HUM Nutrition is one of the more popular nutritional supplement brands. The brand claims that their supplements are “Clean + Clinically Tested” and “free of 12 widely used ingredients that shouldn’t be in a vitamin.”
But do HUM Nutrition supplements contain ingredients proven to be effective? Do they contain any questionable additives? Which retailer sells HUM Nutrition for the best price? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of HUM Nutrition supplements?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of HUM Nutrition’s most popular supplements (Flatter Me and Skinny Bird).
We'll give our take on whether or not the supplements are likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.
We’ll also provide a cost breakdown documenting which retailer sells HUM Nutrition for the best price, and feature real customer reviews.
Flatter Me Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in HUM Nutrition Flatter Me, which is a supplement used to promote healthy digestion and a lean stomach, are shown above.
Protease and amylase are part of a digestive enzyme blend.
Digestive enzyme supplementation may be an effective treatment for gastrointestinal diseases, according to a 2016 medical review.
However, we haven’t come across any clinical evidence that supplementing with digestive enzymes improves digestion in otherwise healthy individuals, nor that it supports a flat stomach.
The remaining active ingredients are part of an herbal blend containing ginger powder, fennel powder and peppermint powder.
While all three of these ingredients have clinical backing for digestive support (ginger is clinically shown to reduce gastrointestinal symptoms), all three ingredients may be underdosed.
The total dose of this herbal blend is 45 milligrams (mg), which equates to an average of only 15 mg per ingredient. We haven’t come across any clinical evidence that any of these herbs is effective at such a low dose.
To provide an example of why we consider these ingredients potentially underdosed, consider the ginger meta-study cited above.
Ginger was proven effective for reducing digestive distress, but the lowest dose used in any of the trials was 500 mg, or 33x the amount in Flatter Me.
Based on its active ingredients, we do not believe that this supplement is likely to improve gastrointestinal distress or lean the stomach in otherwise healthy adults.
The good news is that the inactive ingredients should be safe and non-toxic, and there are no ingredients in this formulation we consider to be unhealthy.
Ritual Synbiotic+ is our top gut health pick.
It contains prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics, and costs under $1.50 per serving at the time of updating this article.
Probiotics "can improve in the immune, gastrointestinal...health systems in healthy adults" according to a 2019 medical review.
Real People Try HUM Nutrition
A YouTube creator named Alexis Oliva has a HUM Nutrition review that includes before-and-after images:
A YouTube creator named “ThatsSoYin” shared her experience taking seven different HUM supplements:
Skinny Bird Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Hum Nutrition Skinny Bird, which is a weight loss supplement, are shown above.
Chromium is a mineral that has been clinically shown to cause weight loss, but the majority of clinical trials cited in the above-linked meta-study used doses higher than the 200 micrograms (mcg) in Skinny Bird.
Caralluma fimbriata extract is an appetite suppressant that was shown in a 2021 clinical trial to be ineffective.
The researchers analyzed seven clinical trials on the herbal extract and concluded the following: “Appetite parameters showed no significant changes and metabolic parameters did not improve with C.fimbriata supplementation therefore it is unlikely to recommend C. fimbriata as a weight loss supplement and an appetite suppressant.”
Green tea extract is clinically shown to cause weight loss, as we referenced in our review of another weight loss supplement containing this ingredient called ProbioSlim.
However, Health Canada warns consumers that green tea extract may cause liver damage so it may be worthwhile to speak with a doctor prior to using this supplement.
Based on its active ingredients, we consider Skinny Bird to be potentially effective for weight loss, although we cannot identify any ingredients that we consider effectively dosed based on a review of clinical trials.
Like the other HUM Nutrition supplement, this one is free of any questionable additives which is a good thing.
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top weight loss supplement, because it's certified organic, and 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).
Can HUM Improve Hair & Nails?
A dermatologist and popular YouTube creator named “Dr Dray” analyzed the ingredients in HUM’s supplements for hair and nails to give her take on whether or not they’re likely to be effective:
Where to Get the Best Price
HUM Nutrition is sold at a variety of online retailers.
Here’s a price breakdown for a one-time purchase of the two products reviewed in this article, at the time of updating this article:
Flatter Me
Brand website: $26 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $25.99 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Skinny Bird
Brand website: $40 (plus shipping, link)
Revolve: $40 (free shipping, link)
Amazon: $40 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Amazon currently provides cost savings of 5-15% when factoring in shipping fees.
Is HUM Clinically Proven to Work?
As stated in the intro of this article, HUM describes their product line as “Clean + Clinically Tested.”
The Science page of the brand’s website highlights two products that appear to have been studied in clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals.
However, we have concerns with the quality of research.
The skin supplement, called SKIN SQUAD, was studied in a clinical trial that does not appear to be published in any peer-reviewed journals.
We advise consumers to be extremely wary of results from company-funded clinical trials that are unpublished, because the risk of bias is high.
HUM Nutrition describes their menopause supplement called FAN CLUB as being clinically studied, however we cannot find any mention of the supplement in the clinical trial cited.
One of the active ingredients in FAN CLUB was shown to work in that clinical trial, but that is nowhere near the same as proving that the supplement itself is effective, so we find this type of marketing untrustworthy.
We do not believe it’s fair to consumers for a company to claim that a supplement is clinically tested if the supplement has not been clinically tested but only one of its ingredients has.
Customers Rate HUM Nutrition
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion.
At the time of updating this article, HUM Nutrition Flatter Me has been reviewed over 7,000 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
A top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “MT” who gave the product a 5/5 rating:
“I had been dealing with an extended IBS flare up and the product contained most of the items I normally take for flare ups, with the benefit of being in 1 capsule vs multiple pills. The evening of the first day I noticed my abdomen didn’t hurt as bad. By the third day I ate a meal and didn’t regret it.”
A top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Amy” who gave the product a 1/5 rating:
“I took one on Saturday morning before breakfast and later that day felt off - heart beating fast, a little out of it, stomach felt weird. The next day didn’t take any and was OK until all of a sudden heart started beating fast again and stomach felt off. Was able to go to bathroom and felt fine after that. Monday still didn’t take any and felt OK in morning and then suddenly heart palpitations again and felt sort of dizzy and shaky.”
HUM Nutrition has a Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating of 1.04 out of 5 stars.
To the credit of the brand, they've responded to the majority of customer complaints in an attempt to resolve the situation, which is a sign of a high-quality brand.
HUM Nutrition Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of HUM Nutrition in our opinion:
Pros:
- Affordable
- Great branding
- Funds clinical trials
- Mostly positive Amazon reviews
- No unhealthy additive ingredients
Cons:
- Unimpressive formulations
- Questionable clinical research claims
- Unclear if healthy adults benefit from digestive enzymes
- Negative BBB reviews
- Brand's website charges for shipping
