This post attempts to describe the different ways and rank them (i.e. via IMHO)

The criteria is simple, evidence based (⭐ or 🤷‍♀️), profit making 💰, choices are ranked 📶, and person specific 👩.

• Ask on the internet or ask your typical friends – 🤷‍♀️
  • Typically, answers are based “What I used” or “I saw this advertised”
  • If the site provide links to brands, it is likely that they earn money from referrals 💰. They are likely to recommend what pays them best!
• Ask your medical professional ⭐ or 🤷‍♀️
  • Depending on professional interest, a few suggestions may be based on studies or what worked for others that they see in their practice. Probiotics are poorly (if at all) covered in medical training
  • If they sell the probiotics suggested, there is an immediate conflict of interests. 💰
• Ask the provider of a test result (most microbiome providers) ⭐ or 💰
  • If they sell the probiotics suggested, there is an immediate conflict of interests. 💰💰🤷‍♀️
  • If they provide the name of studies used to make the suggestion. ⭐
• Go to a site that does a critical review by a professional: ⭐⭐⭐📶
  • Clinical Guide to Probiotic Products Available in USA [2022]
  • Clinical Guide to Probiotic Products Available in Canada [2022]
  • Probiotic products in Canada with clinical evidence: What can gastroenterologists recommend? [2008]
  • Probiotics are ranked
  • The usual problem is that your issues are not listed, so no help
• Use an Organic Acid Test (OATS) results and Microbiome Prescription ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐📶👩
  • Direct link to page (no login required)
  • This uses the OATS results with the DNA of probiotics
• Use you symptoms and citizen science derived data with the DNA of probiotics ⭐⭐⭐⭐📶
  • See this post for details: AI Computed Probiotics from Symptoms
• Upload your non-16s microbiome results to Microbiome Prescription , and use normal suggestions: ⭐⭐⭐⭐📶👩
  • The depth of microbiome analysis is usually very shallow
  • The advice is based on studies with the “weight” based on the number of studies, thus similar to the critical reviews above, there is a ranking.
• Get a 16s microbiome Test and upload to Microbiome Prescription, and use normal suggestions: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐📶👩
  • Best Tests for $:
    • OmbreLab.com (Ships to US only)
    • BiomeSight.com (Ships everywhere, including the US)
  • Use the Suggestions algorithms to get a list of probiotics ranked
  • The advice is based on studies with the “weight” based on the number of studies, thus similar to the critical reviews above, there is a ranking.
• Use above 16s data and use KEGG AI Suggested probiotics⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐📶👩
  • This does not use any clinical studies, it uses DNA of your microbiome and the DNA of the probiotic species
  • It is far more comprehensive than using clinical studies (not that many studies)
  • It has not been demonstrated (or even studied) – it is mathematically modelled

• Use above 16s data, your symptoms, and use KEGG AI Computed Probiotics⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐📶👩
  • See this post for a walk thru: Using Samples and Symptoms to Suggest Probiotics
  • This does not use any clinical studies, it uses DNA of your microbiome and the DNA of the probiotic species. It uses the symptoms that you have.
  • It is far more comprehensive than using clinical studies (not that many studies)
  • Adding in your symptoms (over 200 to choose from) allows enzymes (over 700) that you are low in to be inferred and thus ameliorated.
  • It has not been demonstrated (or even studied) – it is mathematically modelled

Conflict of Interest Declaration: I wrote the microbiome prescription web site. There is no charge for using it. There is no advertising or selling of products on it. (So low conflict of interest) I am a trained scientist (M.Sc.) with heavy emphasis on mathematic modelling