Here’s our recently updated PrebioThrive review. PrebioThrive is a dietary prebiotic supplement made by Gundry MD. It consists of 5 types of fiber that, according to the manufacturer, will improve your digestion and gut health. It comes as a powder and is meant to be mixed with water or other beverage of your choice and consumed daily.
What is PrebioThrive used for? It’s mainly used to promote:
- A healthy gut microbiome (more ‘good’ bacteria)
- Regularity
- Digestion
- Nutrient absorption
Since our gut governs virtually all aspects of our health, improving your gut with prebiotics can also boost your:
- Energy levels & vitality
- Mood
- Exercise performance
- Mental sharpness and thinking
So, does PrebioThrive work? Below, we’ll analyze each ingredient up close to see how Dr. Gundry’s product holds up to its claims. This should help you decide if it’s good value for money and the right choice for you.
*Please remember that PDPPro doesn’t offer advice; our posts are for entertainment and informational purposes only! Always get a go-ahead from a qualified professional before considering a new supplement.
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>The 2 Best Prebiotic Supplements<
Why Are Prebiotics Good for You?
Prebiotics are fiber that supports the healthy growth of your existing friendly gut bacteria.
Prebiotics are different from probiotics.
Probiotics are bacteria found in fermented foods – by consuming them, you are bringing new bacteria to your existing gut microbiome. This has beneficial effects on your health and well-being.
While probiotic supplements have overshadowed prebiotics for many years in the past, this is slowly changing. With new studies emerging showing the profound benefits of prebiotic fiber on human health.
From alleviating IBS, improving digestion & nutrient absorption, relieving bloating, all the way to improving mental clarity and depression – yes, prebiotics can do all of that and more. Thanks to the gut-brain connection that’s facilitated by the vagus nerve that extends from your intestines all the way to your brain.
Ultimately, prebiotics are a superfood that many of us don’t consume enough. They can improve your regularity, but you must consume at least 25-30g of them per day. A typical American eats only 5-10g per day.
Low fiber intake does more than just leave you bloated and feeling unwell, though. It’s also been associated with an increased risk of diseases and an early risk of death.
The bottom line is: If you can’t manage to include enough leafy greens, fruits, legumes and other prebiotic-rich sources in your diet, then taking a prebiotic supplement can help you massivelly. However, it needs to be a good prebiotic supplement.
Is PrebioThrive by Dr. Gundry such a product? Let’s continue with this PrebioThrive review to find out.
PrebioThrive Mixability
Does PrebioThrive dissolve well? Although it’s marketed that it does, we haven’t found this to be true. Many other user reviews on Amazon say the same.
The good news is, PrebioThrive is all-natural and that includes flavors. However, you’ll have a hard time mixing it with a spoon – you may need a blender for it to dissolve completely.
PrebioThrive Nutrition Facts
Each serving (1 scoop, 10g) of PrebioThrive contains:
- 30 calories
- 8g carbs (7g of which are dietary fiber)
- <1g protein
- 25mg calcium
- 35mg sodium
Here’s an image of PrebioThrive’s label from the official website:
Below, we’re going to look at the active ingredients in PrebioThrive and how they work.
Formula Analysis
PrebioThrive is made of, you’ve guessed it, prebiotics. It features 5 main prebiotic ingredients, they are:
- Acacia Gum
- Agave Inulin
- Flaxseed
- Galacto-oligosaccharides
- Guar Gum
One issue is that these probiotics are all included as one single blend. This proprietary blend doesn’t show you the dose of each ingredient on the label. This makes it impossible to assess ingredient amounts for safety or effectiveness.
On the bright side, there is no expiration date on PrebioThrive. As long as you store it in a cool and dry place, it can last for years.
If you’ve checked the details on the PrebioThrive ingredient label, you may ask: Why does PrebioThrive contain milk?
Dr. Gundry extracts an immune-modulating sugar from milk, but this sugar isn’t found in PrebioThrive. However, Dr. Gundry is required by law to put it on the label as “contains milk” even though it’s completely safe for lactose intolerant.
Here’s a closer look at the ingredients in PrebioThrive
Acacia Gum
Acacia Gum is a natural hardened sap extracted from the acacia tree. It’s widely used in foods as a stabilizer. It contains compounds known as polysaccharides and glycoproteins, which feed your intestinal bacteria.
In some studies, Acacia Gum has been shown to lower cholesterol in the blood. However, Acacia Gum doesn’t selectively feed your good bacteria only; this limits its prebiotic benefits. [2]
Agave Inulin
This is a better choice than Acacia Gum.
Your body can’t digest agave inulin; but your gut bacteria can. And not just any gut bacteria – but Bifidobacterium.
Bifidobacterium are a strain of gut microorganisms known to influence our immunity, energy levels and mood.
Agave inulin has been shown to selectively feed your Bifidobacterium while also starving your ‘bad’ Desulfovibrio gut bacteria by up to 40%. Ultimately, this contributes to a more balanced gut microbiome as a whole. [1]
Although it’s sweet, Agave inulin has a low glycemic index. This makes it healthy for people who’re prone to high blood sugar and insulin resistance.
Flaxseed
You won’t typically see flaxseeds in prebiotic supplements. However, they are a good source of prebiotics nonetheless, with 100g of flaxseeds providing 27g of fiber.
About 30% of that fiber is water soluble and indigestible. Coupled with the high omega-3 content in flaxseeds (particularly Alpha-Linoleic Acid), this makes them a decent general health ingredient.
However, flaxseeds are cheap and widely available in supermarkets. We don’t know how much of them are in PrebioThrive. The entire formula could be made of flaxseeds to save on production costs, which would make this a waste of money.
Galacto-oligosaccharides
Galacto-oligosaccharides contain various galactosyl compounds and glucose. They are produced from lactose in milk through enzymatic conversions. This is why Gundry MD PrebioThrive has to have written “contains milk” on the label, even though there’s no milk or lactose left after it converts to galacto-oligosaccharides.
In any case, these are beneficial for your gut as they support the growth of Bifidobacterium specifically.
As we’ve seen, these are beneficial gut bacteria that contribute to your energy levels and overall health.
But just like the other ingredients in PrebioThrive, it’s a shame we don’t know how much Galacto-Oligosaccharidses is in it.
Guar Gum
This is another plant gum in PrebioThrive. It’s a decent ingredient if you’re suffering from IBS or excessive bloating. It’s been shown to help relieve these issues in some studies.
But while mildly beneficial for the gut microbiome, Guar Gum isn’t as effective as some of the top-ranked prebiotics on the market.
What do We Currently Use?
Performance Lab’s Prebiotic
- Developed by U.K. specialist company Opti-Nutra
- Cleanest quality ingredients
- Enhances digestive health, regularity, and mental energy
- Manufactured in cGMP and FDA approved faclities
- Uses extremely effective Orafti®Synergy1 inulin fiber
- Specifically formulated to feed mood- and energy-influencing Bifidobacterium species in the gut
- Excellent customer reviews
- Free tracked worldwide shipping and discounts on bulk orders
Performance Lab Prebiotic’s Website: https://www.performancelab.com/products/prebiotic
How to Use PrebioThrive (Instructions)
PrebioThrive is a naturally flavored powder that you should mix with water, smoothie or another beverage of your choice.
The recommended PrebioThrive dosage is one scoop daily with a blended drink, preferably something that contains probiotics – this creates a synbiotic effects. Alternatively, you can take it with a full glass of water.
However, if you have an extremely sensitive gut, you should start with half a scoop only. This product is known for causing bloating in some users.
Keep in mind that the mixability of PrebioThrive isn’t as great as marketed, so you may need to use a blender for it.
Side Effects?
PrebioThrive can cause diarrhea and gas in sensitive users. However, if you’re a relatively healthy person looking to support your gut health, it shouldn’t cause you any side effects, as long as you stick to the recommended dose.
The ingredients in PrebioThrive are well-known and used widely in many foods. As such, they shouldn’t cause you problems unless your digestion is extremely sensitive.
PrebioThrive Reviews – What do Others Say?
Looking through PrebioThrive Amazon reviews, the product has an average rating of 3.7/5 stars.
Although far from the best-rated product in its category, some users reported improvement in their regularity from using this product.
Then again, many users left bad PrebioThrive reviews – complaining about excessive bloating and stomach cramps, which is why we’ve recommended starting with just half a scoop of this product at first.
Cost & Where to Buy?
You can buy PrebioThrive in Australia, Canada, UK, US, and just about any other part of the world.
Although widely available, Gundry MD PrebioThrive will set you back by $79 for a container of just 30 servings.
This price, in our eyes, is over the top. Even the best rated prebiotic supplements on the market charge half as much, but they offer a wider range of benefits and are safer.
That being said, you may just get lucky and catch PrebioThrive while it’s on sale or get a PrebioThrive coupon code, which happens rarely if ever.
In terms of returns, you’re covered by a 90-day money back guarantee if you aren’t happy with PrebioThrive. Shipping and handling are not included, though.
PrebioThrive vs Total Restore – Which is Better?
Gundry MD PrebioThrive and Total Restore are two completely different supplements with different goals.
While PrebioThrive targets gut bacteria specifically, Total Restore focuses on healing your gut lining. This is achieved with ingredients such as glucosamine, glutamine, and wormwood powder.
Another key difference is that Gundry MD Total Restore shows each ingredient and its respective dose on the label clearly, while Gundry does not.
And while Total Restore is not the most effective supplement we’ve analyzed (it’s missing some core ingredients and uses several ineffective ones), we feel it’s still better than PrebioThrive.
PrebioThrive Review Conclusion
This concludes our PrebioThrive Review.
So, does PrebioThrive really work? Is it legit? It is not for several reasons.
The biggest one is that PrebioThrive hides ingredient doses on the label. So you can’t tell how much of each ingredient you’re getting.
For all we know, this supplement could be all made up of flaxseeds. In which case, it’d be a lot cheaper to simply get flaxseeds from your local grocery store, than paying $80 for this product.
Another issue with PrebioThrive is that it’s missing fiber from chicory root, which is arguably the most effective natural prebiotic in existence. This is why supplements like Performance Lab Prebiotic use it – and still cost a fraction of PrebioThrive’s price.
Even if PrebioThrive had all the right ingredients, in the right doses, we still wouldn’t rate it as one of the leading prebiotic supplements on the market right now because that isn’t worth $80 for just 30 servings.
Pros
- PrebioThrive is gluten free
- Contains Agave Inulin which selectively feeds Bifidobacterium
- May help contribute to bacteria growth in the gut
Cons
- The entire formula is a proprietary blend
- We can’t tell how much of each ingredient is in it
- It potentially consists mostly of flaxseeds with only a miniscule amount of other prebiotics thrown in
- Missing some core ingredients
- $80 per container is too expensive even for the top-rated supplements
What’s our recommendation?
What do we rate as the best prebiotic on the market right now? It’s Performance Labs Prebiotic. Everyone in our office uses this supplement on a daily basis.
Reasons why Performance Lab Prebiotic stood out to us:
- Developed by specialist UK company Opti-Nutra
- Clean of fillers, artificial junk and low-quality ingredients
- Using patented and extensively researched Orafti® Synergy1 Inulin-FOS fiber which specifically targets mood- and energy-influencing Bifidobacteria
We found Performance Lab Prebiotic to be especially effective at improving our cognitive abilities, while also reducing inflammation and supporting our immunity.
Another thing that impressed us about Performance Lab is that it has a range of other supplements that are designed to be stacked together with Prebiotic – providing synergistic health benefits.
If you find something better, let us know because Performance Lab is hands down the highest quality range of supplements we’ve come across so far.
Learn more on Performance Lab’s website: https://www.performancelab.com/products/prebiotic
References
- Hannah D Holscher, Laura L Bauer, Vishnupriya Gourineni, Christine L Pelkman, George C Fahey, Jr., Kelly S Swanson, Agave Inulin Supplementation Affects the Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Adults Participating in a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 145, Issue 9, September 2015, Pages 2025–2032.
- Slavin J. Fiber and prebiotics: mechanisms and health benefits. Nutrients. 2013;5(4):1417-1435. Published 2013 Apr 22. doi:10.3390/nu5041417
i HAVE A BOTTLE OF Prebiothrive given to me but the expiration date is 2018, Can I still use it?
Nina,
That’s 3 years past the expiration date. While prebiotic fibers are often stable and have a long shelf life, it’s best to throw it away – especially if it’s been open or kept in a moist environment. If you feel you can handle the potential side effects you might still give it a try – but don’t say we didn’t warn you!