NOTE: Probiotics are measured by their potency (CFU per gram or number of probiotic cells per gram), not just by how much powder there is. Probiotic powders can be manufactured in different potencies (10 Billion CFU per gram, 100 Billion CFU per gram, 500 Billion CFU per gram, etc). The higher the potency per gram, the less powder you need to take. For example, you would need to take 5 grams of 100 Billion CFU per gram to equal 1 gram of 500 Billion CFU per gram.

L. Acidophilus 200 billion CFUs/gram (Live Probiotic, No Fillers)

Ingredients: Lactobacillus Acidophilus (L. Acidophilus)

NOTE: Keep refrigerated upon arrival. 

The probiotics are freeze dried so no ice packs, etc are needed during shipment. 

DO NOT purchase no filler probiotic powder if it is NOT refrigerated. Fillers like maltodextrin, etc keep probiotics stable outside of the refrigerator but cause a lot of digestive problems so we don't use them. The CFU count will be much lower than advertised for no filler powders that are not refrigerated.

We keep all our powders in the refrigerator before shipment.

FREE US SHIPPING. 

*Free international shipping over $100 USD (use code FREESHIPPING at checkout). 

How do I measure this? 

Two measuring spoons are included. The small spoon is 20 Billion CFU (0.1g) and the big spoon is 160 Billion CFU (0.8g). 

Why powder and not capsules?

Our probiotic powder has no additives. Many people don't realize that a lot of additives worsen their symptoms. Additionally, the microbiome in your mouth, esophagus, and stomach are incredibly important to your health. Taking our flavorless probiotic powder keeps those areas healthy. 

Why High Potency? How much should I take? 

Using a dose less than 25 Billion per day will have limited health benefits -- you will need a higher potency to get desirable results. Many people have used other probiotic brands with minimal results because of their low potency. 

It depends on the person and the issue that is being addressed. You’ll start to see results at a minimum of 25 Billion CFUs per day. The average daily dose by our customers is between 200-400 Billion CFUs per day. Some people see significant results with dosages as high as 800 Billion CFUs per day. 

15g Size ($1.99 per gram):

150 servings if using 20 Billion CFU serving size 

50g Size ($1.16 per gram)

3,333 servings if using 3 Billion CFU serving size (~1/256 teaspoon or 15.625mg)

2,000 servings if using 5 Billion CFU serving size (~1/128 teaspoon or 31.25mg)

1,000 servings if using 10 Billion CFU serving size (~1/64 teaspoon or 62.5mg)

500 servings if using 20 Billion CFU serving size (~1/32 teaspoon or 125mg)

200 servings if using 50 Billion CFU serving size (1/16 teaspoon or 0.25g)

100 servings if using 100 Billion CFU serving size (1/8 teaspoon or 0.5g)

50 servings if using 200 Billion CFU serving size (1/4 teaspoon or 1g)

100g Size ($0.98 per gram): 

6,666 servings if using 3 Billion CFU serving size (~1/256 teaspoon or 15.625mg)

4,000 servings if using 5 Billion CFU serving size (~1/128 teaspoon or 31.25mg)

2,000 servings if using 10 Billion CFU serving size (~1/64 teaspoon or 62.5mg)

1,000 servings if using 20 Billion CFU serving size (~1/32 teaspoon or 125mg)

400 servings if using 50 Billion CFU serving size (1/16 teaspoon or 0.25g)

200 servings if using 100 Billion CFU serving size (1/8 teaspoon or 0.5g)

100 servings if using 200 Billion CFU serving size (1/4 teaspoon or 1g)

Statement on Allergens

Dairy Free

Sugar Free

Gluten Free

Preservative Free

Soy Free

GMO Free

Yeast Free

Casein Free

Free of Artificial Colors or Flavors

Prebiotic Free

How long will a 50 gram or 100 gram powder last? 

50 grams will last about 2 months if you take 200 Billion CFUs per day or 8 months if you take 50 Billion CFUs per day. 100 grams will last about 4 months if you take 200 Billion CFUs per day. 

Can infants and children take probiotics? 

Based on existing research, infants can start taking probiotics at 6 months of age. 

How much probiotics can an infant take? 

Infants can take up to 50 Billion CFU per day. 

What are CFUs?

CFU stands for Colony Forming Unit. This is the bacterial count of probiotics. 

Why aren’t BulkProbiotics enteric coated? 

Enteric coated probiotics are mainly a marketing gimmick. The strains that are used at BulkProbiotics are vetted to have excellent acid and bile tolerance as well as the capacity to survive intestinal transit. 

What happens if I leave the probiotics outside of the refrigerator for a couple of days? 

2 year temperature stability testing has been performed on our probiotics and the loss would be negligible. Our probiotics can remain at room temperature (or travel) for 5 weeks with limited loss, however, it is best to store the probiotics in the refrigerator for optimum potency. 

Why do some individuals get a “die-off” reaction? 

This is due to a ‘war’ that occurs between the probiotics and the bad bacteria in your body. If there is a large imbalance in your gut bacteria, the die-off reaction will be higher. To avoid this we recommend that you gradually increase your dosage starting with about 25 Billion CFU per day and increase every few days over a couple of weeks. 

Do your probiotics contain any dairy or gluten? 

Our probiotics are dairy and gluten free. They do not utilize milk, milk derivatives, GOS, or Inulin as additional ingredients in the fermentation media. 

When should I take probiotics? Is it ok to take probiotics with drugs, vitamins, or antibiotics? 

As a digestive aid, it is best to take 30 minutes before a meal; otherwise, it is also ok to take on an empty stomach in the morning or at bedtime (at least 2 hours after eating). Probiotics should not be taken with antibiotics (take 2 hours before or after taking antibiotics). 

What is the return policy?

We accept returns within 30 days for all 10g probiotic powders that are unopened. We do not accept returns for any other sizes. The 10g size is available to experiment to help you find the right probiotic strains for you. 

L. acidophilus is a common and popular probiotic bacterium. People use it to lower cholesterol, improve gut health, and suppress allergies. What other benefits might it have? 

What is Lactobacillus acidophilus?

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a gram-positive lactic acid bacterium, that has been traditionally and widely used in the dairy industry, and more recently as a probiotic [1].

1. acidophilus is added to commercial yogurts and dairy formulations both for its flavor and for probiotic effect and is one of the most commonly selected Lactobacillus species for dietary use [1].

Possibly Effective For

1) Iron Status

Iron deficiency was associated with low levels of Lactobacilli in a small study of young women in south India [2].

190 preschool children supplemented with L. acidophilus exhibited higher red blood cell status [3] and a significant reduction in the prevalence of anemia [4].

1. acidophilus increases iron bioavailability in rats [5].

2) Cholesterol

In multiple clinical studies, daily consumption of L. acidophilus or a fermented product containing L. acidophilus after each dinner contributed to a significant reduction in cholesterol [6]. However, in another study, L. acidophilus did not lower blood cholesterol in men and women with normal to borderline high cholesterol levels [7].

1. acidophilus reduces cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in mice fed a high-fat diet [8].
2. acidophilus lowers total blood cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and TAG, and total liver cholesterol and liver TAG in rats [9, 10].

3) Cardiovascular Disease

2. acidophilus consumption led to a 2.4% to 3.2% reduction in blood cholesterol in clinical studies. Since every 1% reduction in serum cholesterol concentration is associated with an estimated 2% to 3% reduction in risk for coronary heart disease, the authors argued, regular intake of L. acidophilus has the potential to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease by 6 to 10% [11].
3. acidophilus protected against atherosclerosis through the inhibition of intestinal cholesterol absorption in mice fed a Western diet [12].
4. acidophilus reduced cholesterol and inhibited the accumulation of lipoprotein in atherosclerotic plaques in mice [13].
5. acidophilus attenuated the development of atherosclerotic lesions in mice, possibly by reducing oxidative stress and inflammatory response [14].

4) Gut Health

Intestinal Microbiota

Healthy volunteers receiving L. acidophilus and cellobiose showed increased levels of Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, Collinsella, and Eubacterium, while Dialister was decreased [15].

1. acidophilus increased the population of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria in rats [9].
2. acidophilus administered in yogurt positively shifted gut microbiota and increased intestinal Bifidobacteria in obese mice [16].
3. acidophilus increased Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria populations, increased levels of acetic, butyric, and propionic acids, and lowered ammonium in a human microbiota simulator [17].

Antibiotic Therapy

1. acidophilus administered with amoxicillin/clavulanate was associated with a significant decrease in patient complaints of GI side effects and yeast superinfection [18].

Diarrhea

Some trials found no beneficial effect on the prevention of travelers’ diarrhea [19] or acute diarrhea in children [20].

Other studies show that heat-killed L. acidophilus markedly improved symptoms in patients with chronic diarrhea [21], L. acidophilus reduced the duration of diarrhea in hospitalized, but not outpatient, children [22], and ameliorated both rotavirus-positive diarrhea [23] and nonrotavirus diarrhea in children [24].

1. acidophilus attenuates diarrhea in mice [25].

IBS

1. acidophilus reduced abdominal pain and discomfort in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) [26, 27].

H. pylori

1. acidophilus improves intestinal inflammation caused by H. pylori [28] and decreases the viability of H. pylori and increases the eradication rate in infected patients [29].

5) Atopic Dermatitis

1. acidophilus suppressed Th2-dominant inflammation by activating regulatory T cells and Th1 helper T cells in atopic dermatitis [30].

Long-term oral administration of L. acidophilus significantly restored Th1/Th2 balance and ameliorated the symptoms of atopic dermatitis in children [31].

Prolonged ingestion of L. acidophilus significantly decreased eczema area and severity index in patients with adult atopic dermatitis [30, 32]. The probiotic also suppressed scratching [30].

1. acidophilus suppresses ear swelling, scratching behavior and other dermatitis-like symptoms in mice [33, 34].

6) Allergy

1. acidophilus alleviated allergic symptoms in patients with Japanese cedar pollinosis [35, 36].
2. acidophilus alleviated the symptoms in patients with perennial allergic rhinitis [37].
3. acidophilus may also improve lactose digestion and tolerance, though the evidence is conflicting [38, 39].
4. acidophilus suppressed hypersensitivity, attenuates the numbers of inflammatory cells and inhibited Th17 and IgE production in mice with allergy [40].
5. acidophilus increased the number of Treg cells to suppress the progression of allergic contact dermatitis in mice [41] and suppressed nasal symptoms and IgE in allergic mice [35, 42].

7) Vaginal Infections

Treatment of patients with bacterial vaginosis with L. acidophilus contributed to the restoration of a normal vaginal environment [43].

1. acidophilus maintained low pH and increased human vaginal epithelial cell viability [44].

Daily ingestion of yogurt enriched with L. acidophilus appeared to reduce the incidence of bacterial vaginosis [45].

8) Folate and B12 Status

Daily consumption of L. acidophilus significantly improved vitamin B12 and folate levels in children [4].

9) Diabetes

1. acidophilus preserved insulin sensitivity in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus [46].

10) Minimal Hepatic Encephalopathy

1. acidophilus improved blood ammonia and cognitive function in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). Furthermore, patients who received the probiotic were less likely to develop overt encephalopathy [47].

11) Aging

1. acidophilus increased Bifidobacteria levels and beneficially changes microbiota in elderly subjects [48].

Dahi containing L. acidophilus reversed age-related immune function decline in mice [49].

Dahi containing L. acidophilus reduced oxidative stress and prevented molecular alterations associated with aging in mice [50].

12) Fatigue

1. acidophilus reversed immune defects in fatigued athletes [51]. It also decreased chronic fatigue following exercise and attenuated stress in rats [52].

Animal Research (Insufficient Evidence)

No clinical evidence supports the use of L. acidophilus for any of the conditions listed in this section. Below is a summary of the existing animal and cell-based research, which should guide further investigational efforts. However, the studies listed below should not be interpreted as supportive of any health benefit.

13) Infections

1. acidophilus enhanced natural and acquired immunity in healthy mice [53].

Viral Infection

Both live and non-live L. acidophilus protected against influenza virus (H1N1) infection in mice [54].

Bacterial infection

1. acidophilus can effectively prevent bacteria-induced colitis by limiting infection and promoting mucosal protective regulatory immune responses in mice [55].
2. acidophilus suppressed all of the 74 gram-negative and 16 of the gram-positive bacteria found in burn wounds, which can cause burn wound infections [56].
3. acidophilus may reduce mutant Streptococcus in dental plaque, and may decrease the cariogenic potential of oral streptococci [57].

14) Inflammation

1. acidophilus alleviated inflammation in human intestinal epithelial cells [58], decreased the transcriptional activity of NF-κB, and inhibited proinflammatory cytokines [59].

15) Arthritis

1. acidophilus decreased arthritis symptoms and maintained normal histology of reproductive organs in rats [60].
2. acidophilus showed effects comparable to the drug indomethacin in decreasing organ damage associated with arthritis in rats. This probiotic down-regulated pro-inflammatory and up-regulated anti-inflammatory cytokines [61].

16) Pain Perception

Oral administration of L. acidophilus induced the expression of mu-opioid and cannabinoid receptors in intestinal epithelial cells and mediated analgesic function in the gut, similar to the effects of morphine [62].

17) Ulcers

1. acidophilus promoted gastric ulcer healing in rats [63].

18) GI Infections

1. acidophilus alleviated E. coli infection in mice [64].
2. acidophilus inhibited the growth of C. difficile, a pathogenic bacterium that causes antibiotic-associated diarrhea [65] and inhibited the growth of Salmonella enterica in mice, especially when administered after the infection [66].

19) GI Inflammation

1. acidophilus counteracted inflammation in intestinal epithelial cells [67].

Treatment with L. acidophilus significantly increased butyrate uptake in intestinal epithelial cells. Butyrate plays beneficial roles serving as a primary fuel, ameliorating mucosal inflammation, and stimulating salt absorption [68].

1. acidophilus had a protective effect on the development of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in rats [69].
2. acidophilus improved inflammatory and functional aspects of intestinal mucositis caused by chemotherapy in mice [70].
3. acidophilus protected against colitis-induced weight loss and increases beneficial Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria in the distal colon in mice [71].
4. acidophilus reduced intestinal inflammation following infection in newborn mice [72].

Mechanism of Effect

Researchers have conducted a number of cell and animal studies to investigate the effect of L. acidophilus on a biochemical level. Here are some of their findings:

In Infection

• Enhanced natural killer cell (NK) activity [54, 80].
• Decreased NF-κB [81, 28] and increases IL-8 [28].
• In influenza, L. acidophilus deotaxin, CSF1, IL-1β, RANTES, and IFN -α in the lung, and increased IL-17 in the intestine [54].
• Upregulated IL-1α, IL-1β, CCL2, and CCL20, and activated TLR2 in intestinal epithelial cells [82].

In Fatigue

• Increased the secretion of IFNγ from T-cells in fatigued athletes [51].

In Inflammation

• Suppressed Th2-dominant inflammation by activating regulatory T cells and Th1 helper T cells [30].
• Increased TGF-β [32, 81, 55, 30].
• Decreased NF-κB activity [81, 59].
• Suppressed IL-17 and IL-23 [83], TNF-α, IL-8, MIR21 [81,59], IL-6, and IL-12 [55].
• Both increased and decreased IL-12 [55, 30].
• Stimulated IL-10 [55].
• Induced intestinal IgA [55].
• Inhibited iNOS and PTGS-2 [59].

In Allergies

• Suppressee IgE [33, 35], IL-4 [84,85], IL-17A and IL-6 [40,40].
• Increased TGF-β and IgA [84, 40, 40, 41].
• Both increased and decreased IFN-γ [84, 85] and IL-10 [40, 41].
• Increased CD25 and FOXP3 [40] and decreased RORγt [40].
• Significantly increased CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T cells [41], decreased the proliferation of CD4(+) T cells stimulated with antigen, and killed antigen-stimulated T cells [85].

In Aging

• Improved peritoneal macrophage functions, stimulated NO and IL-6, and inhibited PGE2 [49].
• Improved lymphocyte functions and stimulated IL-2 [49].
• Increased catalase (CAT) activity [50].
• Reversed age-related decline in PPARα, SMP-30, and klotho [50].

Safety

1. acidophilus is generally well tolerated. However, the use of probiotics should be avoided in patients with organ failure, immunocompromised status, and dysfunctional gut barrier mechanisms, where it can lead to infections [86].

To ensure that probiotics are safe for you, and to avoid any adverse effects, talk to your doctor before starting any new probiotic supplements.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

*These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.