Gundry MD Prebiothrive

What Is Prebiothrive?

The Gundry MD Prebiothrive supplement utilizes prebiotics to help the good bacteria in your gut thrive, while simultaneously reducing the number of bad bacteria.

Gundry alleges the following benefits in its supplement:

• Bring natural balance to your digestive system
• Increased energy
• Decreased junk food cravings
• Less gas, bloating, and discomfort.

Many of us don’t eat the foods we should, so our digestion and overall health can take a hit.

This article assesses the ingredients of Prebiothrive to determine if it's effective for you.

What’s the Difference Between a Probiotic and a Prebiotic?

Probiotics are specific strains of bacteria that can help improve digestion, boost immune system response, and more—although there’s limited evidence that they can help you lose weight.

And if your digestion is much more effective and you’re feeling good, this can translate into secondary benefits like improved energy.

On the other hand, prebiotics are a form of fiber that can’t be digested by your body, so they pass into your gut mostly intact, where they can act as a food source for probiotic bacteria. In other words, it helps them thrive.

Although most prebiotics don’t focus on a specific bacteria strain, in order to meet the definition, they must increase the number or activity of bifidobacteria, a bacteria “family” often associated with improving constipation, reducing total cholesterol, addressing some aspects of IBS, and more.

Ingredients

Prebiothrive claims to improve digestion, reduce stomach discomfort, promote a balanced gut microbiome, and boost energy. The company website advises taking 1 scoop of Prebiothrive every morning with 8oz of water, preferably with a probiotic to create the “synbiotic effect.”

The effects are thought to be possible through their blend of the following prebiotic ingredients:

Acacia Gum

This non-digestible polysaccharide has had various purposes in many cultures over the span of centuries. It is thought to promote wound healing, relieve pain, and support oral health in addition to the proposed dietary benefits.

In 120 healthy women, those randomized to treatment with 30g/day of acacia gum had a significant reduction in BMI and body fat percentage over 6-weeks.

Acacia gum supplementation at 10g/day over 4-weeks boosted the friendly gut bacteria bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in healthy volunteers more than an equal dose of inulin.

Agave Inulin

Inulin from the blue agave plant offers a rich source of fiber.

Obese adults experienced reduced hunger, desire to eat, and food consumption when randomized to inulin supplementation of 12-weeks when compared to controls.

Inulin supplementation in constipated adults at 12g daily for 4-weeks promoted softer stools, increased stool frequency, and increased amounts of 3 different friendly gut bacteria.

In 40 subjects with prediabetes, those randomized to 30g/day of inulin over 4-weeks reduced insulin resistance.

Flaxseed

Offering a rich source of both fiber and omega-3 fatty acid, flaxseed is thought to benefit heart, bone, and mental health.

In healthy adults, 50 g flaxseed/day over 4-weeks increased bowel movements per week by 30%.

In a review of 45 randomized studies, various dosing regimens and delivery methods of flaxseed were used: whole flaxseed ranging from 13 to 90 per day, flaxseed oil ranging from 1 to 15.4 g per day, and lignan ranging from 50 to 600mg per day.

They concluded that whole flaxseed supplementation can reduce body weight, BMI, and waist circumference, particularly in overweight individuals.

Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)

GOS are indigestible fibers found naturally in mammalian milk that are thought to boost friendly gut bacteria and aid digestion.

In overweight and obese subjects, those randomized to 15g of GOS daily for 12-weeks experienced increased fecal Bifidobacterium.

A mixture of α-galacto-oligosaccharides at 5g daily boosted friendly gut bacteria in healthy adults, while it improved bowel function in constipated subjects.

Guar Gum

Guar gum is a gel-forming fiber obtained from the Cyamoposis tetragonolobus L. plant.

Guar gum was not an effective mean of preventing diet induced obesity in mice. A review of 20 trials found that guar gum was not effective in reducing body weight.

In middle-aged women with elevated cholesterol, 15g of guar gum daily significantly reduced body weight but not cholesterol levels.

In constipated adults, 5mg of guar gum daily over 4-weeks significantly reduced colon transit time and the number of bowel movements with straining, while also improving stool form.

The Takeaway:

Prebiothrive’s blend of prebiotics does contain ingredients that have some available research.

Acacia gum may offer weight loss benefits, while also providing the ability to boost friendly gut bacteria better than inulin.

Inulin may offer weight loss benefits, reduce constipation, and decrease insulin resistance.

Flaxseed may similarly offer weight loss reduction and improve bowel function.

GOS may boost friendly gut bacteria in healthy and obese adults, while also aiding with constipation.

The weight-loss benefits of guar gum are mixed, though there may be a role in improving bowel function.

These effects have been investigated in a wide variety of dosing regimens and methods of delivery (powered, tablets, etc.).

This, when coupled with the fact we do not know the amounts of each ingredient in Prebiothrive, makes it challenging to conclude the efficacy of this product.

Potential Side Effects

Acacia gum was safe at 10g/day, though gas and bloating was present. Inulin was safe even at 30g/day. Flaxseed at high doses and in various methods of delivery is generally safe, though diarrhea and stomach pain is possible.

GOS and guar gum at 15g daily did not have serious adverse effects.

The vast majority of research ranges from 4-24-weeks, so we don’t know the long-term effects of these ingredients.

While prebiotics are generally safe to use, there is a risk for mild gas, bloating, and cramping. These symptoms are easily alleviated with reduced dosing or discontinued use.

The Cost

How much you’ll pay for Prebiothrive largely depends on where you purchase it. For example, if purchased through Gundry MD’s SilenceYourCravings (landing page) URL, you’ll pay:

• 1 Jar: $49.99
• 3 Jars: $132.00
• 6 Jars: $199.00

On the other hand, if purchased directly through the Gundry MD main site, you’ll pay:

• 1 Jar: $79.00
• 3 Jars: $222.00
• 6 Jars: $414.00

Prebiothrive comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee, less S&H charges.

The Bottom Line

The prebiotics included in Prebiothrive may benefit your digestion, friendly gut bacteria, and BMI. While the dosing in the studies that support these benefits vary greatly, we do not have information detailing the amount of each ingredient in this supplement, however.

This makes fully defining the safety and effectiveness of Prebiothrive difficult.

Prebiothrive may be an expensive first-step for these reasons.

You can find many supplements containing both probiotics and prebiotics in the same formulation (although not from Gundry MD), which might deliver for a lower cost