GutConnect 365 is a digestive supplement manufactured by a brand called Nature M.D. The brand claims this product will not only improve gut function but will also improve mood, fatigue and weight management.
But does GutConnect 365 contain research-backed ingredients proven to have these effects, or are these just marketing claims? Does the supplement have any unhealthy added ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of this supplement?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more as we review every ingredient in GutConnect 365 based on published medical research to give our take on whether the supplement is likely to be effective for improving gut health or if it's a waste of money.
We'll highlight a questionable additive ingredient, share our concerns about the product's Amazon listing, and share real, unsponsored user reviews of GutConnect 365.
Ingredient Analysis - Is This Supplement Likely to Work?
Zinc is the first active ingredient, and a medical review of zinc and gut function published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found that zinc can help promote biodiversity of healthy bacteria in the gut.
L-glutamine is an amino acid that's been shown in clinical studies to help regulate intestinal permeability. The researchers in the linked study found that glutamine supplementation can improve gut barrier function, which reduces inflammation in the gut.
Quercetin is a polyphenol compound that's been shown in an animal study to fix dysbiosis of the gut, which refers to a state where harmful bacteria outnumber beneficial bacteria. However, the dosage used in the linked trial is vastly higher than the human-equivalent dose in GutConnect 365.
We are unable to identify any clinical research proving quercetin to be effective for gut health in humans at the dose in this supplement.
Slippery elm bark, botanical name Ulmus rubra, significantly reduced symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) when combined with several other botanicals in a clinical trial. The patients taking the slippery elm bark mixture had a 20% increase in bowel frequency and reductions in straining and abdominal pain.
Marshmallow root was found in a 2019 clinical trial on rats to have gastro-protective effects. It not only reduced the chance of gastric ulcer formation, but also had anti-inflammatory effects.
N-acetyl-glucosamine can improve gut health, but it may be underdosed in this supplement. The dose in GutConnect 365 is only 150 milligrams (mg), while the daily dose in the only human trial we could locate on this ingredient was over 3,000 mg (over 20x the amount in this supplement).
Licorice root extract at a dose of 150 mg is an effective gut health ingredient. This is the exact dose used in a medical study published in the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Journal, which found that the ingredient reduced all symptoms of indigestion. It’s theorized to be effective because licorice increases gastric mucus secretion, which improves digestive function.
We believe that the final two active ingredients, aloe vera extract and maitake mushroom extract, are included at too low of a dose to provide functional benefits.
Natural flavors is the only ingredient in this formulation that we recommend avoiding, because a medical review found that flavoring agents may contain questionable solvents and preservatives.
Overall, we consider GutConnect 365 to be a well-formulated supplement that's likely to improve gut health. It contains a number of research-backed ingredients, many of which appear effectively dosed.
We do not recommend this supplement due to the inclusion of natural flavors, but we consider it to be an above-average gut health supplement.
Failure to Publish Ingredients List on Amazon
GutConnect 365 is available on Amazon, but at the time of updating this article, the ingredients are not listed either in image or text form. This explicitly violates Amazon’s listing requirements for dietary supplements, which clearly states the following:
“Must clearly show the entire product label (all sides), including the applicable facts panel, ingredients list…”
We urge the distributor managing the Amazon listing to transparently publish the ingredient list for this supplement in both plain-text and image form on Amazon. This information is important for consumer safety as consumers may be allergic or sensitive to some of the ingredients.
We consider this to be a red flag as this is a serious oversight and has not been updated since we initially published this article over six months ago. We can't even determine how many servings are in this supplement because of the lack of a published Supplement Facts label on Amazon.
GutConnect 365 User Review
The most popular YouTube review of GutConnect 365 is published by a channel dedicated to gut health supplement reviews called "Probiotics.org." It has over 110,000 views.
It’s worth noting the creator is an affiliate of United Naturals (a distributor of GutConnect 365) which adds bias to the review, gut we still consider this review to be well-researched and valuable to consumers considering this product.
The creator evaluates the ingredients in the supplement, does a taste test, and assigns an overall rating:
Questionable Health Claims
There are a number of uncited health claims about GutConnect 365 on Nature M.D.'s website that we disagree with.
The brand claims that their supplement can repair gut lining and treat leaky gut. This is a medical condition and the brand provides no proof of such claim.
The manufacturer also suggests that their supplement can help users absorb more nutrients from their food, again without any medical citation or proof.
We recommend that consumers entirely disregard health claims made by supplement companies that provide no evidence of such claims, and we consider this to be a red flag about the legitimacy and ethics of the Nature M.D. brand.
Our Clean Gut Health Picks
Express 3-in-1 Probiotic by Bulletproof is our top probiotic supplement pick. It contains both prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics to support optimal gut health, and costs under $35 at the time of updating this article.
Supergut Fiber Mix is our top prebiotic supplement pick. It's made of a blend of fiber powders including green banana powder resistant starch and resistant potato starch.
A medical review published in the Advances in Nutrition journal analyzed data from various clinical trials and concluded that resistant starch intake was associated with improved gut health, weight loss in overweight and obese individuals, and improved insulin resistance.
VSL#3 is our top premium probiotic pick. This probiotic supplement has been studied in 25 clinical trials, and a 2020 meta-study on VSL#3 concluded the following:
"...many studies demonstrated that VSL#3 has a beneficial effect on obesity and diabetes, allergic diseases, nervous systemic diseases, AS, bone diseases, and female reproductive systemic diseases."
All three of the supplements recommended in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
GutConnect 365 Real Customer Reviews
As stated previously, GutConnect 365 is sold on Amazon, which is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion. The supplement has been reviewed over 300 times and has an average review rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.
The top positive Amazon review of GutConnect 365 from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Minneapolis_user" who claims that the supplement reduced their gastrointestinal discomfort:
"I had been having digestive issues for years. A lot of things made me bloated. I got diarrhea a lot for no real reason. I felt sluggish in the morning. I had gas that nothing seem to help...Literally, after taking this one time I felt somewhat better. After taking this about three weeks my symptoms were about 75% better. After taking this a month straight I have almost no symptoms at all."
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Robin T. Wernick" who claims that the supplement caused side effects:
"I began trying the powder at a level of about 1/4 the included plastic cup. Within two days I developed both hand and foot joint pain that was just short of severe. I waited two days and the pain went away. In the mean time I could not walk without pain. I tried again two times and the same thing happened. I'm glad I didn't try the recommeded ammount."
GutConnect 365 Pros and Cons
Below is our quick take on the pros and cons of this supplement.
Pros:
- Many effective active ingredients
- Most ingredients effectively dosed
- No seriously questionable additive ingredients
Cons:
- Brand makes questionable health claims
- Contains flavoring agents
- Failure to publish ingredients on Amazon
- Highly questionable Amazon reviews
