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Synbiotic is a three-in-one supplement from Ritual that contains prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics designed for gut health.
Although the ingredients of the supplement are well studied, the combination of the 3 lacks a complete clinical manifestation in humans.
After Synbiotic+, I found the supplement to be too mentholated and experienced gastrointestinal upset. Read on for my full review.
The concept of Ritual was born when its current CEO, Katerina Schneider, was pregnant. During this time, she struggled to find a prenatal vitamin without “questionable ingredients,” so she had to create her own, according to the company’s website.
Established in 2016, Ritual provides prenatal vitamins, multivitamins, protein powders, and supplements.
Ritual is a Certified B Corporation, a designation that indicates it is committed to duty to all stakeholders (not just shareholders), to transparency, and to demonstrating maximum social and environmental performance. This is especially because Ritual promotes its transparency and social duty by reporting ingredients, chains of origin, and certifying partners on its website.
Products are sold in Ritual’s online store in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. The company also sells some Whole Foods and Amazon products.
The company did not respond to requests for comment.
A healthy gut microbiome is a key component of digestion and nutrient absorption and can influence everything from intellectual fitness to modulating the threat of chronic diseases such as irritable bowel disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
Your gut microbiome is made up of millions of microorganisms, either (symbiotic) or potentially harmful. A microbial imbalance can make you more vulnerable to disease. The factors that influence the fitness of your gut microbiome come with your DNA, environmental exposures, stress, and diet.
Ritual’s Synbiotic supplement is designed to improve gut health by offering prebiotics, probiotics, and a postbiotic, all designed to work together.
First of all, prebiotics, which contribute to a healthy intestinal microbiome. Ritual’s Synbiotic+ comprises 15 milligrams of PreforPro, a blend of prebiotic bacteriophages designed to eliminate bad bacteria and make more room for the smart ones.
One study (funded by Deerland Enzymes, the manufacturer of PreforPro) indicates that bacteriophage supplementation can increase the number of pro-inflammatory bacteria without causing additional alterations in the gut microbiome[1]Febvre HP, Rao S, Gindin M, Goodwin NDM, Finer E, Vivanco JS, Lu S, Mante DK, Wallace TC, Weir TL. PHAGE study: effects of bacteriophage supplementation on inflammation and gut microbiota in healthy adults. Nutrients. 2019; 11(3):666. Formation
Probiotics, on the other hand, are live strains of intelligent bacteria. Ritual’s supplement contains 11 billion colony-forming ensembles (CFUS) of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium animalis, two of the most studied strains of bacteria. According to the company, those strains aim to relieve occasional gastrointestinal discomfort, such as mild bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
Postbiotics are bioactive products of the fermentation process. In other words, they are made up of the waste left over from prebiotics and probiotics. The symbiotic comprises giant tributyrin. Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid derived from tributyrin, supports intestinal barrier functions and is an appreciated source of energy for colon cells; This can be beneficial against constipation.
Individual parts of Synbiotic have been studied in at least some populations; however, its mixture of the 3 parts lacks clinical effects in humans.
Sold as a monthly subscription on Ritual’s website, a bottle of 30 pills of Synbiotic currently costs $54 per month with free shipping. Combining it with a vitamin supplement reduces its cost.
Ritual offers a variety of vitamin formulations aimed at women, men, children, and adolescents. Ritual will send you a jar or package each month until you suspend or cancel the order. It is available on Amazon and Whole Foods.
Synbiotic is a corneal tablet inside the tablet. It features an internal delayed-release capsule, so the contents of the inner tablet reach your colon (instead of being destroyed in your stomach). The pills are made from vegan ingredients derived from cellulose, unlike gelatin pills that are used as tablet wrappers. which can be made from meat or fish.
Ritual notes that the supplement does not need to be refrigerated and recommends one capsule per day. He notes that some time after taking Synbiotic, you may experience mild gas or bloating (but see your doctor if those effects don’t go away). after two weeks). Additionally, he acknowledges that you may not notice the full effects of the supplement until after two to four weeks of normal use, but others may not experience any effects at all.
Establishing and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome “starts with a smart diet,” says Jess Cording, a registered dietitian, integrative nutrition trainer, and author.
Ritual with this “food first” attitude and claims on its online page that its supplements are formulated to complement a healthy diet.
However, Cording is confident that Ritual’s specific blend of pre, pro, and postbiotics in one tablet will work for everyone. She tailors blends to each client, stating that “when you consume probiotics and prebiotics together, you get a smart symbiotic benefit. “”However, Cording is not familiar with the phage prebiotic used in Ritual’s synbiotic; Instead, he recommends fiber-based prebiotics.
Holistic nutritionist Nicole Glassman of Mindful Health also tends to individualize her supplement recommendations: “My technique is very personalized, so there is no one-size-fits-all practice. »For example, she recommends a combination of probiotics and prebiotics for “clients with compromised digestive systems. ” while “probiotics and postbiotics would possibly help when given in combination to treat inflammatory digestive disorders. “
Cording, however, likes Ritual’s transparency about ingredients and chains.
In short, experts agree that you can mix prebiotics and postbiotics, or probiotics and postbiotics. Still, it’s unclear whether Synbiotic’s formulas are the right match for everyone.
My abdomen is hard; I like to try other foods, especially when I travel, and I don’t regularly suffer much from an upset stomach. When my gut is upset, I take probiotics regularly, especially when traveling or taking an antibiotic. I usually take probiotics in refrigerated form, either by drinking kefir or some other food that contains probiotics, or through a liquid probiotic such as Yakult. I was hoping for a more convenient product that didn’t require refrigeration, so I was excited to try Ritual Synbiotic.
When I opened the bottle, I found that the mint smell was overwhelming. I have persistent symptoms of COVID-19 (Long Covid) and can’t smell or taste normally, so I asked my friends and family what they thought of the smell. the consensus was “extremely minty. “
I took Synbiotic every day for a week, at other times of the day, with and without food, and experienced a lot of bloating, gas, and burps that tasted like fish and mint (the company notes that bloating and gas are common effects in their FAQ page). Some reviewers on Amazon reported the same experience, claiming that the smell was strong and they experienced side effects such as heartburn.
After a week, I had to stop taking the supplement due to minty/fishy burps, flatulence, heartburn, bloating, and intestinal discomfort. It took a few weeks for my gut to return to normal. I tried contacting the company through visitor service, but got an automated response.
It is not easy to contact the company. Customers on their Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot profiles complain that there is no phone number and that the customer service team is mediocre, and that it is difficult to know how to cancel a subscription.
Ritual Synbiotic+ aims to provide a convenient, non-refrigerated way to gut health. However, its existing formulas lack clinical evidence and its value is high. The company does a great job of describing their ingredients and sources, but I wasn’t drawn to their lack of communication with customers.
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