IBgard is a gut health supplement that’s used to treat a number of gastrointestinal symptoms. The brand claims that their supplement helps manage cramping, diarrhea, bloating, constipation, gas and more.
But does IBGard contain ingredients shown in clinical studies to improve gut health? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Why was the brand's manufacturer sued? And is IBGard better or worse than popular gut health supplements like Physician's Choice Probiotic?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in IBgard to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective for digestive relief, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also discuss the risk of side effects, explain why the manufacturer of IBGard was sued, and compare IBGard to other popular gut health supplements to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Likely effective for digestive symptom relief
- Contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend IBgard
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in IBGard are shown below:
Peppermint oil is the only active ingredient in IBgard, at a dosage of 180 milligrams (mg) per serving.
This ingredient is a well-studied botanical treatment for stomach and digestive ailments.
A 2018 medical review found that peppermint oil can help heal the gut and relieve digestive symptoms.
Specifically, peppermint oil can relax smooth muscles, has anti-inflammatory activity and is antimicrobial. The study authors concluded that clinical trials “support its use” in treatment of digestive issues.
Peppermint oil is so effective for digestive disorders that it’s even being studied for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
A clinical trial published in the Gastroenterology journal found that peppermint oil which was formulated to release in the intestines rather than in the stomach (like IBgard) caused significant reductions in abdominal pain and overall discomfort in IBS patients.
IBGard also contains three inactive ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Titanium dioxide is a colorant which is banned in the EU for use as a food additive due to toxicity concerns.
Yellow 5 and Green 3 are artificial food dyes.
As we documented in our Metamucil review, clinical studies have documented toxicity concerns with all food dyes currently approved for use in the US.
Overall, we consider IBgard likely to be effective for digestive symptom relief, but we don't currently recommend the supplement due to the inclusion of the inactive ingredients discussed above.
Why Was IBgard’s Manufacturer Sued?
In 2021, Nestlé Health Sciences (the manufacturer of IBgard) was sued in a class-action lawsuit alleging false advertising, according to ClassAction.org.
The subject of the lawsuit was the brand’s claims that their supplement is “clinically proven” to relieve symptoms of IBS.
The plaintiffs claim that there were methodological issues with the clinical studies funded by Nestlé, and that it’s misleading for the brand to make this health claim.
The lawsuit also disputes the description (at the time) of IBgard as a “medical food,” because the FDA had not (at the time of the lawsuit) published any specific nutritional requirements for patients with IBS which are different from nutritional requirements for healthy patients.
At the time of updating this article, it’s unclear if this lawsuit is ongoing or if it’s been settled.
We do not consider this lawsuit to pose any legitimate concerns that should worry consumers.
It’s mostly regarding semantic distinctions and we would actually agree with Nestlés claims in this case, because this supplement has been found to have favorable effects in at least one legitimate clinical trials published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.
IBGard vs. Popular Gut Health Supps
Here's how IBGard compares to other popular gut health supplements in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Physician's Choice Probiotic
Contains research-backed probiotic species like Lactobacillus casei, which is clinically shown to have anti-obesity and anti-cancer effects.
No unhealthy additives.
Winner: Physician's Choice Probiotic
Pendulum Probiotics
This probiotic supplement contains research-backed active ingredients and is free of any unhealthy ingredients, as we documented in our Pendulum GLP-1 probiotic reviews article.
While Pendulum lacks the clinical backing of IBGard, we consider it to have the healthier formulation, so we give the brand the overall edge.
Winner: Pendulum Probiotics
GutConnect 365
Contains research-backed active ingredients and only one inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy (but less so than the synthetic dyes and titanium dioxide in IBGard)
Winner: GutConnect 365
Does IBgard Cause Side Effects?
Unlike the majority of dietary supplements we review on Illuminate Health, IBgard has been studied in a clinical trial published in a peer-reviewed journal, which makes it easier to assess the risk of side effects than based on ingredients alone.
A clinical trial published in the Digestive Diseases and Sciences journal tested the effects of IBgard in patients with IBS, and reported on side effects.
No serious adverse effects were noted, and the group taking placebo pills actually experienced more side effects than the group taking IBgard capsules.
This suggests that IBgard is unlikely to cause any side effects.
We consider this to be a major benefit of IBgard compared to other over-the-counter (OTC) digestive treatments.
Our Clean Gut Health Picks
Manukora MGO 850+ is our top whole food gut health pick.
A 2024 clinical trial reported that manuka honey ingestion "correlates with beneficial modulation of gut microbiota composition."
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top gut health supplement.
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ contains 100% soluble fiber, which was described as "one of the most important nutrients for the gut microbiota" in a clinical review published in the Molecules journal.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
IBGard Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Clinically shown to be effective
- Safe, botanical active ingredient
- Affordable
- Available for purchase with free shipping
- No evidence of side effects in clinical trial
- Sold by reputable manufacturer
Cons:
- Contains titanium dioxide
- Contains two synthetic dyes
- Manufacturer sued over alleged false advertising
- Less healthy than competitors
