The Digestion Blog

Today we’re reviewing Custom Probiotics CP-1 Adult Formula, a multi-strain probiotic containing 50 billion colony forming units.

When I first started looking into getting on a serious probiotic regimen I believed the holy grail of probiotics would be a low CFU(colony forming units) probiotic that you could slowly taper up as you got used to it. CFU is a measurement of the number of colony forming bacteria units inside a probiotic supplement. Supposedly the idea is that the more CFU the higher chances the bacteria will populate the digestive system.

My target at the time was around 1 billion CFU. This is why I reviewed a lot of products like Primadophilus for Children & Align. Part of the reason I was concerned with finding a low CFU probiotic was due to the fact that I often experienced herx reactions(flu like symptoms) & constipation when taking probiotics. My thought was that if I go low & slow, my body will adjust as I taper up. I’ve since learned that any probiotic I take gives me these reactions, so for me, low & slow has failed. I was often not taking probiotics because of the symptoms they produced.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the digestive system has literally zillions of bacteria within it. For someone with a serious bacterial imbalance, a 1 billion CFU probiotic product may cause a negative reaction like herx, but not offer any benefit as the bacteria die off before they can do anything worthwhile.

With all this in mind, I decided I needed to try the opposite of a low CFU probiotic by going with a much higher CFU probiotic. If I was going to have to deal with negative reactions, I might as well make sure I am getting maximum benefit. So I went in search of a high quality, high CFU probiotic that wasn’t going to break the bank. While there are specialty products like Mutaflor or VSL#3 (which has 450 billion CFUs per dosage!), they are also costly, often around $60- $90 for a 1-2 month supply. I was also concerned about going from zero or 1 billion CFUs to 450 billion CFUs. This is where Custom Probiotics CP-1 Adult Formula comes into play. CP-1 contains 50 billion CFUs per capsule, has a variety of different probiotic bacteria & is relatively cheap.

Custom Probiotics was established by Harry Bronozian, a chemist & chemical engineer who treated himself for Helicobacter Pylori & Candida overgrowth with high doses(800 billion CFUs) of the CP-1 Adult Formula. You can see him giving a lecture about probiotics on Youtube, Part 1 & Part 2. He seems to know his stuff & appears to have overall good intentions in spreading the use of probiotics.

The CP-1 Adult formula, as mentioned above, comes in a 50 billion CFU probiotic capsule. You get 90 capsules per bottle. Each bottle is $40. The probiotic mix is the following: L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, B. lactis & B. bifidum. Unfortunately there is no breakdown on how much of each strain you’re getting, perhaps this is proprietary information?

CP-1 does not contain any sugars, colorings, flavorings, soy, wheat or dairy products. Inactive ingredients are: Microcrystalline cellulose, gelatin capsules, magnesium stearate & silica. Refrigeration is strongly recommended to maintain potency.

Custom Probiotics recommends a ramping up slowly starting with a single 50 billion CFU pill in the morning & then a single pill in the evening. Then increasing to two pills after 3 days & then three pills after an additional 3 days. You could continue ramping up as high as you need, though it sounds like the suggested topping out area is at 800 billion CFUs per day or 16 capsules per day. Custom Probiotics offers bulk powdered probiotics, so if you’re planning on mega-dosing you may be better off going with one of those products.

When I first started taking CP-1 I got the typical constipation & herx reactions. I got aches & felt fatigued plus the constipation didn’t help things. It felt similar to when I came home one day and downed two GoodBelly BigShots. Even if you stop taking what is causing the herx reaction, it can take up to a week to “recover”. After this reaction I actually stopped using CP-1 for a couple of months.

Things changed last month as I was going through a rough spell with my Irritable Bowel Syndrome & getting chronic nausea. I decided to try a different tactic. I’ve come up with a bit of a cocktail to make taking probiotics a bit more manageable. I take 6 Nature’s Way Psyllium Husks capsules, 2 Nature’s Way Magnesium Complex capsules with 2 Custom Probiotic CP-1 pills. This helps greatly with reducing the chances of constipation. To fight fatigue I have found a less than satisfactory solution in caffeine. Even worse it’s been through Coca-Cola which I haven’t drank in a long time, but it seems to help with the fatigue. I should probably stop the Coca-Cola and use something like green tea perhaps.

The probiotic, fiber & magnesium cocktail did seem to play a part in improving my symptoms. There were a few other factors going on during this time too. I had a canker sore on my inner lip which always makes me feel more fatigued & can make my digestive system feel bad. The weather was acting very inconsistent during this period of time, often fluctuating between wet & dry weather almost every other day. Fluctuating weather seems to have an affect on my system for some reason. The canker sore cleared up & the weather has improved along with my symptoms.

The only reason I stopped taking this fiber, magnesium, probiotic cocktail was because I ran out of CP-1. I just got my new bottle in today which is why I am writing this review. I have plans in the future to try even higher dosages, I am playing it safe for now. Once thing to note is that the capsules are rather large. In fact the CP-1, magnesium & psyllium husk capsules are all the same size, making it a bit of a task to swallow all of them 1 or 2 at a time.

Overall, I think Custom Probiotics CP-1 formula is a good product & a great deal. I don’t think you’ll find a quality product any cheaper than the $40 they’re offering CP-1 for. For people who just need a basic boost, you might only need 1 capsule a day. $40 for 90 dosages(three month supply) is an insanely good bargain! Plus you have the option to taper up to higher dosages later.

Buy from Amazon or Custom Probiotics Website.