Why do probiotic pills sometimes contain less CFU than yogurt?

Question

My doctor recommended I take a probiotic after a round of antibiotics that is 100 million CFU whereas many yogurts advertise billions of CFU. Why is that the case?

In: Biology

Answer 1

First, FDA is not obligated to evaluate the claims of most supplements like probiotics. Maybe your doctor thinks a minimum amount would be a better base for gut health especially after antibiotics. There’s nothing wrong with either, just yogurt as it is is proven as a healthy probiotic considering the production process.