Seed is one of the most popular probiotic supplements, and is one of the best-branded supplements we've reviewed on Illuminate Health in terms of packaging and website design. The company claims their supplement is made with "scientifically studied probiotic strains and a polyphenol-based prebiotic to support systemic health."
But is Seed really better-formulated than cheaper probiotics? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our experience purchasing and testing it for a month? And is Seed better or worse than popular probiotic brands like Ritual?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Seed for Adults and Seed for Kids + Teens to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective for improving digestive function, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll also discuss the novel capsule technology, share our honest experience trying this supplement for a month, and compare Seed to other popular probiotics to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Seed's capsule is clinically shown to preserve nutrients
- Contains probiotic strains proven to support optimal gut health
- We currently recommend Seed probiotic
Is Seed's Capsule Tech Superior?
The capsule technology used by Seed was studied in a clinical trial published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences:
image source: https://seed.com/
The capsule has both an inner and outer component, and is made of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, which is a non-toxic plant-derived ingredient. This ingredient protects the probiotics from the damaging effects of stomach acid.
The clinical trial found that nearly 50% of probiotic cultures encapsulated by Seed's capsule tech successfully reached the mid-and-small intestine, which is higher than the average percentage of probiotics formulated without this technology.
We believe that a direct comparison in the trial of Seed’s capsule versus an off-the-shelf product would have been more useful than the way they designed the study, but this is legitimate medical research and does suggest that Seed has a superior capsule formulation compared to most of their competitors.
As we discussed at length in our probiotics reviews article, many probiotics die either in transit or in stomach acid.
Seed also appears to be funding two clinical trials on the effectiveness of their probiotic for adults, although the results don't appear to be published at the time of updating this article.
Daily Synbiotic Ingredient Analysis
The ingredient blend in Seed's probiotic for adults, called DS-01, are shown below:
image source: https://seed.com/
One good sign of the legitimacy of the brand is that they list the specific probiotic strain (e.g. Bifidobacterium longum SD-BB536-JP), rather than just the species (e.g. Bifidobacterium longum).
Bifidobacterium longum SD-BB536-JP is a probiotic strain included in the Digestive health blend, that was shown in a meta-study published in the Journal of Functional Foods to help stabilize the gut microbiome, support the immune system, and help the body fight off infectious disease.
Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus SD-LR6-IT was shown in a 2012 clinical trial to restore and optimize gastric barrier function in patients who use proton pump inhibitors (PPI) for acid reflux.
The above-linked study suggests that this probiotic strain can significantly reduce bacterial overgrowth in the stomach which can be a cause of several uncomfortable conditions like stomach ulcers.
Bifidobacterium infantis SD-M63-JP may improve mental health in patients with disrupted gut function.
A clinical trial published in the Beneficial Microbes journal reported that this probiotic strain reduced anxiety and pain in patients with IBS.
Ligilactobacillus salivarius SD-LS1-IT is included in DS-01’s Dermatological Health Probiotic Blend, and was shown in a 2011 clinical trial to cause significant reductions in levels of harmful bacteria on facial skin, as well as reductions in redness and irritation that are caused by eczema.
The inactive ingredients in this supplement, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:
image source: https://seed.com/
The total probiotic dose in DS-01 is around 50 billion active-fluorescent units (AFU), and we consider anything above around 10 billion AFU to be an effective maintenance dose, as we discussed in our Align probiotic review article.
Overall, we consider Seed DS-01 probiotic likely to support optimal digestive function, and we currently recommend this supplement.
We Tested Seed Probiotic
As one of the authors of this article (Calloway), I wanted to test Seed DS-01 myself to share my thoughts on the product effects and overall experience.
While I don't regularly experience digestive issues, I've recently been undertaking a weight gain progression to build muscle, and sometimes feel bloated after large meals.
The product arrived quickly and the packaging looks great:
My only (minor) complaint about the packaging is that the instructions are on a fold-out tab on the product label which was really annoying to unravel.
I took one capsule a day for three days, and then two a day for the remaining period.
The capsules themselves are odor-free, tasteless, and small enough to not be a problem when taking with water:
I noticed significantly less bloating while using this supplement, even after very large post-workout meals.
I also noticed that I felt "lighter" after meals, as though it took me slightly less time than usual to fully digest a meal.
I did not experience any side effects while using Seed DS-01 for a month.
Overall, I would purchase Seed again if I want to restart probiotics, and I rate this supplement 10/10.
Pediatric Synbiotic Ingredient Analysis
Seed’s probiotic supplement for children and teenagers is called PDS-08, and its ingredients are shown below:
image source: https://seed.com/
The total dose is 20 billion AFU, which is around 33% of the probiotic dosage in the supplement for adults.
This appears to be an appropriate dose for children and adolescents.
A 2007 medical review on pediatric probiotic use found 5 to 10 billion CFU to be an effective minimum dose (CFU and AFU can be somewhat equivalent).
Bifidobacterium breve SD-BR3-IT is a probiotic strain that was shown to improve insulin sensitivity in obese children and adolescents in a clinical trial published in the Clinical Nutrition journal.
Bifidobacterium breve B632 and Ligilactobacillus salivarius LS01 are the probiotic strains in Seed's Respiratory Health Blend, and supplementation with these two strains reduced asthma episodes by 33% in children in a 2022 clinical trial.
Inulin and fructooligosaccharides are prebiotics in PDS-08.
This is a term for compounds that feed the healthy gut bacteria in the gut, and are increasingly considered by the medical community as equally important to probiotics in supporting optimal gut health.
A 2007 medical review found these two prebiotics to improve the ratio of good to bad bacteria in the gut, improve bowel function, decrease intestinal permeability (which can theoretically reduce the risk of developing inflammatory diseases), and reduce rate of gastrointestinal and respiratory infections.
Like DS-01, this supplement has no unhealthy ingredients.
Overall, we consider Seed PDS-08 probiotic likely to support optimal digestive function and overall health in children and adolescents, and we currently recommend this supplement.
Does Seed Cause Side Effects?
Seed probiotics have been studied in various clinical trials, so we can assess the risk of side effects based on the results from those trials.
A 2010 clinical trial in adults with mild bowel complaints, found that Seed caused no negative effects:
"No volunteer manifested any disorder, adverse, or side effects throughout the study."
A clinical trial published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology reported the same: no significant adverse effects, and no difference in adverse effect rates between the Seed group and the placebo group.
Overall, we consider Seed highly unlikely to cause side effects in healthy individuals, or in individuals with digestive complaints.
There is no mention of side effects on the product page of the brand's website at the time of updating this article.
Seed vs. Popular Probiotics
Here's how Seed compares to other popular probiotics in terms of potential efficacy and healthiness, in our opinion:
Ritual
Beyond probiotic strains, Ritual's probiotic contains post-biotic tributyrin, which is clinically shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.
However, the formulation as a whole doesn't appear to have been clinically tested, so we consider Seed more likely to be effective.
Winner: Seed probiotic
Physician's Choice
Contains research-backed probiotic species, as we documented in our Physician's Choice reviews article.
However, this brand hasn't funded any clinical trials proving their proprietary blend is effective.
We consider Seed to have the advantage from a potential efficacy perspective.
Winner: Seed probiotic
Olly Probiotic
This probiotic supplement comes in gummy format, and contains inactive ingredients like glucose syrup that we consider to be unhealthy.
Seed is the better choice from a health perspective.
Winner: Seed probiotic
Our Clean Probiotic Picks
Ritual Synbiotic+ is our top probiotic 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.
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top prebiotic fiber pick.
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.
Seed Probiotic Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Highly potent
- Effectively dosed
- Uses strains with research backing
- Safe inactive ingredients
- Clinically proven to be effective
- Superior capsule technology
- Higher quality than competitors
Cons:
- Relatively high probiotic dose may cause mild side effects in some individuals
