This Primadophilus Optima has the strongest count of good bacteria that I've been able to find. I use a full capsule as a starter for yogurt. It makes delicious yogurt in the Salton Yogurt maker.<br /><br />5/13/10 I am amending this review because the latest batch I received was not refrigerated when I inquired with Amazon, therefore it loses its potency and makes this a waste of money. Not Nature's Way's fault as they aren't selling it here. Don't buy unless you are certain the vendor is refrigerating it. According to Nature's Way the product should be refrigerated by the seller and in this case the vendors here are NOT refrigerating it. I would NOT recommend buying this. According to Nature's Way, "Primadophilus can be out of refrigeration for a few days without losing the potency. We add extra cultures to allow for the product to be out of refrigeration for shipping and manufacturing. But for long term storage in order to hold the potency the product should be stored in the refrigerator."<br /><br />That being said, do NOT buy this expensive probiotic unless you are certain its potency is assured. I love the probiotic but will only purchase from iherb now as they assure that it is refrigerated and I've had good luck with them.<br /><br />Also, Amazon's customer service was excellent in this matter and they took care of this for me...

I took these probiotics for nearly a year discovering the enteric coating they use contains toxic phthalates--a plasticizer which is linked to cancers, endorcine disruption, hormonal abnormalities, infertility, and obesity.<br /><br />If you research phthalates online, you'll discover the risks. Nature's Way uses this phthalate-based coating as a gimmick to say it dissolves better, but at what price? Whatever benefits are accruing from the bacterial cultures are undone by the massive health risks from the coating.<br /><br />These same phthalate placticizers are banned in Europe for use in children's toys. Why would you want to eat plastic with your pills?<br /><br />Please don't make my mistake. Avoid this product at all costs. Nature's Way clearly doesn't care about the health of their customers. There are many safer probiotics that don't contain enteric coating--which isn't even necessary to begin with. The small intestine and stomach won't destroy the bacterial cultures. The use enteric coating is just marketing hype in a toxic chemical form.

I was taking Sustenex, which, though pretty good, seemed to be hit or miss.<br />I began looking for a broader spectrum probiotic, and found this one. I like several of Nature's Way products, and decided to give theirs a try. I noticed a difference within a few days of starting 2x/day usage (figured I'd double up to start with). My digestion seems to have improved, and I have much less bloating during the day. It will likely take a few months to see if I feel differently overall, but for now, I'm pleased and sticking with this probiotic.<br /><br />On the refrigeration during shipping issue that seems to crop up all over the Internet - According to the manufacturer, it does not require refrigerated or cooled shipping. Here's the response I received directly from Nature's Way:<br /><br />"Thank you for taking the time to contact Nature's Way®, a Schwabe North America(tm) (SNA) company, with your question about our product Primadophilus ® Optima.<br />Your question was regarding if the product ships refrigerated. No, these are not shipped refrigerated.<br />While many environmental factors can impact product quality, we take special care to formulate products that remain safe and effective from the time of manufacture, during shipping, and throughout product shelf-life.<br /><br />In order to assess the impact of temperature on product quality, a temperature study was conducted during the summer of 2009 on one of our refrigerated probiotic brands - a worst case scenario. Shipments were sent via ground service to various destinations with an average transit time varying from 5-10 days, including weekends.<br />Testing determined that the claimed potency of the products was not compromised during the few days of transit, even in the elevated heat and humidity of the summer months.<br /><br />I hope this information is helpful for you. Feel free to contact me again with any other questions or concerns that you may have. Please visit our website at [...] or [...] for more valuable information.<br /><br />Sherry<br />Customer service specialist"<br /><br />I hope this is helpful to others.

update: Jan 12, 2010 I got an email from amazon.com that my subscribe and save on Primadophilius Optima is canceled because they will not carry it anymore :-(. Called Nature's Way, the manufacture, and they plan to continue making the product. Highly recommend those who love this product to contact amazon.com on your opinion. Amazon has the lowest price and highest quality.<br /><br />--------------------------------<br />Decided to get probiotics to help my digestion, and choose Primadophilus Optima because it has 14 different strains and 35 billion CFU, more variety and quantity than most yogurt (danon (2-3), stoneyfield (6)...etc). Lifeway's Kefir has 12 strains 7-10 billion CFU, but I don't like the kefir taste. There are a lot of overlap of probiotic types between Lifeway and Primadophilus Optima.<br /><br />Bought "Primadophilus Optima" 60 vcaps on Jan 2011 from amazon, arrived promply, with expiration date of Jun 2012. Verify that probiotic is good by breaking open capsule, and stiring the power into a cup of milk. Curd after 8 hours at 70F room temperature. Very satify. Will buy again :-)<br /><br />Lifeway's Kefier (7-10 billion CFU) from their website:<br />* Lactobacillius Lactis<br />* Lactobacillus Rhamnosus<br />* Streptococcus Diacetylactis<br />* Lactobacillus Plantarum<br />* Lactobacillius Casei<br />* Saccharomyces Florentinus<br />* Leuconostoc Cremoris<br />* Bifidobacterium Longum<br />* Bifidobacterium Breve<br />* Lactobacillus Acidophilus<br />* Bifidobacterium lactis HN019<br />* Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM<br /><br />Stoneyfield yogurt, from their website:<br />* Lactobacillus bulgaricus<br />* Streptococcus thermophilus<br />* Lactobacillus acidophilus<br />* Bifidus<br />* Lactobacillus casei<br />* Lactobacillus rhamnosus<br /><br />Danon Activa<br />* Bifidus Regularis® Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 (Patented)<br />* 2-3 others...<br /><br />Primadophilus® Optima<br />L. casei-108; B. longum-135; L. acidophilus-122; L. plantarum-119; L. rhamnosus-111; L. rhamnosus-114; B. breve-129; B. bifidum-132; L. lactis-136; S. thermophilus-110; B. infantis-116; L. bulgaricus-137; L. salivarius-118; L. helveticus-128

After becoming a little "irregular," I decided to try a probiotic product. I settled on this one, because it was top-rated by ConsumerLabs,com. It worked. Within a few days, I had no problems. And a recent colonoscopy revealed I have a very healthy colon. Just one word of caution: This is a very high-potency product. Expect some gas and a little discomfort for the first few days, as your body adjusts.

I love this brand and have used it for over a year. I was so excited to find it cheaper on Amazon vs Whole Foods. The only issue is is that Amazon does not refrigerate the probiotic. This actually lessens the potentcy of the product which makes it less as effective. It's not a returnable item either. If I had known it wasn't kept refrigerated I would not have purchased it.