Physician's Choice
Physician's Choice Probiotic or Digestive Enzymes: Which One, and Can You Take Both?
Our 60 Billion Probiotic and Digestive Enzymes do different jobs, and you can take both on the same day. The probiotic has 60 billion CFU at expiration, across 10 strains identified by strain code. Digestive Enzymes is a broad-spectrum blend designed to be taken with meals to help break down proteins, fats, dairy, and carbohydrates.‡ Take 1 probiotic capsule a day and 1 enzyme capsule with your largest meal.
By the Physician's Choice Team. Updated October 13, 2026. Product facts are from our Supplement Facts panels, product pages and How to Take page.
Probiotic or enzyme: what each one is
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) quotes the standard definition of probiotics: “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” Probiotics are measured in colony-forming units (CFU), the number of viable cells. ODS adds that a probiotic is identified by its strain: the genus, the species and a letter-and-number strain designation, which we call a strain code.
Digestive enzymes are proteins, not live cultures, and your body makes its own every time you eat. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) explains that your digestive organs break food into smaller parts with motion, such as chewing, and with digestive juices, such as stomach acid, bile and enzymes.
For occasional gas and bloating after meals, choose a digestive enzyme that helps break down the food components that may be causing discomfort: lactase for lactose in dairy, or alpha-galactosidase for certain carbohydrates in foods like beans, lentils, broccoli, and cabbage.‡ Digestive Enzymes lists both of those enzymes in its 16-enzyme blend.
Is one better? As our Journal article on probiotics vs. digestive enzymes puts it, one isn't better than the other. The useful question is which job you want covered.
Which Physician's Choice product does which job
- Live cultures every day: 60 Billion Probiotic. 60 billion CFU at expiration, across 10 strains identified by strain code. Daily support for your gut.‡ Take 1 capsule a day, with or without food.
- Enzymes with your largest meal: Digestive Enzymes. Each capsule holds an 85 mg blend of 16 enzymes, plus three Bacillus probiotics, prebiotic fiber, peppermint leaf and ginger root.
- Both bottles in one order: the Hack Your Tummy Bundle. It pairs 60 Billion Probiotic with Digestive Enzymes, and its directions are the same as each bottle’s.
- A probiotic, enzymes and herbs in one daily capsule: Bloat + Gas Probiotic. A separate formula, covered below.
What is on each label
Each Supplement Facts panel lists blends by total milligrams, not each ingredient on its own, so this table shows what one capsule holds. It does not rank the products.
| Product | Live cultures | Enzymes | Prebiotic fiber | Also in the capsule | How to take it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 Billion Probiotic | Probiotic Blend, 220 mg: 60 billion CFU at expiration from 10 strains. Lacticaseibacillus casei Lc-11®, Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14®, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Lpc-37®, Ligilactobacillus salivarius Ls-33®, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Lp-115®, Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04®, Bifidobacterium bifidum Bb-06™, Bifidobacterium longum Bl-05™, Bifidobacterium breve Bb-18™, Lactobacillus bulgaricus Lb-87 | None listed | Prebiotic Blend, 150 mg: organic inulin (from Jerusalem artichoke), organic acacia fiber, organic inulin (from chicory) | Acid-resistant vegetable capsule (hypromellose, gellan gum) | 1 capsule daily, with or without food |
| Digestive Enzymes | Three probiotics in the 159 mg Prebiotic and Probiotic Blend: Bacillus subtilis OPTIBIOME BS50™, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus clausii | Digestive Enzyme Blend, 85 mg, 16 enzymes: bromelain, amylase, protease 4.5, glucoamylase, protease 6.0, papain, lactase, protease 3.0, peptidase, cellulase, beta-glucanase, alpha-galactosidase, lipase, xylanase, hemicellulase, invertase | In the same 159 mg blend: organic inulin (from Jerusalem artichoke), organic acacia fiber, inulin (from chicory) | Herbal Blend: peppermint leaf, ginger root | 1 capsule with your largest meal; most people take no more than 2 a day |
| Bloat + Gas Probiotic | Bacillus subtilis OPTIBIOME BS50™, 2 billion CFUs, in the 325 mg Pre, Pro, Post-biotic Blend | Enzyme Blend, 36 mg | Organic acacia fiber, in the same 325 mg blend | Tributyrin, in the same 325 mg blend. Herbal Blend: artichoke leaf, ginger root | 1 capsule daily |
Our 60 billion CFU figure is the count at expiration: we add extra at the factory, so you still get 60 billion the day before it expires. ODS suggests looking for a CFU count at the end of shelf life rather than at manufacture, since probiotics can die during their shelf life.
Digestive Enzymes is not enzymes alone: the same capsule lists three Bacillus probiotics, a genus ODS names among those commonly used in probiotic products. None of the three is among the 10 species in 60 Billion Probiotic.
How to take both on the same day
Yes, you can take 60 Billion Probiotic and Digestive Enzymes on the same day. Our How to Take page sets out the routine:
- 60 Billion Probiotic: 1 capsule once a day, morning or night, with or without food. The same time each day is best.
- Digestive Enzymes: 1 capsule with your largest meal, just before you eat or with the first few bites. If you forget, take it right after the meal.
- Taking both with that meal works too, since the probiotic can be taken with or without food.
Many people take an extra enzyme capsule with another heavy meal. Most do not go above 2 a day; check with your healthcare provider before taking more than that regularly.
Storing both bottles
Neither bottle needs refrigeration. Store both in a cool, dry place, and keep Digestive Enzymes away from direct sunlight. If your home gets hot, keep the product in the coolest available indoor location, away from direct sunlight, heat sources, and moisture. Choose a dry area where temperatures stay as consistent as possible.
A third option: Bloat + Gas Probiotic
Bloat + Gas Probiotic is its own formula, not the other two combined. It is 1 capsule daily, and its label, in the table above, does not list the 10 strains in 60 Billion Probiotic or the 16-enzyme blend in Digestive Enzymes.
Safety notes for taking both
Our 60 Billion Probiotic and Digestive Enzymes contain inulin, and our Fiber Gummies contain chicory root fiber; gut bacteria break down fibers like these, which can cause gas.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, are seriously ill, or have a weakened immune system, consult your healthcare provider before taking a probiotic or any other dietary supplement.
Our side effects page covers what people notice in the first weeks, who should check with a doctor first, and when to stop and ask a professional.
Questions shoppers ask
Can I take them at the same time, or should I space them apart?
Yes. Our directions do not call for a gap between them. Take Digestive Enzymes with your largest meal. The probiotic’s directions say with or without food, which means it can go with that same meal.
Which should I take first?
Our directions tie Digestive Enzymes to your meal, not to the probiotic: take it just before you eat or with the first few bites, or right after the meal if you forget. 60 Billion Probiotic can be taken any time of day.
Do I need to take both every day?
60 Billion Probiotic is a daily capsule, best taken at the same time each day. Digestive Enzymes is 1 capsule with your largest meal; if you prefer not to take it with every meal, take it with large meals or with the foods that tend to bother you.
Do I take them with or without food?
60 Billion Probiotic: with or without food, since it comes in an acid-resistant, delayed-release vegetable capsule. Digestive Enzymes: with food, at your largest meal of the day.
What is in the Hack Your Tummy Bundle?
It pairs 60 Billion Probiotic with Digestive Enzymes. Take 1 probiotic capsule daily, with or without food, morning or night, and 1 enzyme capsule with your biggest meal. The Standard size is a 1-month supply, and the Choice and Value sizes are 2-month supplies.
Who should check with a doctor before taking both?
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, are seriously ill, or have a weakened immune system, consult your healthcare provider before taking a probiotic or any other dietary supplement. If you have known allergies, review the product’s ingredient list and allergen information and consult your healthcare provider before purchasing or using it. Most of our products are formulated without the top 9 common allergens, but ingredients vary by product.
‡These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Sources: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Probiotics: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated March 25, 2025); NIDDK, Your Digestive System & How It Works (last reviewed December 2017). Product facts: our Supplement Facts panels, product pages, strain dossier, How to Take page and Journal.