In fact, the definition of probiotics is very strict. In "Probiotics Knowledge and Health Experts of China Nutrition Society" published in May this year, the description of probiotics is: "Living microorganisms, when ingested in sufficient quantities, will bring health benefits to the host".

Five conditions must be met at the same time to be called probiotics.

The first probiotic must be alive.

The second probiotic must be safe and must undergo strict safety evaluation.

The effect of the third probiotic is related to its dosage.

Fourth, there must be sufficient evidence to prove that probiotics are beneficial to the human body.

Fifth, the role of probiotics is strain-specific.

At present, the most commonly used probiotics are Lactobacillus species and Bifidobacterium species, which are also common in yogurt. Moreover, the "species" mentioned here has a specific "genus" and a specific "plant" below.

Many of the "probiotics" people talk about can only be called "edible microorganisms", which is not the same as probiotics. Therefore, strictly speaking, lactic acid bacteria in ordinary yogurt cannot be called probiotic yogurt, because there is no high-level evidence to prove its health benefits. But there are some yogurts that really add enough probiotic strains. Only such yogurt can be called "probiotic yogurt".

How to choose?

When purchasing, consumers can pay attention to whether the package is labeled with strains, such as "Lactobacillus acidophilus". With labels, we can track the quality of strains and understand their efficacy, which is a very practical judgment method.

Eating probiotics also requires choosing symptomatic strains. Many people have heard that probiotics can treat diarrhea, constipation and have immunomodulatory effects, so they want to eat probiotics to "protect" themselves.