Dr. Gundry Supplements: A Buyer’s Guide
The short answer
Gundry MD, the supplement brand of Dr. Steven Gundry, sells three main gut products: Bio Complete 3 (capsules), PrebioThrive (a fiber powder) and Total Restore (capsules). Each contains ingredients that have been studied in people, but the labels often list far smaller amounts than the studies used, and the probiotic strains are not named. PrebioThrive, with 5 grams of fiber per scoop, comes closest to what research supports. On the brand’s site, each costs $1.40 to $2.67 per serving.
Ultimate Gut is published by Ultimate Health Solutions, which sells a yogurt maker, probiotic capsules and an inulin fiber supplement. None of the products reviewed here are ours, and these brands don’t pay us.
Everything below about Gundry MD products comes from the brand’s own product pages and Supplement Facts panels (labels checked October 2026). We did not buy, take or test any of them. Keep in mind that the FDA is not authorized to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are sold.
What is in Dr. Gundry’s gut health supplements
Bio Complete 3
The Bio Complete 3 product page describes it as a “triple-biotic” blend of prebiotics, postbiotics and probiotics. The serving is 2 capsules, with 30 servings per bottle, and the brand suggests taking them with water before a meal.
| Ingredient (as labeled) | Amount per serving | What research exists |
|---|---|---|
| Prebiotic blend: acacia gum (from CoreBiome), partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG, listed as Sunfiber in the FAQ) | 450 mg | Gum arabic (acacia) raised bifidobacteria in a 4-week trial in healthy adults, with about 10 g a day the best dose (Calame 2008). PHGG improved stool form over 3 months in 44 adults prone to loose stools (Yasukawa 2019). |
| Postbiotic blend: tributyrin (from CoreBiome) | 300 mg | Human research on tributyrin for digestive symptoms is limited; see our tributyrin guide below. |
| Probiotic blend: Bacillus coagulans, Bifidobacterium bifidum | 22 mg (no CFU count or strain names listed) | Specific strains have trials, for example B. coagulans MTCC 5856 in 36 people with IBS-D (Majeed 2016) and heat-inactivated B. bifidum MIMBb75 in 443 people with IBS (Andresen 2020). The label does not say which strains are used. |
PrebioThrive
The PrebioThrive product page calls it a “dual-action prebiotic” drink mix. One scoop (about 7.85 g) supplies 10 calories and 5 g of dietary fiber, mixed into 8 oz of water once a day. There are 30 servings per container.
| Ingredient (as labeled) | Amount per serving | What research exists |
|---|---|---|
| Prebiotic blend: acacia gum, short-chain fructooligosaccharides (scFOS), polyphenol fiber matrix (apple, carrot, blueberry, cranberry and spinach fibers), PHGG, organic baobab fruit powder (Fibriss), flax seed meal | 7,850 mg total (amounts of each fiber not disclosed) | A review of 64 trials in 2,099 healthy adults found fiber raised fecal Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, with fructans such as FOS showing the clearest effect, but did not change overall diversity (So 2018). |
Total Restore
The Total Restore product page describes “a world-renowned blend of 20 pro-digestive ingredients.” The serving is 3 capsules, 30 servings per bottle. The label also states that it contains crustacean shellfish (crab and shrimp). The main ingredients:
| Ingredient (as labeled) | Amount per serving | What research exists |
|---|---|---|
| L-glutamine | 213 mg | One 8-week trial in 106 people with post-infection IBS-D used 5 g three times a day, about 15 g daily (Zhou 2019). The label amount is roughly 70 times lower. |
| Zinc L-carnosine (PepZin GI) | 10 mg | A crossover study in 10 healthy volunteers used 37.5 mg twice a day alongside the painkiller indomethacin (Mahmood 2007). |
| N-acetyl-D-glucosamine | 142 mg | We found little human research on this ingredient for digestive symptoms at this dose. |
| Licorice root, wormwood (Artemisia annua), cinnamon, grape seed extract, maitake, berry blend, cloves, black pepper, grapefruit seed extract, marshmallow root, berberine | 3 to 58 mg each | Small amounts of many botanicals; we found no published human trial of this combination. |
What the brand claims vs what the evidence shows
The probiotic strains are not named
Probiotic effects depend on the exact strain. Bio Complete 3 lists two species but no strain codes and no CFU count, so there is no way to match it to a specific trial. The studies above used named strains, in people with IBS, at stated doses. The NCCIH also notes that some probiotic products have been found to contain microbes other than those listed on the label.
Many doses are far below the studies
Bio Complete 3 has 450 mg of prebiotic fiber per serving, while the gum arabic trial found the best effect near 10 g a day. Total Restore’s glutamine and zinc carnosine amounts are also well below the doses tested. Small amounts are not proof an ingredient does nothing, but they do mean the published trials don’t describe what this product delivers.
No published trial has tested Bio Complete 3, PrebioThrive or Total Restore as finished products, as far as we found. The PrebioThrive page itself describes its 12-week user study of 11 paid participants as “Not a scientific study.” Claims of more energy or a “strong, healthy gut lining” are not backed by human trials of these formulas.
The lectin-avoidance premise
Dr. Gundry’s diet advice centers on lectins, plant proteins he says can contribute to “leaky gut.” His Lectin-Free Diet 101 article advises avoiding or limiting beans and legumes, many grains, nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, and some nuts and seeds.
Mainstream nutrition science sees it differently. Harvard’s Nutrition Source says there is very limited research in humans on how much active lectin people eat, that boiling, stewing or soaking inactivates most lectins, and that large population studies link legumes, whole grains and nuts with lower rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Raw or undercooked kidney beans can cause real problems, which is a reason to cook beans well, not to avoid them.
Price per serving
Gundry MD lists prices and servings on each product page (US prices, checked October 2026). Account holders and multi-bottle orders were shown lower prices.
| Product | Servings | Single purchase | Monthly subscription | Per serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bio Complete 3 | 30 | $69.95 | $44.95 | $1.50 to $2.33 |
| PrebioThrive | 30 | $79.95 | $44.95 | $1.50 to $2.67 |
| Total Restore | 30 | $69.95 | $41.95 | $1.40 to $2.33 |
Taking all three on subscription costs about $132 a month.
Who it may suit and who should skip it
These products may suit someone who already follows a lectin-free eating plan, wants a single convenient fiber drink, and is comfortable paying a premium. PrebioThrive is the most evidence-aligned of the three because its fiber dose is meaningful.
- Skip Total Restore if you have a shellfish allergy; the label lists crab and shrimp.
- Go slowly with PrebioThrive if fiber gives you gas. NIDDK notes some people get more gas symptoms when they consume too much fiber.
- Ask your doctor first before taking Bio Complete 3 or any probiotic if you are seriously ill or have a weakened immune system (NIH ODS), or if you are pregnant or have a central line.
- Skip all three if you want a probiotic matched to a specific trial; choose a product that names its strain and dose instead.
- See a doctor rather than self-treating if you have ongoing digestive symptoms, blood in your stool or unexplained weight loss.
Alternatives
- Food first: beans, lentils, oats, whole grains, fruit and vegetables supply several fiber types at once. Our list of the best foods for gut health is a good place to start.
- Fermented foods: yogurt and kefir with live cultures add microbes along with protein and calcium. See our picks for the best yogurt for probiotics and the best kefir brands.
- A single-ingredient fiber: psyllium or PHGG on its own lets you see exactly what dose you get. Our fiber supplement guide compares the main types.
- A strain-specific probiotic: if you want a probiotic for a particular need, our best probiotic guide sorts options by the strains with human trials.
Curious about the postbiotic in Bio Complete 3? Our tributyrin supplement guide covers what is known. This article is general information, not medical advice.
Related topics
- Gut Health Supplements: how the main supplement types compare on evidence.
- Fiber Supplement: psyllium, PHGG, inulin and other fibers side by side.
- Tributyrin Supplement: what the research says about this butyrate form.
- Best Probiotic: probiotics sorted by strain-level evidence.
- Best Foods for Gut Health: a food-first approach to fiber and live cultures.
Sources
- Bio Complete 3 product page and Supplement Facts (Gundry MD, checked October 2026)
- PrebioThrive product page and Supplement Facts (Gundry MD, checked October 2026)
- Total Restore product page and Supplement Facts (Gundry MD, checked October 2026)
- Lectin-Free Diet 101 (Gundry MD, checked October 2026)
- Lectins (The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)
- Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
- Probiotics: Usefulness and Safety (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
- Probiotics: Fact Sheet for Consumers (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements)
- Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Gas in the Digestive Tract (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
- Calame W, et al. Gum arabic establishes prebiotic functionality in healthy human volunteers in a dose-dependent manner (British Journal of Nutrition, 2008)
- Yasukawa Z, et al. Effect of repeated consumption of partially hydrolyzed guar gum on fecal characteristics and gut microbiota (Nutrients, 2019)
- So D, et al. Dietary fiber intervention on gut microbiota composition in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2018)
- Majeed M, et al. Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 supplementation in the management of diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome (Nutrition Journal, 2016)
- Andresen V, et al. Heat-inactivated Bifidobacterium bifidum MIMBb75 (SYN-HI-001) in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2020)
- Zhou Q, et al. Randomised placebo-controlled trial of dietary glutamine supplements for postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome (Gut, 2019)
- Mahmood A, et al. Zinc carnosine, a health food supplement that stabilises small bowel integrity and stimulates gut repair processes (Gut, 2007)
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet, supplements or medication, especially if you have a health condition.
