Pendulum is a supplement brand that sells a novel probiotic marketed as a natural GLP-1 alternative. GLP-1 is the class of weight loss drugs like Ozempic that suppress appetite and cause weight loss.

But can probiotics have similar effects? Does Pendulum's most popular probiotic have research-backed ingredients to support weight loss? Does it have any questionable additives? And how do real customers rate and describe the effects?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Pendulum's GLP-1 Probiotic to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll also feature real customer reviews of the supplement.

Ingredient Analysis

The active ingredients in Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotic are shown above.

Akkermansia muciniphila is a probiotic species which was described as "the most promising next-generation probiotic" in a medical review published in the Nutrients journal.

There appears to be an inverse correlation between gut levels of this probiotic and obesity, which suggests (but doesn't necessarily prove) that it may have an anti-obesity effect when supplemented.

We can't find any human trials showing this probiotic to directly have an anti-obesity effect, nor can we find any human trials testing the specific strain used by Pendulum (Akkermansia muciniphila WB-STR-0001) on obesity levels in humans.

Clostridium butyricum was analyzed in a 2023 medical review, and the study authors stated it "reduced obesity."

We can't find any human trials showing that the specific strain (Clostridium butyricum WB-STR-0006) used in this supplement reduces obesity.

Bifidobacterium infantis is a probiotic species that's clinically shown to improve mental health in individuals with disrupted gut function, as we documented in our Seed probiotic review article.

However, we can't find any clinical evidence that this probiotic causes weight loss in humans.

The inactive ingredients in Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotic, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:

Overall, we consider Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotic somewhat likely to be effective for weight loss because one of its active ingredients has some research backing for weight loss in humans.

However, we can't identify any clinical trials showing that the specific strain of that probiotic used by Pendulum is effective.

We believe this supplement may have other benefits such as supporting optimal gut function.

Real People Try Pendulum Probiotics

A YouTube creator named "Addictive Wellness" shared his experience taking Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotic for three months:

A TikTok creator named "drrachel" shared her experience after using Pendulum's probiotic for one week:

@drrachel Gotta love the slept in makeup look right 😅 One week review of being on a Glp1-probiotic. Overall, not huge noticeable changes but I wasn’t expecting any huge changes. I feel like there were a few days I wasnt as hungry and overall generally I felt good! The directions say it can take 90 days to see changes, so Ill give a 30 day update! #probiotics #pendulum #glp1 #healthjourney ♬ original sound - drrachel

Our Concerns About Pendulum's Marketing

Our main issue with the way Pendulum is currently marketing this supplement relates to the suggestion that this supplement increases GLP-1 levels.

Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotic doesn't appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, and we haven't come across any evidence proving that this proprietary formulation increases GLP-1 levels.

Pendulum claims that Akkermansia increases GLP-1 production, and cites this study to prove it.

However, the above-linked study doesn't appear to be published in any peer-reviewed journals. It's described as a "white paper."

Further, the above-linked study states that Akkermansia bacteria stimulate GLP-1 production, but does not state that the specific strain used in Pendulum's probiotic (Akkermansia muciniphila WB-STR-0001) stimulates GLP-1 production.

As we discussed in our review of the probiotic supplement BioFit, different probiotic strains within the same species can have divergent effects in the human body.

Until Pendulum proves that their proprietary formulation increases GLP-1 levels (ideally with a clinical trial published in a peer-reviewed journal) in humans, we recommend that consumers disregard suggestions of such.

What are the Best Probiotics for Weight Loss?

A doctor and YouTube creator named Brian Yeung has a video sharing his thoughts on the best probiotic strains for weight loss:

Our Clean Weight Loss Picks

MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top overall weight loss pick.

Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).

Performance Lab MCT Oil is our top premium weight loss pick.

MCT oil was shown in a meta-study to cause more than one pound of weight loss over 10 weeks. This equates to potential annualized weight loss of 6 pounds per year with less than one tablespoon's worth of MCT oil per day.

Pique La Ginger is our top whole food weight loss pick.

Ginger intake "significantly decreased body weight" according to a 2019 meta-study on ginger and weight loss that analyzed data from 14 clinical trials.

All three of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.

Customers Rate Pendulum

Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.

At the time of publishing this article, Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotic has been reviewed over 50 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

A top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Mykenzi Duda" who gave the product a 5/5 rating:

"The capsules are average in size, easy to swallow, and have no taste or odor, which makes them very convenient to take daily. I've noticed some help in diminishing hunger and managing my appetite."

A top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "albert brown" who gave the product a 1/5 rating:

"This was the worst item I ordered from amazon!!!! Don’t give them a penny! Doesn’t work, and it’s $75.00 with no returns!!!!"

Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotic currently has an average review rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars on Google.

Pendulum currently responds to all customer complaints on their Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile, which is a sign of a high-quality brand.

Pendulum Probiotics Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Pendulum's probiotic in our opinion:

Pros:

• May cause weight loss
• Likely to support gut health
• No unhealthy ingredients
• Positive consumer survey results
• Mostly positive Amazon reviews

Cons:

• Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
• We can't find any evidence the active ingredients increase GLP-1 levels
• Expensive
• Mediocre Google reviews

Conclusion

As a probiotic for gut health support, we consider Pendulum GLP-1 Probiotic to be well-formulated.

It contains relatively novel probiotic strains, and no unhealthy additives.

As a weight loss agent, we're less convinced of the potential efficacy of this supplement.

One of the probiotic species in this formulation is clinically shown to cause weight loss, but we can't find any evidence that the specific probiotic strains are.

We're also unable to identify any clinical trials showing that the active ingredients in this supplement increase GLP-1 levels in humans.

Customer reviews that we came across while researching this article were mostly positive.

In this article, we featured a video from a doctor discussing the best probiotic strains for weight loss. It may be a useful resource for consumers who are wishing to support weight loss using probiotics.