Would it work for bloating, acne and IBS, as promised?

Symprove review: health editor Ally Head tries gut friendly probiotic Symprove

Your next instalment of Tried & Tested is back and this time, I’ve got a Symprove review for you.

The gut health probiotic, which is a celeb favourite with stars like Millie Mackintosh, Gemma Atkinson and Deliciously Ella, promises to be the best supplement on the market for IBS-related symptoms – like bloating – and skin issues – like acne – too.

When I spoke exclusively to Millie about her love of the supplement, she said the main reason she uses Symprove is to feed her gut with good bacteria. “The gut is often called our second brain and plays a key role in our overall health,” she explains. “I know to look and feel my best that it’s really important to look after my body from the inside out.”

What health benefits has she seen since taking the supplement? “I’ve been using Symprove for around six or seven years as part of my ongoing wellness routine and I swear by it,” she shared with MC.

“I was first recommended it by facialist Nichola Joss after telling her I was having breakouts and she explained I needed to look after my gut health to have healthy skin. I suffer from bloating from time to time and used to get IBS symptoms, but since using Symprove, my digestion is great, and I rarely get ill.”

We know Millie isn’t a qualified professional, but we do know she is into her health and fitness, plus was recommended the product by a pro.

Hearing her so into the product – plus seeing it become the talk of the supplement world over the past few years – when the Symprove team asked if I wanted to try it for myself, I accepted.

Symprove review: Millie Mackintosh with a bottle of Symprove

I tried the much-loved celeb-backed supplement: Symprove review

What is Symprove?

Long hailed as one of the best probiotic supplements on the market, it’s essentially a liquid supp that contains four unique strains of live gut bacteria – yummy – and promises to deliver ten billion bacteria to your gut for every 70ml cupful. Not bad.

What’s the deal with probiotics bacteria, you ask? Good question – and it’s no longer just wanky wellness territory, either. Scientific research has increasingly found links between good gut bacteria and improved digestion, brain function, immune health, and more. I recommend following qualified dietician Dr Megan Rossi (PhD, RD, APD) @theguthealthdoctor and nutritional therapist Eve Kalinik @evekalinik on Instagram if you’re keen to learn more about the gut-brain axis.

Symprove Live & Active Bacteria – £78, Symprove.com

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How do you take Symprove?

They recommend you try for at least twelve weeks to see an improvement, so I ordered enough to cover that time frame. It’s as simple as taking a shot ten minutes before your breakfast every morning – so super easy to incorporate into your daily routine.

Symprove review: A product shot of the bottles

How much does Symprove cost? 

It’s not cheap – at £78 for a four week pack, I could book a night at a nice hotel for the same price… That being said, if you buy twelve weeks in one go, you get it for the same price as eight weeks worth.

The company actually originates way back, in 1988, so they’ve been working on perfecting the formula for a while now. I was intrigued to see if it was this wonder-supp everyone makes it out to be.

What did I think of Symprove? 

Would I come out of my twelve week stint bloat-less, full of energy and acne free for the first time since my teenage years? Yes, it’s fair to say I had high hopes for the supplement.

After patiently sipping the mango and passionfruit flavoured supplement every morning for 90 days – picture a health-boosted Haribo sour fruit sweet made into a very weak squash – I can say the following:

  1. My bloating has improved: I can’t remember the last time I got a painful bloat, which I am prone too.
  2. My bowel movements are regular: Probably TMI, but a great time as someone who’s health-conscious that things are working as they should be down there.
  3. My hunger queues are back: I didn’t realise I wasn’t experiencing hunger queues pre-breakfast, lunch and dinner, but wow does my stomach now tell me when I’m in need of food.

Sadly I didn’t notice a difference in my hormonal acne, which is where I’d been hoping to see the most change.

Was Symprove worth it? Final thoughts 

Aka, would I be investing my own money in the supplement?

That, I’m not sure about – it’s a lot of money, and I’ve read enough about improving your gut health from qualified nutritionists to know that one of the easiest ways to boost your good bacteria is just to eat a varied diet packed full of lots of different varieties of fruit, veg, nuts, seeds, carbs, fats and proteins.

However, I did love the ease of which I incorporated it into my daily routine, and the feeling of boosting my gut bacteria with ten billion live cultures every morning.

The post I tried the raved-about celeb supplement Symprove: here’s whether it actually improved my acne appeared first on Marie Claire.