Best Gut Health Supplements (Buying Guide and Top Picks)

Each of us has a microbiome inside of our gut that has anywhere from 30 trillion to 400 trillion microorganisms living there. Each of us has a very unique microbiome that affects not only our digestion, but also things like immune function, weight management and energy. When you have a good balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut, this can keep you feeling healthy and energetic. When your gut could use some help, you may feel sluggish, sick, bloated and unhealthy overall.

Now that I’ve piqued your interest, you’re probably wondering how you can improve your gut health and microbiome. There are a few different ways to do this, including eating a healthy diet and taking gut health supplements that will replace missing beneficial bacteria that will keep your gut in check. This article is intended to walk you through some of the best gut health supplements on the market, so you can make an educated decision regarding what product is going to help you feel your best each day.

Quick Table of Our Top 11 Rated Picks

Gut Health Supplement	Key Ingredients	Claimed Benefits	Cost
Amy Myers Leaky Gut Revive	L-Glutamine, Proprietary Blend	Soothe and repair your gut quickly	$46.72
1st Phorm Probiotic	Probiotic Blend – 8 Billion CFU, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Casei, Plantarum	Improve digestive health, promote healthy metabolism, strengthen immune system	$34.99
Ritual Synbiotic+	Probiotic Blend – 11 Billion CFUs, PreforPro, Tributyrin	Supports a balanced gut microbiome	$50
Primal Gut Restore	CoreBiomeTM Tributyrin, Xylooligosaccharides, B. longum BB536 – 3 Billion CFU	Improved digestion and energy	$49.95
1st Phorm GI Advantage	Zinc, L-Glutamine, Licorice Root	Decrease gut inflammation, optimize digestion, reduce heartburn	$39.99
Pendulum Akkermansia	Chicory Inulin and Oligofructose, Hypromellose, Magnesium Stearate, Akkermansia muciniphila – 100 Milion AFU	Keystone Strain for gut health, nurtures your body's microbiome,	$74
ONNIT Total Gut Health	Digestech, 5 Strains of probiotics, Betaine HCI, Saccharomyces Boulardii	Supports a healthy gut flora, optimizes digestion, aids in immune system support	$75.90
Ombre Supplements	Probiotic Blend – 100 Billion CFU	Eases bloating, gas and diarrhea, helps immune system support	Starting at $35.99
Viome Supplements	Probiotic Blend	Could improve gut microbiome, decrease inflammation, gut lining health	$199/month
Cymbiotika Probiotic	Gut Health Probiotic Blend – 50 Billion CFU	Supports healthy gut and digestion, boosts immune system, lowers stress	$89
Pendulum GI Repair	Microcrystalline Cellulose, Hypromellose, Magnesium Stearate, 15 Million AFU	Relief of occasional gut discomfort	$120

Can Supplements Improve My Gut Health?

The majority of gut health supplements being sold right now contain a mixture of probiotics, prebiotics and other nutrients that help heal the gut. When you take these supplements regularly, you can avoid uncomfortable symptoms like bloating, gas, pain, diarrhea and constipation. There are other benefits that a healthy gut provides including:

More Efficient Weight Loss

There is a profound relationship between gut health and our ability to maintain a healthy weight. When you have the wrong kinds of bacteria and microorganisms in your gut, this can lead to a slower metabolism, increased hunger and unhealthy cravings. Boosting the beneficial bacteria in your gut can ensure that you’re lowering your risk of obesity.

Improving Heart Health

A healthy gut has the potential to raise your good cholesterol while lowering your bad cholesterol. This helps to prevent heart disease. Good bacteria can lower your blood pressure, reducing your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Boosted Immune System

If you want to cut down on the number of colds and illnesses that you experience each year, your gut is the place to start. Having a healthy barrier inside of your gut will keep bacteria and viruses away. When you do get sick but have a healthy gut, you may find that your illnesses are shorter in duration.

Supplement Categories for Gut Health

There are many different ingredients and categories of nutrients that can benefit your gut in many ways. You probably have heard about the use of probiotics for gut health, but you may not know that there are a number of other ingredients included in gut health supplements that can also help you build up a diverse microbiome, heal inflammation and keep unwanted symptoms at bay. This includes things like:

• Zinc
• Fiber
• L-Glutamine
• Collagen Peptides
• Curcumin

What To Look For In A Gut Health Supplement

If you’re ready to purchase a gut health supplement that will help heal your gut and create a beneficial microbiome, I want to talk about some of the things you should be looking for in a supplement. Never grab the first supplement you see. There are a number of factors to take into consideration.

Trust: Brand Transparency and Transparent Ingredients

Putting a supplement of any type into your body is a big deal. You know a lot about the foods that you consume, and you should know just as much about the ingredients that are in your gut health supplement. Purchase products from a brand that prides themselves on transparency. It’s very important that you can easily learn what has been included in a product, why it’s been included, where those ingredients were sourced, etc. A brand that hides this information is likely hiding low-quality ingredients and who knows what else (additives and artificial ingredients).

Safety: Third-Party Tested

Reputable supplement brands usually use a third-party testing process to confirm things like purity, safety, potency and a lack of contaminants and cross-contamination. Some brands perform testing themselves, which is helpful. However, using a third-party provider adds another layer of reliability.

Effectiveness: Customer Ratings and Reviews with Results

You don’t want to start taking a gut health supplement for a long period of time only to find out that it’s not having any benefits on your gut. One way to find out the effectiveness of a product is to look at the customer ratings and reviews that are on a brand’s website as well as on other reliable internet sites. Pay close attention to the positive reviews, but you should also be looking at the negative things that people have to say. Some of that information may not apply to you, but it’s nice to have a full profile of a product before it comes into your home.

The 11 Best Supplements for Gut Health

To make your life easier, I want to break down the ten best supplements that can help you achieve a healthier gut. We’ll talk about what the product is all about, as well as some of the pros and cons to take into consideration before making a purchase.

#1. Amy Myers Leaky Gut Revive

Leaky Gut Revive by Amy Myers MD contains L-Glutamine and a proprietary blend of natural ingredients designed to soothe and repair your gut quickly. This gut health supplement is one of the best out there because it's doctor formulated and has many benefits. The benefits of Leaky Gut Revive including:

• Reduces bloating
• Promotes regular bowel patterns
• Restores gut lining
• Regenerates gut cells faster
• Soothes stomach and intestinal barrier
• Fortifies gut mucosal layer

Pros

• Doctor formulated
• Restores your delicate 1 cell-layer-thick gut lining
• Strengthens mucous membrane
• Promotes regular bowel pattern
• Infuses the gut microbiome with probiotics for gut repair
• Very affordable

Cons

• Doesn't work for everyone, which is true for all supplements
• Mainly for people with leaky gut symptoms

#2. 1st Phorm Probiotic

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1st Phorm’s Probiotic Supplement provides eight billion shelf-stable CFUs of live bacteria cultures. It includes the main strain found in the gut; Lactobacillus acidophilus. If you feel like you’ve made healthy changes to your diet and lifestyle but haven’t yet achieved the results that you’re looking for, this is a great addition to your daily routine. It has minimal additional ingredients, so you can rest assured that you’re putting into your body what it needs to maintain optimal gut health and nothing else.

Pros

• Contains eight billion CFUs of beneficial gut bacteria
• No sugar added
• One capsule daily is the recommended dosage
• Promotes health metabolism if you’re interested in maintaining a healthy weight
• Boosts your immune system

Cons

• There are no other nutrients included in this product that would further boost your gut health

#3. Ritual Synbiotic+

This is a 3-in1 clinically studied gut health supplement that contains prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics. It’s a very well-rounded product that provides your gut with everything that it needs to help you lose weight, fight illness, prevent GI symptoms and maintain healthy energy levels throughout the day.

Pros

• This product is third-party tested
• Made with traceable and safe ingredients
• Free of all major allergens
• Prevents unpleasant GI symptoms like bloating, gas and irregular bowel movements
• Fuels the cells that make up the lining of your gut

Cons

• Sold through a subscription service. May be beneficial for some; other people prefer buying one bottle at a time at their discretion.

#4. Primal Gut Restore Probiotic

Primal Gut Restore Probiotic is designed to naturally support your gut health, immune system and healthy energy levels. It contains prebiotics as well as probiotics and postbiotics. CoreBiome Tributyrin has been added thanks to its ability to strengthen the gut barrier. B. longum BB536 is included to promote bowel movement regularity and healthy digestion.

Pros

• Gluten free, dairy-free and soy-free
• Made in the U.S.A. at a GMP-certified facility
• Comes with a 90-day money-back guarantee
• A complete approach to gut health
• Intended to be combined with a balanced diet, exercise and healthy lifestyle

Cons

• Daily dose requires the consumption of two capsules

#5. 1st Phorm GI Advantage

Another GI supplement from 1st Phorm is their GI Advantage. It contains a comprehensive panel of ingredients that support GI health and digestion. L-Glutamin has been added. This is an amino acid that helps the GI tract thrive. Galactoarabinan has also been included as a fiber that feeds beneficial bacteria in the microbiome. Aloe vera will balance the pH balance of your gut, slippery elm bark and marshmallow root will soothe the mucous lining of the GI tract.

Pros

• Helps with occasional gas, bloat, and upset stomach
• Boosts immune system function
• Free of artificial ingredients and additives
• Attacks gut inflammation
• Impressive customer reviews (with a 4.9 star out of five star rating)

Cons

• Takes more of an herbal approach to gut health. It’s lacking in probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics.

#6. Pendulum Akkermansia for Gut Health

This is a unique gut health supplement created by Pendulum. The company has added Akkermansia muciniphila, which is an up and coming beneficial bacteria that is being studied for its potent gut health benefits. Chicory Inulin is also a soluble fiber that travels to the lower gut and stimulates probiotic growth. Pendulum is a very transparent brand that shares a lot of information with consumers. They link to research studies on PubMed and the Microbiology Research Organization.

Pros

• Nurtures your body’s microbiome
• This is the only gut health brand that contains Akkermansia
• A great deal of information
• Formulated in an acid-resistant capsule that will remain in the GI tract long enough to get to the long intestines

Cons

• Currently sold out on the company’s website
• Expensive

#7. ONNIT Total Gut Health

A comprehensive GI supplement that contains digestive enzymes, prebiotics, probiotics, and betaine HCI, the ONNIT Total Gut Health supplement supports optimal immune system health, the digestive process and your microbiome overall. The goal of this supplement is to allow your body to better break down food so that you’re adequately absorbing nutrients in the food that you’re eating.

Pros

• Promotes healthy gut flora
• Dairy free, soy free and keto-friendly
• Vegan friendly
• Contains necessary nutrients for optimal brain health
• Helps your body make the most of the good foods that you eat and you can avoid uncomfortable symptoms when you splurge

Cons

• Has an earthy and natural flavor

#8. Ombre Gut Health Program with Supplements

The Ombre Gut Health Program with supplements provides your gut with beneficial bacteria that can support healthy digestion, boost immunity, improve your mental health and so much more. This package includes a gut health test kit (learn more) that will give you an idea of what the state of your gut is. You then receive supplement recommendations in the form of prebiotic fiber powders and targeted probiotics.

Pros

• Allows you to take a snapshot of your microbiome before choosing what supplements you want to proceed with
• You are provided food suggestions; what you should eat and what should be avoided based on your test results
• Fast test results in two to four weeks after sending in your sample
• Lifetime savings on your supplements

Cons

• Expensive investment, but having a gut health test performed can provide you with a more personalized supplement approach.

#9. Viome Gut Supplements

Another company that provides you with gut health testing prior to purchasing your supplements, Viome’s Precision Probiotics + Prebiotics with Gut Intelligence includes a gut intelligence test kit (learn more) that outlines 20 different scores relating to your gut health. You will learn what foods you should and should not be eating from a database of more than 400 different foods. You also gain access to thirty-day supplies of probiotics and prebiotics which will be delivered to you fresh each month.

Pros

• You receive 20 scores regarding your gut health microbiome
• Fast results in two to three weeks
• Your personalized gut health supplement is created at a state-of-the-art USA facility and then shipped to you each month
• Supplements are created from over 50 strains of beneficial bacteria

Cons

• Requires a stool sample for the gut health test portion of the package

#10. Cymbiotika Probiotic

Regular use of this probiotic gut health supplement from Cymbiotika supports a healthy gut and boosts digestive function. You can boost your immune system and even lower your stress and anxiety with Cymbiotika Probiotic supplement.

Pros

• Can be taken with Cymbiotika’s Apple Cider Vinegar to support digestion and gut health
• Supports healthy energy levels
• Transparent brand that discloses what is in their products
• Encapsulated in a time release product, providing you with a steady stream of beneficial bacteria

Cons

• The recommended dose is three capsules each day, which is definitely on the high-end of the supplement spectrum. Some people may find this isn't a reasonable method of administration.

#11. Pendulum GI Repair

GI Repair from Pendulum includes a powerful probiotic that can help relieve unpleasant symptoms like gas, diarrhea, bloating and abdominal pain. It promotes regular bowel movements. Your Pendulum membership includes access to the GI repair program, featuring nutrition coaching and health surveys that allow you to personalize your GI solution to optimal gut health.

Pros

• You receive access to nutritional counseling with a registered dietician
• Access to alternative gut health formulations
• Pendulum works with world class research partners
• Complete surveys for every thirty days to keep up with your progress
• Contains a powerful butyrate-producing strain of beneficial bacteria that allows the gut to thrive

Cons

• You save a substantial amount of money with the monthly subscription from Pendulum. Purchasing products on a month-by-month basis raises the cost quite a bit and may make things difficult to afford.

The Bottom Line

We’ve looked at ten different gut health supplements that can help get your gut microbiome back on track, but there are countless others that you can investigate as well. You can choose a product based on what you’re trying to achieve, whether it be healing a damaged gut or trying to cope with unpleasant GI symptoms like bloating and gas. Positive reviews for all of these products show that a lot of progress can be made when you take a proactive approach to your gut health. I like some of the brands that provide a test kit with their supplements. It’s helpful to have a starting point so you know what the best approach is.

Gut Health Tips for Success from the RD

If you have questions about gut health and healing your gut, I want to answer some frequently asked questions for you.

What supplements are good for gut health?

Gut health encompasses three different factors. This includes digestion, absorption and your microbiome. Before you blindly select a supplement, you should know what ingredients can target these three factors.

• Enzymes work hard to break down the different components of foods that you eat so your body can properly absorb nutrients.
• Prebiotics aid in the digestive process and overall gut health while also providing fiber.
• Ginger promotes healthy digestion, reduces nausea, bloating and other GI symptoms.
• Vitamin C can heal gut inflammation, ulcers and damage done by unhealthy bacteria and viruses.
• Vitamin D is another nutrient that can help muscle function in the GI tract. It also helps the body absorb and utilize calcium, which is an important nutrient in the gut.

How can I improve my gut health relatively fast?

While some supplements will quickly address unpleasant symptoms that you may be experiencing in your gut, healing your gut will require some time and persistence. Taking a good quality gut health supplement each day while adhering to a healthy diet, will make the biggest difference. If you want to streamline the process, think about choosing one of the supplement brands I talked about here that also offers an excellent gut health test kit (learn more). You’ll receive very insightful information that will get you on the fast track to healing your gut.

How can I heal my gut naturally?

None of the supplements that I listed in this article contain prescription or over-the-counter medications. They use natural ingredients like probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics and nutrients to heal the gut, maintain optimal gut health and help you feel your best. You can further the effects of these supplements by sticking to a diet that is rich in lean protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, cultured dairy products and fermented foods.