Thryve Review – Personalized Probiotics

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You’ve likely heard about “gut health” and perhaps even about how important the microbiome is for your health. If you don’t know what your microbiome is, don’t worry. We’ll help you through it! 

The human microbiome is made up of ~100 trillion microbes (that’s 14 zeros), most of which live in our gut. Research on the microbiome has exploded over the last decade as we’ve begun to uncover how it impacts many aspects of our health. 

Studies have found a healthy gut helps digestion, supports healthy cholesterol levels, and it plays a role in mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, and autism. 

An unhealthy balance of your microbiome can also impact your appetite, leading to weight gain. It can control your mood, energy levels, and immune system. 

Now, we know it’s important, what can we do about it? 

Your gut health is impacted by genetics and lifestyle.  What you eat, where you live, how often you exercise, your gender, and even the type of pets you have can impact your microbiome. 

What is Thryve? 

Thryve offers microbiome (gut health) testing. Based on the results of the test, they provide personalized probiotics.

These personalized probiotics are intended to improve your gut health. The goal of the test is to identify any imbalances in the good/bad bacteria in your gut. Then, the Thryve probiotics can help bring your microbiome back into balance.

They claim to be the world’s first gut microbiome test with nutrition and dietary recommendations. Perhaps this is true, but there are a handful of companies offering similar microbiome testing options.

Based on the DNA of the bacteria in your gut, Thryve will give you a personalized dietary and probiotic plan to help you improve based on your health goals.  

They claim to be faster than other testing companies, providing the test results (with recommendations) in only 1-2 weeks. 

You can expect their personalized probiotics and dietary plan to help replenish the good bacteria in your gut while decreasing the bad bacteria.

How Does Thryve Work? 

The first step is an at-home gut health test. In this step, you’ll collect a sample of your poo (with the kit they provide) and send it to their ISO-certified lab for analysis.

Next, the results are reviewed by their expert staff (they claim this is someone with a Ph.D.). 

From there, you’ll receive your results along with a personalized plan in about 2 weeks. 

It’s the perfect test for anyone looking to learn more about improving their gut health to improve their overall health. 

Rather than getting a generic probiotic that’s designed to treat the masses, you’ll get a custom formula that will help improve your gut health. 

Thryve Review

The Thryve testing kit and probiotics have solid ratings on their website and 3rd party sources such as Amazon and DNA Testing Choice, Facebook and more. We’ve done our own Thryve review to learn whether it’s worth it.

Pros

• Proprietary software based on research that provides personalized results
• Includes a dietary plan to help you reach health goals
• Positive reviews across platforms
• Reputable company

Cons

• Unclear on the effectiveness of general probiotics vs. Thryve personalized probiotics
• You have to go through the testing process (stool sample) to get results – this is the case for all microbiome tests though

On Amazon, there aren’t a ton of reviews, but the ones that are there are mostly positive. 

The process to collect the sample (from your poop) is straightforward and the instructions are easy to follow. They even provide a pre-addressed package to mail out to the lab, and it has the postage paid too. 

While the kit you receive has pretty clear instructions, some turned to the Thryve website FAQs for additional support. Chances are you’ll find any needed information there.

Can I Trust the Results?

When you’re not a gut health expert, it’s hard to know what sense to make of the results. Are they accurate? Are the recommendations legit? 

We’re not microbiome experts, so we can’t give you the scientific analysis.

But, we are good at research 🙂 Based on what we’ve found, it appears these guys are the real deal. 

If you read through their frequently asked questions you’ll come across their white paper. 

The paper is based on 99 patients that went through the Thryve program. The patients had a self-reported improvement in digestion, immunity, weight, and mental health. 

They also had an improvement in their gut health with an increase of probiotics, a decrease of bad bacteria, and had a moderate change in diversity. 

While a sample of 99 isn’t enough to make widespread medical claims, it’s good to know there is some real data of the product working. You’d be surprised how many supplement and probiotic companies don’t have this. 

It’s also comforting to know their personalized recommendations are driven by their proprietary software that uses over 50,000 microbiome research articles. That’s a lot of research!

We can assume they are making informed recommendations based on the research that’s available today. 

Whether or not the research we have today is enough, that’s another topic. 

What’s in the Thryve Probiotic Supplement? 

Nutritionists generally agree that prebiotics and probiotics are good for a healthy gut, but when it comes to which strains are the best, it’s not as clear. You’ll find a bunch hard to pronounce names on the back of most probiotic labels. 

With Thryve, you still won’t be able to pronounce the names but they’ll be customized for you. 

They also send a guide to help you understand which strains are the most important for your health and where they’re sourced from. 

Thryve probiotics have the following claims:

• Corn-free
• Egg-free
• Gluten-free
• Non-GMO

They don’t give you much detail about the personalized supplement before you take the test, since it’s personalized to your needs. 

Thryve vs. uBiome 

The Thryve test is the first of its kind. They use their proprietary software to analyze 4,000 microbes to look at how they impact your health and how they can be influenced by food and supplements. They claim to have the most actionable insights in the microbiome space. 

Thryve is the only brand that provides personalized probiotics along with a recommended diet plan.

uBiome has been struggling lately. They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It’s not clear exactly what’s going on over there, but they were reportedly searched by the FBI.

uBiome may have a decent product but you can’t put much trust in a business that’s dealing with those sorts of problems.

Can You Buy Thryve Probiotics Without Taking the Test? 

Yes! They offer two “generic” probiotic options on Amazon. If you’re not interested in taking the test or you want to save a little money, you can go this route. 

Thryve Inside General Health Probiotic

This version focuses on better digestion, weight management, and overall health. It includes the following probiotic strains:

• Lactobacillus paracasei Th1
• Lactobacillus paracasei Th2
• Lactobacillus ruteri Tr1
• Lactobacillus casei
• Bifidobacterium lactis
• Lactobacillus fermentum
• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• Lactobacillus rhamanoses

It also includes the following ingredients:

Inulin, Vitamins (Vitamin C), Minerals

The capsules are made with vegetarian, non-GMO designed to bypass the stomach acid. They are designed to get ingredients to where they matter most. 

• 5 Billion CFU/serving 
• 3 Functional Strains | 5 Targeted Strains 
• Additional Vitamin C  
• Scientifically and clinically proven to help with digestive, immune and metabolic health.

Thryve Inside Immune Support Probiotic

This version is great for immune support, itchy or dry skin, and dry eyes. It includes the following probiotic strains:

• Lactobacillus paracasei Th1
• Lactobacillus paracasei Th2
• Lactobacillus fermentum
• Lactobacillus acidophilus

These are made with the same vegetable casing designed to bypass stomach acid. 

• 20 Billion CFU/g 
• 2 Functional Strains | 2 Targeted Strains 
• Scientifically and clinically proven to help with the sniffles, flare-ups, and other immune setbacks.
  

In Closing

All in Thryve Inside is a neat concept. While you’ll have to spend a little more upfront and dedicate some time and effort taking the test and reviewing your results, it’s a cool way to leverage science and technology to improve your health.

If you’re planning to try an in-home gut health testing kit, Thryve is a great option to try!

This is a great example of modern science helping us to live happier healthier lives. Because who doesn’t want that.