Here we will give an honest, hands-on review of Symprove - a popular probiotic for gut health. This review has been updated after I have taken it for four months.
You can find a discount code at the end of this article if you think it’s something you’d like to try out.
About Symprove
Symprove is a water-based probiotic which claims to be deeply rooted in science and was developed by scientists at King’s College London and University College London.
It is taken as a 70ml shot 10 minutes before breakfast. This is designed to give you 10 billion colony forming units.
It contains four strains of bacteria:
Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus NCIMB 30174
Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 30176
Lactobacillus acidophilus NCIMB 30175
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NCIMB 30173
Symprove is also:
Gluten-free (yes, even though it is made with barely it can be considered gluten-free)
Dairy-free
Vegan
Each month a box of four bottles is delivered to you.
Science-based findings with Symprove
Various studies have been conducted with Symprove and found some encouraging findings.
Survivability
Probiotics, particularly capsules, often have questionable ability and little evidence to show they can survive your stomach acid, make it to your large intestine (where most bacteria live) and then colonise it. Obviously, it’s futile and quite expensive to take probiotics if they aren’t alive when they reach your gut!
Symprove however is specifically designed to survive your acidic stomach and reach your gut alive. Key to this is that Symprove is water based which means it doesn’t trigger digestion which might kill the healthy microbes. It also includes strains which are adept at surviving harsh conditions.
On their website they state:
“One study by University College London saw Symprove outperform seven other leading products in its ability to arrive alive, survive and colonise the gut. In fact, it was the only product that passed all three tests!”
Inhibiting pathogens
Along with providing strains of key healthy bacteria, Symprove is also designed to reduce populations of harmful bacteria.
One study at University College London showed Symprove significantly reduced populations of common gut pathogens such as E. coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Shigella sonnei.
Another study showed that Symprove inhibited the growth of C. difficile. These findings suggest Symprove may be beneficial in preventing C. difficile infections through its antimicrobial properties.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
One study of patients with moderate to severe IBS showed that a three-month treatment with Symprove resulted in a significantly greater reduction in the severity of IBS symptoms compared to those receiving a placebo.
Producing short-chain fatty acids
A 2020 study on patients with ulcerative colitis showed that Symprove significantly altered gut microbiota composition, enhanced the presence of beneficial bacteria and increased the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate. Symprove also improved gut wall function by improving its integrity and accelerating wound healing.
Read more about the importance of postbiotics like short-chain fatty acids.
Reducing inflammation
The same study also showed that Symprove reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and increased anti-inflammatory markers in the gut.
Neurodegeneration
A 2023 study showed Symprove may help manage gut-related symptoms and potentially delay neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease patients.
The study investigated the effects of Symprove on a rat model of early-stage Parkinson's disease. It found that Symprove significantly influenced both gut and brain health. The treatment preserved gut integrity, reduced plasma inflammatory markers and altered the gut microbiota composition favorably. Additionally, Symprove prevented the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells by 17%, indicating a protective effect against neurodegeneration.
Effects on me
After taking Symprove for four months, it’s hard to conclusively say the exact effects it has had on me but I genuinely believe there has been some positive ones.
Herein lies the issue with Symprove (and other probiotics also). Due to regulatory laws, it is technically classified as a ‘food supplement’ and Symprove are not able to make specific claims about the health benefits. However, the studies listed above should be a good indication.
How Symprove has helped me
I do believe I have noticed some improvements since beginning taking it - which have only strengthened the longer I have taken it.
And I find that I am craving the shot each morning which is a sure sign that it is having an effect.
Gut calmness
My gut generally feels happier and calmer. I find that it has been more at ease over these last four months. I’m experiencing less episodes where my gut is telling me that it is unhappy and uncomfortable. And when I do get those signals, they are less severe and more fleeting.
Resilience
I’m finding my gut is more adept at coping with periods of sub-optimal eating. For example, I recently went on a ski trip to Austria where the food provided was generally not good for the gut. It was rich in meats, cured meats, cheese and fats - and generally low in fibre. In the past if I had eaten like this for a week, my gut would be in turmoil and take at least two weeks to return to normalcy with a strong concerted effort to increase vegetable and fibre intake. However, a day or two after returning from the trip my gut felt like it was back to equilibrium. I can’t stress how different this is to how it was in the past.
Mood and wellbeing
I think because my gut is generally happier, it is not sending those uncomfortable signals up to the brain which can begin to make you feel irritable. I feel like my gut is less able to affect my mood in a negative way now.
Energy and brain fog
I have also noticed that I have more energy and less brain fog. Again, I think this is because my gut is happier so it is not sending negative signals to my brain which cumulatively become draining and prevent you spending your energy elsewhere.
Immunity
Obviously I can’t make an evidence-based claim that my immune system is stronger now, but all I can say is that I have had fewer colds during the winter months than usual.
Eczema
I have noticed a reduction in the amount of eczema I have been getting in the last two months. It hasn’t gone completely, but it is less.
Summary
It has undoubtedly benefited me in numerous ways. Is it a miracle cure? Will you feel like a completely new person? No, absolutely not. But, when combined, the various changes have added up to a significant improvement in wellbeing for me.
Reported benefits of Symprove
On Trustpilot Symprove have a score of 4.5 out of 5 - which is high for a product of this type. (It’s worth noting most of the poor reviews are customer-service related.) This is from over 7000 reviews.
Users on Trustpilot say Symprove has helped them with:
common gut issues like Crohn’s disease and IBS
regular bowel movements
improving mental health
skin issues like eczema and other allergies
immune system function
reducing bloating
general wellbeing
improved energy
I covered most of these points in the section above, but I should say that I noticed no difference in regular bowel movements or bloating from taking Symprove.
Flavour
There are three available flavours:
Original
Mango and Passionfruit
Strawberry and Raspberry
I have tried the Mango and Passionfruit flavour as well as the Original flavour.
I much prefer the Mango and Passionfruit. It is acidic (as expected) and leaves a clean taste in the mouth. I have to say when I first tried it I found the acidity a bit confronting but this passed after a few days. Now I genuinely enjoy it as a morning ritual.
I found the original flavour to be similarly acidic but with a grainy aftertaste (no doubt from the barley) which lingered in the mouth a little.
Because you should wait 10 minutes after taking the shot to eat or drink anything (apart from water), you can’t mix it with something like juice. This is so you don’t trigger digestion and compromise the bacteria in your stomach.
Cost
It’s not the cheapest on an ongoing basis to be honest. A yearly subscription works out to £39.99 per month, or £49.99 on a month-by-month basis.
However, personally I believe the premium is worth it. Firstly because it is designed to reach your gut alive and other probiotics are often not very good at this. If the microbes don’t make it to your gut alive they are rather useless and essentially a waste of money. And secondly because of the respected institutions which developed it and the science behind it (even if I’d like to know more about this from Symprove than I’m able to).
>>> Use discount code HELLOGUT50
for 50% off the first three months at symprove.com <<<
Summary
4.5 stars out of 5.
A well regarded, if not cheap, probiotic developed by respected scientists with lots of reported benefits and scientific evidence. And personally I think it has helped my wellbeing in a variety of ways.
Compared to other probiotics, it has been shown to be superior at making it to your gut alive and colonising it. This is hugely important for effectiveness and a major point of difference with other brands.
I recommend you try Symprove to see if it has similar positive effects for you - even for only three months and then you may wish to stop at that point if you don’t notice an improvement. Given you can get 50% off using the discount code above, there’s not much to lose in my opinion.
Pros
developed by scientists
further supported by numerous scientific studies since launch with impressive results
superior at colonising the gut than other brands
well reviewed by thousands of people
wide range of reported benefits from customers
I believe it has improved my gut health, energy, mood, general wellbeing and more
Cons
ongoing cost is higher than others
taste of the original flavour is not great initially
having to take 10 minutes before food can sometimes get in the way of routine
some subscription and customer service issues reported on Trustpilot
Discount for you
Use discount code HELLOGUT50 for 50% off the first three months at symprove.com.
