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We tested to see if they could improve our sleep, brighten our mood and better our digestion – here’s our gut feeling
Improving your gut health can be a tricky business. What you should eat, what you should take to supplement your diet and how much can sometimes be hard to fathom. But if we go back to basics, we essentially need decent probiotics and prebiotics to support the millions of bacteria that make up our gut microbiota.
Look after it, and it will look after you, with the benefits of a healthy gut including better digestion, improved sleep, brighter mood and weight management. The opposite is also true, and poor gut flora diversity is associated with several health problems, including obesity, mood disorders, poor sleep, autism and autoimmune diseases.
To help explain the role of specific gut health supplements, a straightforward way to put it is that probiotics are beneficial for live bacteria, and prebiotics feed those good bacteria. These are relatively well-known terms nowadays, but have you ever heard of synbiotics? Essentially, these combine both probiotics and prebiotics in one supplement.
Synbiotics are an effortless way to repopulate the gut with healthy bacteria and then nurture it. We know because we’ve tried them, and we have a favourite: The Nue Co prebiotic and probiotic, which we named our best product for combining prebiotics and probiotics in a recent roundup. Here, we’ve drilled down into the detail to show you why we love this supplement.
Our tester trialled the product over 30 days, following the pack instructions. We’ve explored what’s inside each capsule, ease of use, value for money and, most importantly, how they affect our gut health.
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Rating: 9/10
Within the Nue Co prebiotic and probiotic’s chic pharma-style glass jar is a synbiotic supplement containing precisely what the name suggests. That means it includes both the seed (the probiotic bacteria) and the fertiliser (the prebiotic) elements needed for good gut health.
The probiotic part is made with a microbial preparation of spore-forming Bacillus coagulans, the benefits of which have been widely studied. These include increased gut nutrient absorption, better digestion, reduced gut inflammation and constipation relief to avoid an accumulation of toxins in the body.
There’s also proof that it diminishes irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and provides immune system support. That’s a rather impressive list of health-boosting pros. Meanwhile the prebiotic element is made with inulin – a soluble dietary fibre that has been proven to support gut flora – from 100 per cent organic Jerusalem artichoke.
Read more: Check out our supplement buying guide to help you choose the best options for you
Besides supporting gut health, the supplement promises to boost skin’s radiance, calm inflammation and improve immunity by rebalancing your microbiome. It is also vegan – many gut health supplements use fermented milk to produce bacteria strains – gluten and dairy-free, and it contains no fillers, bulking agents, flavourings, colourings, sweeteners or GMO ingredients.
Prebiotic and probiotic is unlike most gut health supplements because the probiotic element consists of spores rather than live strains. The brand says this means the beneficial bacteria lie dormant until they reach the small intestine and activate. This gives them a better chance of survival through the acidic gastric environment to the small bowel, where they multiply and colonise.
Those wanting to make this their regular gut health supplement have the option of subscribing to ensure they never miss a day. A subscription plan means you save 20 per cent off the full price and are doing your bit to save the planet.
Read more: 9 best probiotic and prebiotic supplements to help improve gut health
The refill pouches are made with recycled plastics and can be disposed of with your household recyclables after you’ve decanted the pills into your glass jar. They are also 75 per cent lighter than the average packaging weight, meaning they’re easier and greener to transport. Environmental responsibility is part of the brand’s ethos in general, and it uses sustainably sourced ingredients that support soil health.
The Nue Co’s prebiotic and probiotic couldn’t be easier to take. Swallow two capsules with water each day, with or without food and whenever suits you. The pills measure about 2cm and are easily swallowed.
Within days of starting to take prebiotic and probiotic, our tester noticed that their stomach and digestive system felt considerably more comfortable. They were no stranger to constipation and going a whole week without taking a poo was not unusual before, but they found they were going to the toilet daily after taking the supplement – a sure sign of improved digestion.
The Nue Co prebiotic and probiotic has impressed us immensely. We love that a dose of this supplement gives us two essential elements for good gut health, and the results speak for themselves. We especially like that it contains organic ingredients and that we can look after the healthy bacteria in our bodies without causing harm to the planet, thanks to the recyclable packaging, refills and sustainably sourced ingredients.
It is not the cheapest gut health supplement, but it is a brilliant quality product, and the subscription option makes it much more reasonable.
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Still unsure about which probiotic supplement to choose? Check out our pick of the best to help improve your gut health