Physician's Choice is one of the most popular affordable probiotics in the US. The brand claims this product line is a #1 best seller on Amazon, and that it can support a "happier, healthier gut."
But does Physician's Choice Probiotic contain research-backed ingredients for gut health? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? How do real users rate and describe its effects? And which retailer sells Physician's Choice for the best price?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Physician's Choice Probiotic based on clinical studies to give our take on whether or not it's likely to support optimal gut health.
We'll also feature unsponsored customer reviews, and provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells this product for the best price.
Ingredient Analysis
The probiotic ingredients in Physician's Choice Probiotic are shown above.
60 billion colony-forming units (CFU) is a high enough dose to have a biologic effect, but higher probiotic doses aren't necessarily more effective, as documented in this Fact Sheet published by the National Institutes of Health.
Some of the probiotic species in this formulation are clinically shown to have positive health effects.
Lactobacillus casei was shown to have anti-obesity and anti-cancer effects in a medical review published in the Frontiers in Microbiology journal.
Bifidobacterium lactis (at least one strain of it) has been clinically shown to reduce cholesterol and body weight in overweight adults, as we documented in our Garden of Life Probiotics reviews article.
The prebiotic ingredients in this supplement are shown below:
While these are all whole food ingredients that can support health, the individual doses are too low to have any significant effects on gut health in our opinion.
We haven't come across any clinical evidence that these prebiotic ingredients support gut health in humans at a 50 milligram (mg) dose, nor does the brand currently publish any research proving such on their product page.
The inactive ingredients in Physician's Choice Probiotic are shown below, and should be safe and non-toxic:
Overall, this is an excellent probiotic for the price, and we have no issues with this formulation.
Real People Try Physician's Choice Probiotic
A YouTube creator named Gia G. Dixon shared her experience taking Physician's Choice 60 Billion Probiotic:
A TikTok creator named "april_leighh" had a positive experience using this supplement:
@april_leighh Physicians Choice anyone take them too? #physicianschoice #probiotics ♬ original sound - april 🩵
Will it Cause Side Effects?
Physician's Choice Probiotic doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it more challenging to assess the risk of side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
High-dose probiotic supplements can cause temporary digestive distress, including gas and bloating, as we documented in our Align Probiotic review article.
There are no ingredients other than probiotics in this formulation that we consider likely to cause side effects.
Overall, we do not consider Physician's Choice Probiotic likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy individuals, but consumers with existing gut issues may wish to speak with their doctor prior to taking a 60 billion CFU probiotic supplement.
There is no mention of potential side effects on the Physician's Choice website product page at the time of publishing this article.
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.
Real Customers Rate Physician's Choice
Amazon is a better resource for unbiased customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
The 60 billion CFU probiotic reviewed in this article has been reviewed over 100,000 times on Amazon, and currently has an average review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Michael Howard" who gives the product a 5/5 star rating, and claims it's alleviated several digestive health issues:
"Day 25 - update after almost an entire month: I can say that my bowel movements are back to normal and the acid reflux is almost non-existent, I no longer need to work about taking Pepcid or something like it to get me through a hearty meal."
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Smokey Bear" who gives the product a 1/5 star rating, and claims that it caused side effects:
"I wish I had never taken this and hope there are no long term effects. I had really bad side effects. The fatigue was off the chart. Literally couldn’t keep my eyes open. Terrible brain fog and headache. I’ve never had this happen with a probiotic..."
Where to Get the Best Price
Physician's Choice Probiotic is sold at a variety of online retailers.
Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase of a 60-count bottle at the time of publishing this article:
Vitacost: $39.95 (plus shipping, link)
Brand website: $39.95 (free shipping, link)
Walmart: $33.97 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $33.97 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Physician's Choice Probiotic is currently around 15% cheaper at Amazon than any other online retailer when factoring in shipping fees.
Physician's Choice Probiotic Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Physician's Choice Probiotic in our opinion:
Pros:
- Can support optimal gut health
- May relieve digestive distress
- Affordable
- No dangerous active ingredients
- No unhealthy inactive ingredients
- Unlikely to cause side effects in healthy individuals
- Highly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- Relatively high probiotic dose
- May cause digestive side effects in sensitive individuals
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
