Symprove: an in-depth, honest review

Here we will give an honest, in-depth, hands-on review of Symprove - a popular probiotic for gut health. We’ll look at the ingredients, benefits, science and side effects of this popular probiotic. I’ll also discuss why I stopped taking Symprove, how it helped me, whether I’d take it again in future and how I’d recommend you take it.

This review has been updated after I have taken it for four months.

Discount code

Use discount code HELLOGUT50 for 50% off the first three months at symprove.com

| 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 the findings are impressive!

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.

Discount code

Use discount code HELLOGUT50 for 50% off the first three months at symprove.com

| How Symprove has helped me

After taking Symprove for four months, it’s hard to 100% 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 about what the intended health benefits are.)

But, without a doubt, it has been the most beneficial probiotic I have ever taken.

Below are some of the positive effects I have felt since taking Symprove.

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 better 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 normal with a strong concerted effort to increase my 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.

I can’t, however, claim that you will experience the same benefits as I did.

| Symprove side effects

I didn’t experience any negative side effects after starting Symprove. Some people report an initial upset to their digestive system or change in toilet patterns - but I didn’t notice anything significant related to this. Other rare reported side effects include cramps and nausea.

The only thing close to a ‘side effect’ I could mention was that I began to crave the shot each morning. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was a bit annoying sometimes when I was trying to focus on morning exercises and couldn’t stop thinking about the shot I would take before breakfast. I also don’t generally like being dependent on anything so this feeling was a bit uncomfortable. But when I did have the shot it was very satisfying.

I wish I had something more to offer here - but I don’t.

| What happened when I stopped taking Symprove

The most important thing to note is that everything didn’t fall apart!

Continued craving

The first thing I noticed was that my gut would crave the shot of Symprove each morning and it was genuinely disappointing to not have it. There was something about the ritual of taking it each morning which my body and mind loved (even if the anticipation of it could be a bit annoying like I said above). Perhaps the enjoyment was because my gut was genuinely happy to get a regular shot of beneficial bacteria - perhaps it was something else.

Even months later, I still miss taking it.

My gut health stayed good

Importantly, my gut health remained in a good condition after I stopped taking Symprove. I couldn’t in good conscience recommend Symprove if all the good work of it was totally reversed when you stopped taking it.

I think after four months of taking Symprove, my gut condition had been through a healthy amount of rehab and it was in a much better shape than when I started. It had built up some resilience which meant it remained healthy as I moved into my post-Symprove world.

| Why I stopped taking Symprove

The decision to stop was not taken lightly. But there were a few reasons I did so.

Improvements plateaued

Naturally there came a point where the improvements in my gut began to plateau. This is not a bad thing - improvements can’t go on forever. There comes a point where the gut gets to be in a good shape and Symprove has done it’s job.

Ongoing cost

There’s no denying that I was not keen to pay the ongoing cost of Symprove forever. Some people would say that £40 per month for the health benefits I received would be worth it. But personally I couldn’t justify that cost.

Concerns about microbial diversity in my gut

As previously mentioned, Symprove has four very well chosen and scientifically proven strains of bacteria in it. However, the microbiome has hundreds, if not thousands, of different strains of bacteria. The question I asked myself was: do I need to continually bombard my gut with these four strains of bacteria forever? My answer was that after four months they’d probably done a lot of good, but now I could move on and focus on a healthy diet to continue the good work.

Long-term reliance

Personally I don’t like the idea of being reliant on any supplement forever. So I was always biased against taking Symprove for the very long term.

| Would I take Symprove again?

Yes, absolutely in certain circumstances.

After a drop in gut health

If I experience a significant drop in my gut health down the line I would undoubtedly take Symprove again to get it back on track. I could imagine something like a bad case of food poisoning would definitely warrant this.

Because Symprove worked well once to bring some balance to my gut, this would be the obvious first step to take for me.

If however I had to do this very frequently, I would have to reconsider my approach. Because like I said above, I don’t want to be reliant on any supplement long term.

Alongside antibiotics

If I ever had to take a long course of antibiotics which targeted the gut, I would combine this with Symprove. Antibiotics can dramatically change your gut, so I would want to use Symprove to help me restore a healthy balance to my microbiome.

During a period of poor mental health

Fingers crossed it won’t happen, but if I ever did experience a sustained period of poor mental health I would take Symprove. This is because gut health and mental health are so intricately linked. I’d want to know I was doing everything from a health perspective to help this.

During a serious outbreak of eczema

As I mentioned above, I noticed an improvement to my eczema when I took Symprove. If I were to have a major and sustained outbreak of eczema in the future, Symprove would be one of my first treatment steps.

| How I recommend taking Symprove

Based on my experience, I would recommend taking Symprove for a minimum of three months.

At that point, I’d assess how you are feeling with your gut health.

If you are noticing a benefit, I would continue on for a few more months until you start to notice a plateau of benefits.

If you are not noticing any benefit, then it is really a personal question of whether you want to stop at that point, or give it some more time to see improvement. But you really should notice an improvement after three months - bearing in mind that Symprove is not a miracle cure!

After you stop

After you finish taking Symprove I would focus strongly on eating well - particularly focusing on prebiotic vegetables like garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, radishes, beetroots and parsnips. These vegetables contain prebiotic fibres which will continue to feed the good bacteria in your gut going forward. So the bacteria in Symprove will continue multiply and form a healthy colony in your gut even after you stop taking it.

You could also consider taking a prebiotic supplement to assist with this.

| 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 that a lot of the poor reviews are customer-service related.) This is from over 8900 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 of Symprove

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. Then I came to enjoy it very much 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 of Symprove

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.

Discount code

Use discount code HELLOGUT50 for 50% off the first three months at symprove.com

Symprove review 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, eczema, 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.

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Your reviewer

This article was reviewed by Travis - learn more about me!

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