that healthy bacteria can grow. I was pleased to see that Culturelle contains both pro and prebiotics. 

Specifically, as already mentioned, it uses the well-studied Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain. Lactobacillus is a great probiotic in general as it produces lactic acid, which plays a key role in strengthening the intestines, helping your body absorb essential nutrients, and removing bad bacteria.

Culturelle Probiotic delivers 10 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) to your gut, which refers to the number of live bacteria that it contains. Although many supplements contain 50 billion CFUs or more, I’d recommend looking for those that have 10–20 billion CFUs, as figures higher than this aren’t necessarily more effective.

How to take Culturelle Probiotic

My Digestive Daily Probiotic supplement came in a box containing 30 capsules, and the instructions recommended taking 1 per day until the symptoms begin to improve. However, to relieve occasional digestive upset or when traveling, Culturelle suggests taking 1 in the morning and 1 at night until the discomfort subsides.

The brand doesn’t specify whether to take the probiotic supplement with or without food, but I’d recommend taking them on an empty stomach unless it causes nausea or cramping. This reduces the amount of time taken for the good bacteria to reach your gastrointestinal tract, increasing their effectiveness.

What Are the Key Ingredients of Culturelle Probiotic?

When my package arrived, I took a closer look at the ingredients label to assess the product’s effectiveness. Read on to discover 2 key ingredients in Culturelle Digestive Daily Probiotic and how they may benefit your gut health:

#1 Lactobacillus rhamnosus

Lactobacillus rhamnosus has a wide variety of health benefits, including stopping a type of bad bacteria called Candida albicans from colonizing your intestinal walls. It also strengthens the gut barrier to relieve IBS symptoms while treating diarrhea caused by antibiotic medications, too.

For women struggling with urinary tract infections (UTIs), Lactobacillus rhamnosus is one of the best probiotics, as it kills harmful bacterial strains that cause them to frequently recur.

#2 Inulin

Inulin, or chicory root extract, is a type of soluble fiber that feeds the beneficial Lactobacilli provided by Culturelle. When it reaches the gut, inulin is converted into short-chain fatty acids, which then nourish colon cells for good overall digestive health. Studies show that gut health supplements containing inulin may also relieve constipation.

Code: HW20 | Discount: 20% for all Culturelle products

What I Liked About Culturelle Probiotic: 7 Key Benefits

Here are 7 things I immediately liked about Culturelle Probiotic:

#1 It contains prebiotics

Culturelle’s simple formula appears to be highly effective, thanks to inulin. This prebiotic can’t be digested by the body and is instead fermented by the probiotic strains within the supplement to help them reproduce and grow in the gut microbiome. Many probiotic supplements I’ve come across don’t contain prebiotics and, therefore, aren’t guaranteed to be as effective as Culturelle.

#2 It has science-backed probiotic strains

As one of the most scientifically studied and best probiotics for gut health, the inclusion of Lactobacillus rhamnosus is what made Culturelle stand out to me. The strain protects against several types of diarrhea, including acute, watery, traveler’s, antibiotic-related, and gastroenteritis diarrhea.

#3 It treats digestive issues

Whether you’re looking to relieve your IBS symptoms or stop bloating after meals, Culturelle is an ideal choice for tackling a range of digestive health issues and disorders. As I’ve emphasized, this is because it repopulates the gut with friendly L. rhamnosus bacteria. 

Research indicates that those with IBS tend to have fewer Lactobacilli in their gut flora and more harmful microbes like E. coli, Clostridium, and Streptococcus.

#4 It boosts your immune system

Having high levels of bad bacteria in your body affects your digestive and immune health, too. By introducing more good Lactobacilli microorganisms, Culturelle Probiotic helps your body fight off harmful bacteria and viruses that may cause illness or infection. 

#5 It’s allergen-free

Culturelle prides itself on being free of all major allergens, including dairy, wheat, eggs, nuts, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). I was particularly pleased to see this as I can’t consume wheat due to a gluten allergy, which rules out many probiotic supplements. This also means that I can recommend Culturelle to most of my patients.

#6 It’s easy to take

Another thing I liked about Culturelle is that you only need to take 1, or sometimes 2, capsules per day. Some other probiotics require users to consume 4 or more large capsules daily, which can be difficult to swallow and an inconvenience. In contrast, Culturelle Probiotic is much more user-friendly.

#7 Can be bought in multiple stores

Along with being available on the official website, Culturelle Probiotic can also be purchased on Amazon and even in-person at Target, Walmart, and many other local health or grocery stores. This is a huge benefit, as it makes the probiotic supplement accessible to a wider audience, unlike some competitors that only offer their products through their online store.

It also means that you can compare different prices and discounts to find the best deal for you.

Code: HW20 | Discount: 20% for all Culturelle products

Downsides of Culturelle Probiotic

Although the benefits certainly outweigh the cons, like any supplement, there are a few things that I think could be improved with Culturelle Probiotic. I’ve summarized my thoughts below: 

#1 The coating could be more effective 

Some probiotic capsules are made with a unique coating that protects them from the harsh, acidic conditions of the stomach and ensures they survive to reach the gut. Culturelle isn’t one of them, but studies do show that some Lactobacilli probiotic strains are relatively tolerant of acidic conditions.

#2 The packaging could be larger

When taking Culturelle to relieve occasional digestive upset, you’ll need to take 2 per day. If you purchase the 30-capsule packet, you’ll only get a 15-day supply, which can get pretty expensive to repurchase. 

I noticed that competitors usually offer larger bottles as standard if this is the case. However, you do have the option to purchase a slightly larger 50-pack with Culturelle.

#3 Only one probiotic strain included

Although, as mentioned, L. rhamnosus is a highly effective strain for the digestive system, with Culturelle, you may be missing out on the benefits of other probiotic strains. For instance, I like to see Bifidobacteria included in dietary supplements for improving gut health. 

This strain helps your body digest fiber, making it a great probiotic for reducing weight gain and boosting cardiovascular health. Bifidobacteria also produce short-chain fatty acids, which are essential for maintaining a healthy gut and digestive tract.

#4 You may experience side effects

Even when taking the best probiotic supplements, you’re likely to experience a few mild digestive health side effects as your body gets used to the influx of friendly bacteria. This may include cramping, bloating, gas, nausea, or diarrhea. 

However, this isn’t specific to Culturelle and can happen with any new dietary supplement. These symptoms should disappear once your body adjusts.

Pricing of Culturelle Probiotic

Compared to many other probiotics I’ve come across, Culturelle is relatively cheap and good value for money. The cost may vary depending on the store you purchase your probiotics from, but here are the current prices on Culturelle’s official website:

30 capsules – $17.99 or $16.19 if you subscribe 

50 capsules – $23.99 or $21.59 with a subscription

With the subscribe and save option, you can get your products delivered every 30 or 60 days, depending on how quickly you get through the capsules.

What Do Other Users Think About Culturelle Probiotic?

Besides this Culturelle Probiotic review, there are thousands of others online that will provide you with opinions from customers of different ages, backgrounds, lifestyles, and needs. Below are some reviews I came across that you may find useful:

Culturelle Probiotic vs. Other Probiotic Brands

FAQs

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How I Tested Culturelle Probiotics

To ensure that my review was as informative and accurate as possible, I tested Culturelle using criteria with 4 specific elements. These are the conclusions I came to:

Quality 8/10

Created in a GMP-certified factory, Culturelle Digestive Daily is a high-quality supplement for digestive health. It is made with safe, effective, and natural ingredients that are scientifically backed, and it doesn’t include any of the major allergens. This makes it a good-quality probiotic that I can recommend to most patients.

Effectiveness 7/10

With the inclusion of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and inulin as a prebiotic, Culturelle is a pretty effective supplement for boosting digestive and immune health. However, some points were deducted as I’d like to see the inclusion of more probiotic strains, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, along with a protective coating to ensure that they survive digestion.

Price 7/10

Although a high price sometimes indicates higher-quality ingredients, this is not the case with Culturelle. Their Digestive Daily Probiotic is on the cheaper side yet still offers many of the same qualities as more expensive supplements. However, with only 30 capsules in the standard-size packet, the cost will start to mount up if you’re frequently repurchasing.

Brand reputation 8/10

From the customer reviews I saw, Culturelle appears to be a highly reputable brand. It is fully transparent about the ingredients included in its products, and uses scientific evidence to back up its claims. I’d score Culturelle higher in this category if it offered a money-back guarantee for customers who don’t get on with the Digestive Daily capsules.

Code: HW20 | Discount: 20% for all Culturelle products

Conclusion: Should You Take Culturelle Probiotic?

For those who want a probiotic to treat occasional digestive upset, I’d recommend giving Culturelle Digestive Daily Probiotic a go. The supplement is good value for money, allergen-free, and can easily be found in a variety of stores. 

Looking for a supplement that provides multiple probiotic strains or is sure to survive the harsh conditions of your stomach? There is a wide range of other probiotics you can try, from those that treat constipation to ones best for easing acid reflux. 

However, if your digestive discomfort lasts for an extended period, you should speak to your doctor as soon as possible, who can advise you on the best course of treatment.

Code: HW20 | Discount: 20% for all Culturelle products