Align is a brand that makes digestive health supplements, and their most popular product is a probiotic for digestive support. The brand claims to have millions of customers, and to be the "#1 Doctor Recommended Brand."
But does Align contain ingredients proven in research studies to support gut health? Does it contain any unhealthy additives? Will it cause side effects? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Align's probiotic?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Align probiotic to give our take on whether or not it's likely to support optimal gut health, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll highlight some questionable additive ingredients, discuss the risk of side effects, document which retailer sells Align for the lowest price, and feature real customer reviews.
We'll also explain why Align was successfully sued over some of their health claims.
Ingredient Analysis
Bifidobacterium longum 35624TM is the sole active ingredient in Align, and this probiotic strain has been studied in several clinical trials.
A clinical trial published in the Sports journal found that this probiotic strain improved exercise recovery.
A 2022 clinical trial found that this probiotic strain improved symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The number of patients experiencing IBS symptoms while taking this probiotic decreased by 50%.
Given that probiotics generally improve gut health, and that Align provides an effective probiotic dose, we believe that this supplement is likely to support optimal gut health in healthy adults, and may be especially useful in those with IBS.
But Align also has some questionable additive ingredients. The inactive ingredients in this formulation are shown below:
Titanium dioxide is colorant that was recently banned in the EU for use as a food additive over genotoxicity (DNA-damaging) concerns.
Propyl gallate is another preservative, and a medical review on its safety described this compound as “slightly toxic when ingested.”
Sucrose is also known as table sugar, and as we referenced in our review of another probiotic supplement called Bio X4, added sugar can contribute to obesity and cardiovascular disease when consumed in excess.
Real People Try Align
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, Align has been reviewed over 8,000 times on Amazon with an average review rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Jay S" who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
"Been taking this stuff for a while for gut health and it seems to make me feel better in general. It is supposed to work best along with a prebiotic like Benefiber or yogurt."
A top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Lauren" who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
"...for some reason Align made me extremely sick. I felt like no matter how much water I drank I was still thirsty, dizzy and extremely dehydrated to the point I was having liver issues. I felt like I was extremely sick over all. When I stopped taking them my body went back to normal within a day."
A YouTube creator named "Lola's Life Lessons" took Align Probiotic for 42 days and shared her experience:
Why Was Align Sued?
In 2011, Align was sued in a class-action lawsuit according to Top Class Actions.
The plaintiff alleged that Procter & Gamble (the manufacturer of Align) was falsely advertising their products as being beneficial for digestive health without any proof.
In 2017, according to the above link, the manufacturer chose to settle the lawsuit for $30 million.
We don't consider this to be a red flag or something consumers need to concern themselves with moving forward, given that it doesn't pertain to the ingredients or potential efficacy of the product; just the claims made by the manufacturer.
Does Align Cause Side Effects?
Align's probiotic supplement doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to say for certain whether or not it causes side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
Side effects caused by the probiotic strain in Align were not reported in the clinical trial in healthy adults we cited in the Ingredient Analysis section of this article.
In the trial with IBS patients, 4.1% of participants reported side effects. These side effects were minor and not life-threatening, including gas and bloating.
Align's FAQ page states that their supplement is unlikely to cause side effects.
As we documented in our review of probiotic supplement Synogut, high doses of probiotics can cause minor digestive distress in those with a poor diet who are not used to ingesting natural probiotics.
Overall, we consider Align unlikely to cause side effects in healthy adults, but individuals with IBS may be at a slightly increased risk of minor side effects like gas and bloating.
Where to Get the Best Price
Align is sold at a variety of online retailers, and at a variety of serving sizes.
Here's a cost breakdown in terms of price-per-capsule, at the time of updating this article:
Walgreens: $1.07 (plus shipping, link)
Vitacost: $1.05 (free shipping, link)
CVS: $0.90 (plus shipping, link)
Target: $0.90 (free shipping, link)
Walmart: $0.75 (free shipping, third-party seller, link)
Amazon: $0.75 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Align's probiotic is currently around 40% cheaper at Amazon and Walmart than Walgreens when factoring in shipping fees.
The Amazon listing is managed by Amazon, while the Walmart listing is currently managed by a third-party seller, so we consider it safer in this case to purchase this supplement from Amazon.
Our Clean Probiotic Picks
Ritual Synbiotic+ is our top value probiotic pick.
It contains prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics, and costs under $1.50 per serving at the time of updating this article.
Probiotics "can improve in the immune, gastrointestinal...health systems in healthy adults" according to a 2019 medical review.
VSL#3 is our top premium probiotic pick.
This probiotic supplement has been studied in 25 clinical trials, and a 2020 meta-study on VSL#3 concluded the following:
"...many studies demonstrated that VSL#3 has a beneficial effect on obesity and diabetes, allergic diseases, nervous systemic diseases, AS, bone diseases, and female reproductive systemic diseases."
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top prebiotic fiber pick.
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ contains 100% soluble fiber, which was described as "one of the most important nutrients for the gut microbiota" in a clinical review published in the Molecules journal.
All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Align Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Align Probiotic in our opinion:
Pros:
- Effective probiotic strain
- Effective dose
- Should support optimal gut health
- May improve symptoms in patients with IBS
- Unlikely to cause side effects
- Reasonably priced
- Highly positive Amazon reviews
Cons:
- Contains refined, added sugar
- Contains titanium dioxide
- Contains propyl gallate
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
