Containing 50 billion live cultures and 12 probiotic strains Renew Life’s Ultimate Flora Probiotic is one of the highest strength gut health supplements on the market. To find out how it compares to other similar gut flora capsules read the review
Ultimate Flora Probiotic Review Summary: Renew Life are a well respected company and Ultimate Flora is one their best selling products.
Targeted towards occasional digestive discomfort and immune support – Ultimate Flora is a well rounded product.
However it could be argued that it doesn’t really compete at the very highest level and falls behind similar products such as Complete Probiotic Platinum
Table of Contents
Ultimate Flora Probiotic from Renew Life Review
Ultimate Flora Extra Care 50 Billion is a gut-wellness supplement manufactured in the USA and distributed under the Renew Life brand name.
According to the manufacturer, one dose per day provides 50 billion live cultures from 12 different strains of probiotic bacteria.
The marketing material is not particularly informative but it states Extra Care 50 Billion is for people who want to restore their digestive balance and for people who occasionally experience digestive discomfort.
The Extra Care 50 Billion sales page on the Renew Life website is more annoying than helpful. There is a brief product description followed by numerous pictures of individuals posing with bottles of various Renew Life products.
As you scroll down the page, it keeps loading more. Most of the pictures are not relevant to the product the page aims to sell.
At the top of the page, beneath a title that states “About this Product”, a line of bolded text points out, “Renew Life Probiotics Were Voted #1 in Consumer Satisfaction in 2018.” Again, that’s not about the product. It’s about the brand.
The claim refers to a Consumer Lab Survey. Information provided at the Consumer Lab website does not wholly support the claim but Renew Life is one of several supplement companies that get a mention on the list of top supplements for that year.
Although Renew Life was one of the brands the company analyzed for inclusion on its list the following year, Renew Life failed to earn a place on Consumer Lab’s list of Top-rated Vitamin and Supplement Brands and Merchants for 2019.
Who Makes Ultimate Flora?
Renew Life was founded in 1997 by Brenda and Stan Watson. The couple became interested in digestive health through Brenda’s struggle with chronic illness.
When Brenda began to understand how changes within the gut can affect the health, she became inspired to help other people. That’s when she and her husband began formulating supplements.
In 2016, the Watsons sold Renew Life to the Clorox Company, which is best known for being the manufacturer of Clorox bleach.
Extra Care 50 Billion is one of many Renew Life probiotic products. At the time of this review, the official site was showing 30+ different probiotic options including a probiotic for babies and probiotic gummies for kids.
In addition to probiotics, Renew Life also distributes fish oils, supplements that provide digestive enzymes, detox formulations, and fiber-providing supplements.
Renew Life products have won several awards from retailers and magazines. There can be no doubt the brand has earned a lot of respect.
However, a number of recent customer reviews mention quality issues and problems with orders. Unfortunately, the problems don’t end there.
On May 3, 2017, the company had to recall many of its Ultimate Flora products after it was discovered they were wrongly-labeled dairy-free.
This is a serious error because the presence of dairy in a product has the potential to make some people seriously ill and may also trigger life-threatening reactions.
Why Are Probiotic Bacteria Important?
The guts are alive with bacteria. Some types are bad and, if they build up, they can endanger the health.
Probiotic bacteria is the good type. It reduces the level of hostile bacteria in the gut and prevents it from reaching harmful levels.
Probiotic bacteria also helps provide a strong immune system by aiding the production of the T-cells that are part of the body’s frontline of defense. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25017466/)
In addition to these things, probiotic bacteria help maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier that stops harmful organisms from seeping through the intestinal walls and entering the blood. They are also good for digestion.
These and various other roles the bacteria serve optimize the body to attain/maintain good mental and physical health. By supporting efficient energy metabolism, probiotic bacteria also fight obesity and help you to stay slim.
What Is Ultimate Flora Probiotic Extra Care 50 Billion?
Renew Life Extra Care 50 Billion is a capsule-type supplement that provides probiotic bacteria. The probiotics inside the capsules come in the form of a powder.
The capsules are designed to delay the release of the bacteria. This should help it survive the harsh digestive acids and allow it to make it safely to the gut.
What are the Benefits
- Helps relieve occasional digestive discomfort
- Promotes digestive and immune health
- Helps you maintain regularity
- Delayed-release capsule ensures the live bacteria reach your gut intact
- The presence of multiple probiotic strains reflect the natural diversity inside your gut
- Quality, purity, and potency guaranteed through expiration
The Ultimate Flora Probiotic Formula
According to the supplement facts on the back of the box, each capsule provides 30 billion bacteria from the Bifidobacterium family of bacteria. It also provides 20 billion bacteria from the Lactobacillus family of bacteria.
A Closer Look at the Ultimate Flora Probiotic Probiotic Blend
Most probiotic products contain bacteria take from the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus families of bacteria and the formulation provided here looks good.
Let’s take a look at a couple of the bacteria types present.
- Bifidobacterium lactis – Aids digestion and immune function.
- Bifidobacterium bifidum – Synthesizes vitamins and battles hostile bacteria.
- Lactobacillus casei – Aids digestion and controls diarrhea.
- Lactobacillus salivarius – Aids carbohydrate absorption, lowers cholesterol, and reduces inflammation.
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus – Helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal barier that prevents harmful bacteria from entering the blood.
All the bacteria present in the blend are beneficial. So, if quality standards are sufficiently high and the capsules can get the specified quantities of bacteria down to the gut, all should be well.
How Does Ultimate Flora Probiotic Compare to Other Probiotic Products?
Hype aside, the product looks good but there is nothing that makes it appear to have any notable advantage over alternative probiotic formulations.
How to Use Ultimate Flora Probiotic
The dose is one capsule per day.
Ultimate Flora Probiotic Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are a mixed bag. Some people heap praise on the product’s probiotic abilities, others complain about quality issues.
A lot of customers also claim to have tested the product and discovered the bacteria were dead.
Here are some positive reviews from customers
Here are some complaints and negative reviews from customers
Potential Side Effects and Other Health Considerations of Ultimate Flora Probiotic
Probiotic products are very popular and can offer many health benefits. However, people who have weak immune systems should not use this type of supplement unless a doctor approves it. Some probiotics could cause side effects.
Some people find probiotic products upset their stomachs when they first begin using them but any problems of this nature generally subside quickly as the body adapts.
Unfortunately, a lot of customers report additional problems they attribute to using this product.
These include:
- Acne
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- High blood pressure
Some customers say they believe the problems they experienced were due to the lack of refrigeration during transport.
Where to Buy Ultimate Flora Probiotic
Extra Care 50 Billion is available to buy via many popular supplement providers including Lucky Vitamin, Swanson Health Products, and Vitamin Discount Center. You can also find it on the shelves of many branches of Walgreens.
However, there are several pack size options and a lot of suppliers don’t stock all of the sizes. Needless to say, the manufacturer’s website does.
If you buy direct from the Renew Life website the size options and prices look like this:
- 14 Capsules – $18.69
- 30 Capsules – $33.99
- 60 Capsules – $57.79
- 90 Capsules – $76.49
A Look at the Renew Life Guarantee
Renew Life Promises a 60-day money-back guarantee. On the face of it, that seems pretty good. Don’t take this company’s guarantee at face value.
If you examine the details of the guarantee, you will find the following line of text:
“If you wish to return a Renew Life product because of poor quality in manufacturing, we offer a 60-day Complete Money Back Guarantee (minus shipping and handling costs).”
That may be handy if you receive a bottle of pills that show signs of damage or is only half-full. However, if you find the Extra Care 50 Billion doesn’t work or causes you to experience side effects, a guarantee like that doesn’t mean a thing.
Ultimate Flora Probiotic Review Conclusion
As far as the probiotic formulation goes, Extra Care 50 Billion doesn’t differ much from many alternative products.
Although with 50 billion probiotic bacteria per capsule, it does provide significantly more bacteria than a lot of probiotic products do, in theory anyway.
Unfortunately, a lot of customers say they believe the bacteria in their capsules were dead.
We also found many complaints about empty packages, broken or improperly sealed bottles, and other quality issues. Some customers also say using Extra Care 50 Billion caused them to become ill.
There certainly appear to be a lot more reports of problems since the couple who started Renew Life took the money and ran.
Is Ultimate Flora Probiotic a good probiotic supplement to buy?
At the time of this review, it’s not a product we can endorse. There are too many reports of problems and the manufacturer’s guarantee is not as good as it looks.