Six live cultures
All yogurts contain the starter live and active yogurt cultures Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. When added to milk, these living organisms feed on milk sugar (lactose), which produces lactic acid and gives yogurt its tangy taste and custard-like consistency.
These natural wonders help to support a healthy digestive tract. And because the live cultures in yogurt break down most of the milk's lactose into lactic acid, people who can't digest lactose may be able to enjoy yogurt with live active cultures and get milk's nutritional benefits with fewer digestion problems.
While some major-brand yogurts add one or two additional cultures, we add four more natural probiotics to our Stonyfield yogurts* for a total of six.
Our live active yogurt and probiotic cultures:
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus
- Streptococcus thermophilus
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Bifidus
- Lactobacillus casei
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus
* Our Oikos Organic Greek yogurt and O'Soy soy yogurt contain five live active cultures. Activia contains 3.
Probiotic cultures, also known as "friendly", "beneficial" or "good" bacteria, are micro-organisms that naturally live in the digestive tract. The presence of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract creates a healthier environment by making it less habitable for "bad" bacteria. Antibiotics, poor nutrition, stress, and aging can reduce the amount of beneficial bacterial in your intestine, so they need regular replenishing.
Yogurt can provide and ideal delivery system for probiotics. The milk components in yogurt help buffer stomach acid and increase the chance that the beneficial bacterial will survive and reach the intestine. So, regularly eating yogurt with live active cultures may help maintain a healthy culture balance.
