Which HUM Probiotic Should I Take?
Jessica Bippen, MS, RD, answers one of our most-asked questions: Which HUM probiotic should I take? Here’s the definitive guide on the differences between Gut Instinct, Skin Squad, Private Party, and Fan Club.
You’ve probably heard that probiotics are key to keeping your gut microbiome happy. But with so many probiotic supplements out there, how do you know which probiotic is right for you? Keep reading to learn more about probiotics and details on HUM’s different formulations.
What are Probiotics?
Before diving straight into the different types of probiotics HUM offers, let’s first better understand probiotics and why they’re important.
Probiotics are the live bacteria and yeasts that live in your body and keep your gut healthy. These friendly bacteria patrol your intestines and keep your digestive system running smoothly by helping digest food, destroy harmful pathogens, and produce vitamins.
Benefits of Taking Probiotics
Probiotics are especially helpful following a round of antibiotics, as these drugs kill both infectious and healthy bacteria. When healthy bacteria are killed off, harmful bacteria flourish. This proliferation can lead to indigestion, breakouts, and/or imbalances in the vaginal microbiome.
While more research is necessary to fully understand the benefits of types of bacteria, we do know that different probiotic strains support your body in different ways. For instance, certain strains can support brain health and reduce stress, while others help reduce acne and inflammation.
For this reason, HUM offers four probiotic supplements. Gut Instinct, Skin Squad, Private Party, and Fan Club all address different wellness and beauty concerns with their unique probiotic combinations.
Which HUM Probiotic Should I Take?
Your choice of probiotic will depend on your wellness goals. To start, here’s a simple breakdown of the primary distinguishers between HUM probiotics.
- Gut Instinct supports your immune system and digestion with 10 strains of probiotics and 25 billion organisms in each capsule.
- Skin Squad combines 40 billion organisms from nine different strains, all specifically chosen to support skin health.
- Private Party packs three probiotic strains to support a healthy vaginal pH and cranberry PAC’s for urinary tract health.
- Fan Club is an estrogen-free, clinically-studied probiotic formula that addresses 11 symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.
All About HUM Probiotics
GUT INSTINCT
HUM’s first probiotic supports the comprehensive health of your body and digestion with 10 strains of probiotics and 25 billion organisms in each capsule.
Since your digestive tract is home to trillions of microorganisms, it’s important to maintain a proper balance to ensure your system works properly. Among many other things, the bacteria living in your intestinal tract help digest food, produce vitamins, regulate hormones, and excrete toxins to keep your gut healthy. Your immunity, stress response, sleep, mood, behavior, metabolism, weight, hormones, and skin health all depend on the health of your gut.
The live-strain probiotics we use in Gut Instinct are clinically researched to support digestion and improve overall health. For instance, bifidobacterium longum helps stabilize the acidity of the GI tract and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. It’s also one of the species researched for its ability to decrease stress levels and improve memory. Another stain, Lactobacillus casei, can help with digestive support and alleviating diarrhea.
SKIN SQUAD
The skin and gut are connected. In fact, you can think of the skin as an extension of the gut. When there’s an imbalance in the gut, signs can show up on the skin.
Skin Squad contains a blend of pre- and probiotics specially formulated to support the body’s defenses against non-cystic acne. It has 40 billion colony forming units (CFU’s) of nine probiotic strains for a truly potent skincare product that works from the inside out.
This unique formula combines nine of the best clinically researched probiotic strains to fight breakouts and improve overall skin health. HUM uses two types of bacterial strains in Skin Squad: soil-based and live-strain.
Soil-based (or spore-forming organisms) withstand environmental changes, meaning they maintain their potency and are more shelf-stable. Our spore-forming strains include Bacillus coagulans, SNZ 1969, which enhances immunity and digestion. We also include Bacillus subtilis, DE111®, which helps our bodies digest problematic foods, supports gut lining, and improves regularity.
The live-strain probiotics we use in Skin Squad are clinically researched to support skin health. One skin-specific strain includes lactobacillus acidophilus, La-14 which can boost immunity and minimize inflammation. Research shows another stain, bifidobacterium lactis, HN019, can help protect against dry skin.
PREBIOTIC BONUS
In addition to probiotics, Skin Squad contains the prebiotic konjac root. You can think of prebiotics as fuel for your probiotics. In this case, konjac root not only feeds the probiotics, but also increases good gut bacteria while decreasing bad bacteria on its own.
PRIVATE PARTY
This one is for all the ladies out there! Private Party is your 2-in-1 solution that supports vaginal and urinary tract health. Its unique formula includes three probiotic strains and cranberry proanthocyanidins (PAC’s) standardized to clinically proven amounts.
HUM created Private Party to positively impact the vaginal microbiome and get ahead of vaginal discomfort. When your vaginal health is off balance, unwanted physical symptoms can occur. These include itching, burning, swelling, changes in vaginal odor, and pain urinating and/or during intercourse.
Private Party addresses the root causes by supporting the microbiome and pH levels of the vagina. The clinically proven probiotic strains—Lactobacillus acidophilus (La-14), L. rhamnosus, and L. reuteri—help restore vaginal flora, maintain yeast balance, and promote overall vaginal health. Additionally, studies show that PAC’s—potent antioxidants found in cranberries—support a healthy urinary tract. For this reason, Private Party includes a standardized 36 milligrams of PAC’s to ensure the best UT boost.
FAN CLUB
If you’re of a certain age, you may want to add Fan Club to your probiotic routine. It’s an ideal menopause supplement for hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, like fatigue, mood swings, and vaginal dryness. This formula contains the probiotic strain lactobacillus plantarum DR7, which supports the gut-brain axis to improve mood.
Fan Club also features Siberian rhubarb extract, which decreases the severity of hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, fatigue, and irritability. We even included a special grape seed extract to reduce stress and relax blood vessels for symptom improvement.
The best part? It truly works. Fan Club clinical trial results found that the formula decreased menopause symptoms in 90 percent of users. 87 percent of participants had fewer hot flashes, one of the most pesky symptoms of menopause, and participants slept 48 minutes longer on average,
Can You Take Them Together?
It’s perfectly fine to take a combination of two or more probiotics to address your main wellness concerns. We recommend taking a combination of two or rotating daily between the three!