These days, many of us are looking after our gut health and investing in high-quality probiotic supplements to even further support our gut. And that’s a good thing—gut health is important to our overall health. As you might know, probiotics are living microorganisms that help to diversify our gut microbiomes, helping to support gut health.* Now, one might wonder: since they’re alive, do probiotics need to be refrigerated?
The short answer is: it depends on the supplement, but our Synbiotic+ is one probiotic supplement that can sit right on the shelf (maybe even next to our Essential multivitamin).
Shelf-Stable Probiotics vs. Refrigerated Probiotics
When shopping for a probiotic supplement, keep in mind that some might need to be refrigerated to maintain their potency, as they are sensitive to moisture and heat. According to the IPA Best Practices for Probiotics in Dietary Supplements, “The degree that an individual product is impacted by temperature and humidity is dependent on the probiotic strains in the product, formulation matrix and dosage form, and product packaging.” (1)
The cultures themselves, if the strain allows, are freeze dried to preserve them as well. If properly encapsulated, shelf-stable probiotics can survive at room temperature; if not, high temperatures and moisture levels can affect the stability of the product. (2, 3)
As a general rule of thumb, we recommend always reading labels and instructions on any supplement you plan to take.
Are Refrigerated Probiotics Better Than Shelf-Stable Probiotics?
While different people have different needs, the choice between refrigerated probiotics vs. non refrigerated probiotics is ultimately a matter of preference—we can get probiotic benefits from either. What matters more is choosing a high quality gut health supplement.*
To make sure you’re getting high quality, our Director of Innovation and Product Development Shilpa Raut, Ph.D. says, “You can tell whether a probiotic supplement is high quality by the transparency the brand provides. Make sure that the product indicates the CFU count, the specific strains of the probiotic in the product, whether the strains are clinically studied or not, the recommended storage conditions, and the expiration or best before date.”* TL;DR: check your labels and do your research.
Why You Don’t Have to Refrigerate Synbiotic+
We wanted our signature gut health supplement to be as convenient and easy to use as possible, so we decided to work with shelf-stable probiotics. Allow us to introduce Synbiotic+. It’s 3-in-1 pre-, pro-, and post-biotic supplement designed to support gut health in one single-nested, minty-fresh essenced, delayed release capsule design made with freeze-dried probiotics.*
The reason these probiotics do not need to be refrigerated lies in the fact that we chose shelf-stable probiotics. Fun fact: Synbiotic+’s lovely gray bottle is designed with moisture control technology to help maintain the stability of the biotic strains without refrigeration needed. Personally, we like to store our Synbiotic+ on the shelf right next to our Essential Multivitamin, mostly because it makes it easy to take them both at the same time, but it’s also cool, dry, and dark—all factors that help maximize shelf life.*
It’s always good to keep an eye out for the potency of our supplements, but whether we go for refrigerated or non-refrigerated probiotics, there are plenty of high-quality options. The choices we make are personal when it comes to gut health—but with Synbiotic+, worry not! Its strains are especially designed to stay alive on our shelves (until date of expiration) for a happier gut.
