Dannon Activia Review

Activia has only 3 probiotic strains

ProbioticsDB.com’s Score:

Visit Manufacturer Website:
https://www.activia.us.com

What is Activia?

Activia is a yogurt from Dannon that contains 3 active probiotic strains: Bifidus regularis (which is Dannon’s proprietary name for Bifidobacterium animalis DN 173 010), Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilus.

Does it Work?

Perhaps. yogurt is effective at delivering probiotics only if those probiotics are resistant to stomach acid. Only Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Bifidobacterium animalis are known to be stomach-acid resistant. Lactobacilli are generally stomach-acid resistant because one of the products they make is lactic acid.

Therefore, Activia only has 2 viable strains. Unfortunately, the number of CFUs is not disclosed.

Is it Safe?

One of the ingredients of Activia is acesulfame, an artificial sweetener which could increase the chance of artherosclerosis.

Conclusion:

2 stars. We do not like the use of Acesulfame artificial sweetener. Also, the number of probiotic strains is low in comparison to other probiotic-containing yogurts.

ProbioticsDB.com Ingredient Analysis:

	Criteria	Our Comments
	Prebiotics	Prebiotics are a food source for probiotics. Without a food source, probiotics will not establish themselves in your GI. Yogurt contains simple sugars that probiotics can utilize.
3	Number of Probiotic Strains	There are thousands of different kinds of organisms living in your colon. Some are more helpful than others.Some probiotic organisms are more helpful that others.Every probiotic product should have S. boulardii and L. acidophilus. A good probiotic supplement will have more probiotic strains. Activia only has 3 strains, 1 of which will not survive past the stomach. It does not have S. boulardii or L. acidophilus.
N/A	Number of CFUs (in billions)	The number of CFUs is not disclosed.
	Enteric Coating	Digestive juices will destroy many probiotic organisms. An enteric coating or delayed-release system that releases probiotics in the colon helps keep them alive. Unfortunately, Activia yogurt has no protection mechanism for its probiotics and relies on the fact that some of the probiotics themselves are acid resistant.
	No artificial coloring, dyes, or sweeteners.	Acesulfame increases the risk of artherosclerosis. Activia does not have any artificial dyes or coloring.