Considering their growing reputation in supplements and food to support general wellness, I'm not surprised our friends at ConsumerLab.com turned their attention to probiotics. After an initial report some 14 months ago, ConsumerLab.com recently updated their findings on probiotics for adults, children and pets.

The good news: Most of the 27 products ConsumerLab.com tested passed with no problems, meaning they contained the amount of probiotic organisms manufacturers listed on their labels. Notably, of the nine probiotics that failed, however, three were products suitable for kids.

In fact, one chocolate-flavored product that advertised as much as 2.6 billion probiotic organisms at the time of manufacture on its label contained the lowest percentage among all products tested (just 7 percent). Moreover, five of the nine that failed ConsumerLab.com's quality testing contained 21 percent or less of the gut-friendly organisms listed on product labels.

For the good of your health, it may be worthwhile to use our six questions for choosing the right supplement as a starting point when you're ready to find a good probiotic too.

ConsumerLab.com January 1, 2011 Subscription Required