Why does a rotational approach better support gut health?

Your gut: A living ecosystem

Your gut is home to an estimated thirty-eight trillion microbes — bacteria, fungi, and other members of the community known as your gut microbiome — more than the number of human cells in your body. This ecosystem is central to digestion, metabolism, immune defense, energy regulation, brain health, and more through the microbiota-gut-brain-immune interface, often simplified to the gut-brain axis. My 2024 review in the scientific journal Frontiers in Immunology explains that a diverse microbiome reduces inflammation and lowers the risk of conditions like obesity, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.¹ When the microbiome is diverse and balanced, it acts like a thriving ecosystem — adapting, self-regulating, and protecting you. When diversity is lost, the system weakens, leaving you more vulnerable to inflammation, infection, and chronic disease.

Why does this matter to your gut health?

Low microbial diversity, or dysbiosis, can weaken the gut barrier, promoting inflammation.¹ Prebiotic fiber intake leads to the production of microbial metabolites (postbiotics) like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which reduce inflammation and strengthen the gut, while unbalanced diets may produce harmful by-products.

Why does this matter for your immune system?

This approach is critical for immunity, as most of your immune cells reside in the gut at any given time. Think of the gut as graduate school for immune cells; they are learning how to do their jobs.^2-5 SCFAs, produced by diverse microbes, regulate inflammation and support the gut barrier, while also influencing brain health via the microbiota-gut-brain-immune interface.¹

Why does this matter to your well-being?

Overall well-being is determined by the microbiota-gut-brain-immune interface. This means that your well-being is determined by your gut health, which is something you can champion. We want you to get to know your gut bugs, so you can take better care of each other.

The Good Bacteria difference

Science-backed rotation

Inspired by the diverse microbial exposure of eating varied fermented foods, which offer anti-inflammatory benefits,⁶ this 3-in-1 formula — prebiotics (the food), probiotics (the bacteria), and postbiotics (the signal) — features a gentle introduction with lower numbers of clinically studied, keystone strains of bacteria (week 1: priming), peak diversity with the highest numbers (weeks 2 and 3: peak), and a balancing close with reduced numbers (week 4: taper). Our 28-day rotation protocol delivers four distinct probiotic blends — each with five carefully selected, clinically validated strains — rotated week by week.

Each daily sachet includes:

• Prebiotics

• Acacia fiber, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), green banana flour

• To nourish beneficial microbes and fuel microbial diversity

• Probiotics

• Five unique, clinically validated strains, rotated weekly, 7–18 billion units (AFU)

• To introduce and reinforce beneficial bacteria that strengthen digestion, immunity, and resilience

• Postbiotics

• Inactivated Limosilactobacillus reuteri

• To provide immediate functional signals to the immune system and gut barrier

This design reflects ecological principles of rhythm and renewal, preventing microbial dominance while maintaining diversity. Each week subtly shifts the number of microbes and probiotic strains designed to mimic the varied microbial inputs experienced under natural circumstances, promoting a thriving gut ecosystem that supports digestion, immunity, and whole-body wellness. Pairing this rotating synbiotic with a diverse diet amplifies these benefits (more on that in a future Ask Dr. Frame!).

Good Bacteria was formulated in partnership with leading scientists and draws from decades of clinical research. Our strain selection includes some of the world’s most studied probiotics — like LGG® and BB-12® — alongside innovative strains such as Bifidobacterium longum 1714® (ProbioBrain™), chosen for gut-brain axis support. Our validation strategy goes beyond the norm, incorporating strain-level data, stability testing, and our first of many clinical trials, already in the works, to further validate the benefits of this unique rotational approach and build confidence and credibility while we continue to stay curious and follow the science.

Well-being: A new approach to probiotics

Traditional probiotics have taken a pharmaceutical approach, targeting specific symptoms or disease pathways with a static and strain-specific formulation. Good Bacteria’s rotating synbiotic is designed to “rewild” the gut microbiome, rebuilding diversity and resilience for long-term well-being.

By varying probiotic strains and numbers weekly, Good Bacteria mirrors the natural diversity of traditional diets rich in various fermented foods. While research indicates the benefits of fermented foods are amplified by a diverse microbiome, these benefits may not be seen in people with low microbial diversity, indicating the need to build a diverse microbiome ecosystem first.⁶

Good Bacteria is built on one simple principle: Your gut is not static, and your probiotic should not be either. Our evidence-based approach fosters a resilient, diverse microbiome, better equipped to adapt to environmental stressors and support long-term well-being, complementing targeted, clinically validated probiotics by prioritizing holistic gut health. By restoring microbial diversity through rotation, we help your gut ecosystem regain its natural rhythm — supporting digestion, immunity, and the gut-brain connection as the foundation of whole-body well-being.

Citations

1. Alison Warren et al., “The Microbiota-Gut-Brain-Immune Interface in the Pathogenesis of Neuroinflammatory Diseases,” Frontiers in Immunology 15 (2024), https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1365673.

2. Qing Zhao and Charles O. Elson, “Adaptive Immune Education by Gut Microbiota Antigens,” Immunology 154, no. 1 (2018), https://doi.org/10.1111/imm.12896.

3. Nitya Jain, “The Early Life Education of the Immune System: Moms, Microbes and (Missed) Opportunities,” Gut Microbes 12, no. 1 (2020), https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2020.1824564.

4. Tihong Shao et al., “The Gut Ecosystem and Immune Tolerance,” Journal of Autoimmunity 141 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2023.103114.

5. Alison Warren et al., “Dangers of the Chronic Stress Response in the Context of the Microbiota-Gut-Immune-Brain Axis and Mental Health: A Narrative Review,” Frontiers in Immunology 15 (2024), https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1365871.

6. Hannah C. Wastyk et al., “Gut-Microbiota-Targeted Diets Modulate Human Immune Status,” Cell 184, no. 16 (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.019.