GI Biotics (Probiotics) 25B CFU - The classic formula
GI Biotics (Probiotics) 25B CFU from EssentialSeries is our most 'one for all' probiotic formula, usually the best pick for anyone unsure about which of our 'Biotics' options to choose. GI Biotics is formulated with a blend of probiotic cultures with 11 different strains, guaranteeing a total biological activity of 25 billion colony-forming units, combined with Inulin, FOS, Zinc, and Vitamin B2 (riboflavin).
GI Biotics is HSN’s most digestive formula, designed to act specifically on the gastrointestinal system thanks to the zinc in its composition, which helps the normal metabolism of macronutrients. It has been developed with a specific combination of probiotic strains from the families: Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium. Plus, it includes prebiotic fibers like fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and fructans (inulin).
The 25B CFU is not a quantity value but an activity measure, the correct way to gauge the effectiveness of a probiotic formula. Our 25B CFU are guaranteed until the product’s expiration date, unlike probiotics from other brands.
Discover GI Biotics - what makes it unique?
CFU. Know why it matters
Ferments are microbes, and they must be alive.
The term 'probiotic,' as defined by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition:
Refers to bacterial species, bacterial strains, or species of living microorganisms, like Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, etc.
And to properly meet this, the bacterial strains selected in the probiotic formula must be alive, so their biological activity (Colony Forming Units) must be known. However, many companies sell probiotic products where they only declare the milligrams of powder containing the bacteria, which, while practical for development, is unspecific and not very informative about the formula’s effectiveness for users, what if the bacteria died in the powder? What good is the amount if there are no 'live probiotics'?
To avoid these issues, at HSN we indicate the correct value, the one that should be shown on any probiotic product to truly know its effectiveness and concentration: Colony Forming Units (CFU). Any probiotic you buy, whether a single strain or a mix of several species, should tell you the number of bacteria units it contains so you can precisely choose the best product for your needs.
25B CFU is a suitable concentration for chronic, long-term use of a probiotic formula aimed at maintenance and without special requirements, a topic we’ll cover later in this description.
Specific selection of bacterial strains
Not all probiotics are the same, and we’re not just talking about probiotics as products, but about bacterial strains.
'Probiotic' is a broad term, there are hundreds of bacteria generally recognized as safe for human consumption and thus usable in food and supplements, but how do we know which strains are useful or beneficial?
We know this through scientific studies conducted by researchers from multiple universities worldwide with many people over weeks or even months; these studies establish which specific bacteria have certain properties, which others have different ones, and which have no beneficial physiological properties for the human body.
HSN’s GI Biotics formula has been developed after reviewing the most current and significant scientific evidence on probiotics for use as a dietary supplement, and we’ve chosen a selection of 11 bacterial strains from the most recognized probiotic families in nutrition: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus.
You’ll find well-known strains like L. Acidophilus, L. Casei, L. Reuteri, and B. Bifidum, among others.
Controlled culture ferments
Probiotics are bacteria that grow in specific environments, and probiotic bacteria intended to colonize the host and provide nutritional benefits should not be confused with bacteria that naturally develop from food decomposition; although both are bacteria, some are beneficial and others harmful to humans, and they are completely different.
The bacteria used as probiotics in our Biotics range are ferments grown in controlled media by biochemistry specialists, allowing them to multiply properly until reaching billions of units in controlled environments to maximize all their beneficial effects.
Many companies buy probiotics cultivated by specialists in favorable media, which is the easiest way since if all external conditions needed for probiotic growth are provided, it will multiply quickly and easily, but its resistance to the environment is lower. These probiotics require refrigeration, are very delicate, and die quickly and easily; in short, they are effective probiotic presentations only while alive but have very limited viability.
At HSN, we’ve selected the growth conditions for our probiotics and established a culture medium considered 'non-optimal' for their growth. This doesn’t negatively affect their effectiveness; on the contrary, it’s more costly for the manufacturer because bacteria grow less well, but they are much more resistant to the environment because they’ve already survived a tough culture medium. This way, our bacteria don’t need special care, refrigeration, or specific environmental control, and their biological activity stays intact throughout the product’s use.
Probiotic / Symbiotic - The role of prebiotics
Probiotics are clearly defined as live bacterial strains ingested to colonize the host and perform nutritional functions, but when the term 'probiotic' was conceptualized, a parallel concept called 'prebiotic' emerged, categorizing a type of fiber with particular nutritional properties recommended to be combined with probiotics.
The combination of probiotic + prebiotic is called symbiotic and is considered a superior formulation compared to either compound alone.
In HSN’s biotics formulas, we add prebiotics to our specific probiotic selections; you’ll find a mix of inulin and fructooligosaccharides in HSN’s GI Biotics.
DR Caps® - What they are and why they revolutionize HSN probiotics
Many studies have focused on determining the nutritional kinetics of probiotics, and many have reached the same conclusion: bacteria don’t survive low pHs.
Our probiotics are pH resistant due to the adverse cultivation conditions they were produced in, so they can contact stomach acids without degrading, but we’ve decided to add extra protection in our latest reformulation: DR Caps®.
DR Caps® is a registered and patented brand by Lonza, a prestigious Swiss company now expanded worldwide, specialized in developing coating agents and active ingredient handling in the food, supplement, and pharmaceutical industries.
DR Caps® is the name for their development of vegetable capsules with gastro-resistant protection, or enteric coating. Using these capsules allows GI Biotics to pass through digestion without probiotics contacting digestive acids, as the capsule stays intact and doesn’t release its contents in the stomach, unlike other encapsulations. Once it reaches the intestine, where the environment is more basic and suitable for probiotic survival, and where studies show probiotics must arrive for proper nutritional function; the capsules dissolve and release the contents, exactly where you want them.
HSN Biotics don’t require refrigeration
One of the most delicate issues with probiotics that makes many options on the market ineffective due to lack of biological activity is the cold chain.
Probiotics cultivated under favorable conditions have grown in controlled, refrigerated temperatures and require maintaining these conditions for survival, which poses clear logistical challenges at several points in the process:
- Manufacturing: Even if probiotic developers have the industrial conditions needed for cold processing, supplement factories (final product) often don’t, so if the supplement you receive is made handling probiotic powder without refrigeration, it’s no good.
- Shipping: Although there are more tools to ship orders refrigerated, it remains a difficult process that increases product cost for the customer.
- Storage at home: Keeping probiotics in the fridge, taking up space, is objectively worse than storing them at room temperature.
However, with HSN you can, our probiotics survive room temperatures because they were cultivated at these temperatures, not in the cold, allowing their natural environment to be ambient temperature. This means: more resistant probiotics, no need to maintain the cold chain throughout production and storage, both on our end and yours at home, and no extra cost on your purchase for the conditions needed to maintain this.
A maintenance formula - how to combine it with 100B CFU?
Besides GI Biotics 25B, we have a 4x more concentrated version: 100B CFU, does this mean 100B CFU is better than 25B CFU?
No, each concentration suits different purposes, each having its place in the diet of someone using probiotics, depending on the moment.
25B CFU is considered the usual amount of probiotics you should use daily for long-term nutritional benefits without special considerations, while 100B CFU is a probiotic for occasional use, in specific moments when you need that extra concentration; or for people with particular needs requiring that high concentration chronically.
A common way to use probiotics at one of the most usual times for taking them, which is: after an antibiotic treatment, is to use GI Biotics 100B CFU for 60 days (2 months, the duration of one container) and once finished, continue probiotic intake with the 25B CFU version for 120 more days (4 months, the duration of one container). For a total use time of 6 months.
After this period, you can repeat the cycle, continue with the 25B maintenance dose, or stop use, depending on your needs.
Can probiotics be taken with other products?
Yes.
Probiotics are compatible with every compound commonly used as dietary supplementation; they can be taken together (even in the same dose) with:
And of course with proteins, carbohydrates, isotonics, mass gainers, and any other powder, capsule, or tablet product you can buy at HSN, so you can use GI Biotics completely worry-free alongside these products.
Scientific references on probiotics
- Sanders, M. E., Guarner, F., Guerrant, R., Holt, P. R., Quigley, E. M. M., Sartor, R. B., … Mayer, E. A. (2013). An update on the use and investigation of probiotics in health and disease. Gut, 62(5), 787–796.
- Shing, C. M., Peake, J. M., Lim, C. L., Briskey, D., Walsh, N. P., Fortes, M. B., … Vitetta, L. (2014). Effects of probiotics supplementation on gastrointestinal permeability, inflammation and exercise performance in the heat. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 114(1), 93–103.
- Hempel, S., Newberry, S. J., Maher, A. R., Wang, Z., Miles, J. N. V., Shanman, R., … Shekelle, P. G. (2012). Probiotics for the prevention and treatment of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association, 307(18), 1959–1969.
- McFarland, L. V. (2007). Meta-analysis of probiotics for the prevention of traveler’s diarrhea. Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, 5(2 SPEC. ISS.), 97–105.
- Jäger, R., Mohr, A. E., Carpenter, K. C., Kerksick, C. M., Purpura, M., Moussa, A., … Antonio, J. (2019). International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Probiotics. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 16(1), 62.
- Wilkins, T., & Sequoia, J. (2017). Probiotics for Gastrointestinal Conditions: A Summary of the Evidence. American Family Physician, 96(3), 170–178.
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