Getting the balance of gut microbes right can make a huge impact to your digestive wellbeing. Digestive upset can often show as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain on eating to name just a few symptoms.
The correct balance of gut microbiomes can positively impact your metabolism, immunity and protection against pathogens.
Symprove is a unique liquid supplement that contains 4 specific strains of gut bacteria. As it is a water-based product, the gut-loving liquid ensures that billions of live bacteria reach the stomach alive. Unlike capsules, Symprove does not trigger digestion allowing the bacteria to survive intact and thrive in your gut, a claim backed by science on their website. Symprove is available in 3 flavours: original, strawberry & raspberry or mango & passion fruit.
I was asked to sample Symprove for 12 weeks to see if it helped to improve my gut health... Symprove claim that 94% of customers start to feel the benefits after 3 months!
I took delivery of my 3 boxes of product as 1 bottle lasts 7 days. 70ml is taken on an empty stomach first thing on waking and at least 10 minutes before you eat or drink each morning. This is to allow the 10 billion colony forming units to get directly to your gut without triggering digestion. Their claim is that it helps you take back control of gut issues. I suffer from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and Symprove is thought to help with eliminating symptoms of IBS, particularly bloating.
My Journey with Symprove
Week 1: quite a pleasant tasting liquid with hints of passion fruit in what I would describe a slightly tangy liquid. I don't normally have any issues with my bowel movements but after a couple of days taking my Symprove morning shot my bowel movements were slightly looser. This will be due to the additional gut bacteria that my gut is now adjusting to. It didn't take long to settle down back to my normal!
Week 2: Quite enjoying the taste of my morning shot now. Once the bottle is opened it needs to be stored in the fridge making it a refreshing drink. Not noticed any difference yet but didn't expect to.
Week 3: Still taking my daily shot. I had a nasty patch of eczema on the top of my foot which has been rumbling on for a few months. I have to say that it doesn't seem quite as angry this week, maybe the Symprove bacteria strains are having a slight impact on it?
Week 4: The improvement in my eczema has plateaued now and still not feeling any improvement in my IBS symptoms unfortunately. Symprove claim that 50% of customers report positive feelings after just 4 weeks.
Week 5: Nothing different to report, but continuing to take religiously.
Weeks 6 - 12: Taken religiously and not missed a dose, but unfortunately I haven't experienced any improvement in my IBS symptoms or any further improvement in my eczema. It is worth noting that taking Symprove has not worsened any symptoms either.
Conclusion: Whilst I don't think Symprove has worked for me, it doesn't mean that it will not benefit your gut symptoms.
I had taken a comprehensive stool test just before starting Symprove but this test did not single out the strains of bacteria that Symprove contain:
Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus NCIMB 30174
Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 30176
Lactobacillus acidophilus NCIMB 30175
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NCIMB 30173
This means that I could not tell if I was low in these specific species of bacteria. The fact that there was slight improvement in my eczema indicates that I probably needed a slight top up in these bacteria levels, but they are not the source of my IBS or eczema symptoms.
As a Nutritional Therapist would I use in it my clinic?
At around £50 a month, Symprove is an expensive course of live bacteria to guess whether your gut needs it (and it is advised to continue to take if it provides relief of your symptoms), I would be inclined to complete a stool test first which identifies that your gut microbiome is deficient in the above 4 strains of bacteria, otherwise it could be an expensive mistake for you! Not everyone will benefit from taking Symprove, but there will be some people where this is the missing key to their digestive symptoms.
Wishing you good gut health!
Lisa x