Best gut health products in the UK reviewed
Here we will give an overview of the best gut health products available in the UK. We’ll focus on which probiotics and gut health tests will provide the best benefits to your gut and overall health.
Please note this article contains affiliate links.
Best probiotic overall in the UK
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic
YourBiology Gut+ is a premium gut supplement with various ingredients beyond just probiotics to improve gut health and general health. It is aimed at women, however anyone can take it. (If you’d prefer a product aimed at men, Biotics 8 is a very similar product from the same company.)
This supplement contains 10 strains of probiotics to give you a good amount of microbial diversity.
The strains and their benefits are:
Lactobacillus acidophilus – Supports digestion and helps maintain vaginal and intestinal health.
Lactobacillus casei – Aids lactose digestion and supports immune function.
Lactobacillus paracasei – Helps reduce inflammation and supports gut barrier integrity.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus – Known for preventing diarrhoea and supporting immune health.
Lactobacillus plantarum – Promotes gut healing and helps reduce bloating and gas.
Lactobacillus fermentum – Offers antioxidant benefits and supports respiratory health.
Bifidobacterium longum – Helps balance gut flora and reduce gastrointestinal discomfort.
Bifidobacterium bifidum – Aids in breaking down food and absorbing nutrients.
Bifidobacterium breve – Supports skin and gut health.
Saccharomyces boulardii – A probiotic yeast that helps prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and supports gut lining repair.
Collectively, these strains provide 20 billion colony forming units per three-capsule serving.
As as key point of difference to many other brands, it also contains prebiotics, digestive enzymes and vitamin D which collectively provide a more holistic approach to gut health than just probiotics alone.
Prebiotics are essentially fibres which promote the growth of probiotics (ie beneficial microbes) in the gut. This supplement contains two types of prebiotic fibre in the form of inulin and fructooligosaccharides (commonly known as FOS).
YourBiology Gut+ also includes three digestive enzymes - lipase, amylase and protease. These enzymes reduce the digestive burden on your gut which allows probiotics to more effectively colonise the gut and support gut repair.
This supplement also provides vitamin D which helps create a healthier, less inflamed environment where probiotics and digestive processes can function optimally.
This supplement is suitable for vegans.
Dosing
The dosing guidelines say to slowly increase the daily intake from 1 to 3 capsules to give your gut time to adjust.
Cost and availability
YourBiology Gut+ is more expensive than many other probiotics because it is a premium and multi-faceted gut health product which also includes prebiotics, digestive enzymes and vitamin D.
Prices vary so it’s best to check their website for current offers. It is not available in supermarkets or chemists.
Summary
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5.
Verdict: YourBiology Gut+ not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do. However, as you might expect, this comes at a premium price.
Pros
offers a more holistic gut health solution than most probiotic supplements
10 strains of probiotics - which have been chosen to influence various aspect of gut and general health
2 types of prebiotics
3 digestive enzymes
20 billion colony forming units of probiotics per serving
strong vegan capsules to make it though the stomach before breaking down
Cons
comes as a premium price
Best probiotic with a strong evidence base
Symprove
Symprove is a great choice for those wanting a probiotic with strong scientific research supporting it.
Symprove is a water-based probiotic which was developed by scientists at King’s College London and University College London.
A key selling point of Symprove is that it is specifically designed and tested 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.
You can read more about the research done into Symprove in our full review.
It contains four strains of bacteria:
Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus NCIMB 30174
Enterococcus faecium NCIMB 30176
Lactobacillus acidophilus NCIMB 30175
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NCIMB 30173
Symprove is gluten-free, dairy-free and suitable for vegans.
Dosing
It is taken as a 70ml shot 10 minutes before breakfast. This is designed to give you 10 billion colony forming units of probiotics.
Cost and availability
Symprove is available through their website. Prices vary based on whether you choose a one-off purchase or a subscription. As an example, their cheapest subscription costs £40 per month.
You can use discount code HELLOGUT50 for 50% off the first three months at symprove.com.
Summary
Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Symprove is a thoroughly researched probiotic developed by respected scientists with lots of reported benefits and scientific evidence backing it up. However, it is not cheap.
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.
Speaking for myself, I think it has helped my wellbeing in a variety of ways.
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 and potentially a lot to gain.
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 some 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.
Best gut health test in the UK
Healthpath Ultimate Package
The Healthpath Ultimate Package is a great choice for those who want more than just a gut health test and want expert support and guidance also.
What the test covers
The test itself is remarkably comprehensive. Healthpath claims to have the most comprehensive test in the UK which measures over 100 biomarkers.
Along with testing your microbiome composition of bacteria, fungi and yeasts very extensively (covering 61 species), the test also:
checks if you have leaky gut
checks your immune response and inflammatory markers
sees if your digestion is working well
analyses parasites
includes early bowel cancer detection
analyses archaea
analyses histamine, butyrate and hydrogen-sulphide-producing bacteria
Further support in the package
In contrast to other tests, your journey with Healthpath doesn’t end after receiving the report. There is a vast amount of support and guidance yet to come.
In the package you will get:
a practitioner review of your test results and a personal video from them to explain the results
a bespoke health plan. This is 12-week health plan based on your symptoms and results
a personalised supplement plan in which a practitioner will select the best supplements to support your individual gut health
a meal plan which includes shopping lists and recipes
a symptom review in which a practitioner will review your symptom survey to ensure your health plan, supplement recommendations and analysis are tailored to you
a health coaching call which is a 30-minute personal consultation with an experienced practitioner. This allows you to talk through your results, get 1-to-1 support and discuss next steps
As you can see, the amount of individual support offered is incredible and will leave you with all your questions answered and a path forward guided by experts.
Cost
The price for the Ultimate Package including everything above is £495. (However, they do have cheaper packages if you don’t need this level of support.)
Visit Healthpath to learn more.
Factors we consider in our ratings
The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.
Health benefits
We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.
Things detrimental to health
We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if it might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.
How its made
This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.
Price
While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.
Flavour
For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.
Your reviewer
This hands-on review was written by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut-health enthusiast, science nerd and passionate kombucha maker of over 10 years!
Related articles
