TRUTH ABOUT PROBIOTICS

We here at TAP wanted to respond to Dr. Julian Whitaker who is spinning misinformation to sell his own private label probiotic brand (made by a contract manufacturer)! You may have heard of this doctor, who has been known as a holistic doctor, through his web site, e-newsletter, or other promotional appearances. He has practiced as a holistic doctor for 40+ years.

So, how did he get into probiotics? Well, Natasha Trenev was the first person to introduce this doctor to the probiotic concept in the early 1980s, when he was a customer of a well-known distributor that sold Natren probiotic supplements exclusively to alternative practitioners. In fact, Dr. Whitaker purchased Natren probiotics from this distributor for many years. 

However, as many doctors, chiropractors, and alternative health practitioners have done, they begin to private label their supplements, which they buy from contract manufacturers, in the hopes that their patients cannot find these supplements anywhere else except in their clinic. Unfortunately, this is not to benefit their patients but to secure a revenue stream for their own practice. Dr. Whitaker, along with other holistic doctors, has adopted this business model. 

What we find most offensive is a particular statement made by Dr. Whitaker that says “While you can choose a probiotic supplement that requires refrigeration, which does not help keep the bacteria alive. If you go that route, many of the bacteria can die in your stomach before they reach your intestines where they are needed.” This statement is MISLEADING AND FALSE, and intended to deceive the public regarding the necessity of refrigerating live bacteria.

The reason these companies promote non-refrigerated probiotics is to decrease their handling and shipping costs, thereby increasing their bottom line profit margin. They also avoid the issue of telling people that there is no such thing as ambient temperature (70-80 degrees F) in distribution channels. For example, a non-air-conditioned warehouse can reach 100-140 degrees F, and this is the case with most warehouses across the country! Furthermore, the delivery trucks are not air-conditioned, and according to the AAA, if it is 80 degrees outside, within 20 minutes, the temperature will rise to 120 degrees in the truck. Basically, these conditions would make it impossible for any probiotic to survive– let alone one that is not refrigerated!

 How does Dr. Whitaker’s three-coated layer protect his probiotic product from mishandling like heat exposure? And if these layers do protect the product against shelf-life abuse, why is there not a specific potency guarantee assuring that the strain is alive through a clearly printed expiry date? Furthermore, there is no third party validation that the bacteria are viable in the product at any time during its selling period. Where is the proof that he has any background formulating probiotics?

He talks about only 3 prominent probiotic products that have the triple layer coating, one of them being his private label probiotic pearls. What independent scientific proof does Dr. Whitaker provide that these three layers actually protect the probiotic compound from stomach acid? I take exception to him stating that he formulated pearl biotics specifically for digestive concerns of people over age 50. What is his expertise in the background of probiotics that would allow him to actually formulate this?

In the background description of the product, it says this product contains the five strains of bacteria your body needs most– how did he determine that these were the five strains your body needs the most? Furthermore, there is only mention of species and no specific strain on his bacteria– which is very deceptively misleading to the consumer. Also, it says you get one billion bacteria per capsule– what is the evidence of how much of each species you are getting in this product? For example, Natren will list the exact strain and amount of each ingredient and will guarantee its potency through a clearly printed expiration date. For example, you will see Lactobacillus acidophilus NAS strain, 5 billion CFU per Healthy Trinity capsule. Unfortunately, Dr. Whitaker’s product doesn’t come close to this very accurate and scientific labeling.

As you know by now, if you are an avid reader of TAP, we only recommend NATREN for a reason. We stand behind founder Natasha Trenev’s expertise in the area of probiotics, and we will continue to recommend her brand until we find a worthy competitor. We welcome feedback from Dr. Whitaker regarding his Pearl Biotics product, or the other products claiming to have this triple-layer coating technology, such as Enzymatic Pearls from Enzymatic Therapy and Probiotic Advantage from Mountain Home Nutritionals.