We all experience digestive issues occasionally, bloating, diarrhea, gas, stomach pain, and stomach cramps. But for some people, these issues are chronic and may be attributable to a condition known as “leaky gut.” Harvard Medical School tells us, “We know that leaky gut plays a role in certain gastrointestinal conditions such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.”
So, if you suffer from gastrointestinal issues, even if only infrequently, read on as we’ll discuss and define leaky gut in greater detail and introduce a product from Gundry MD™ designed to address this condition called Total Restore™.
GUNDRY MD™ was founded by Dr. Steven Gundry, one of the world’s pre-eminent experts in heart surgery. He is a cum laude graduate from Yale and is the author of several New York Times best-selling books. His works focus on nutrition and diet, including The Plant Paradox, and Dr. Gundry’s Diet Evolution. The company markets a variety of supplements, skin and hair care products, foods, books, and the subject of this review Total Restore™.
In this article, we’ll review the Total Restore™ product formulation and its key ingredients. We’ll discuss the product’s features and benefits and investigate to determine if the product is meeting its marketing claims. We’ll inform you where you can find the product, review the cost-value relationship, and as always provide you our rating in terms of effectiveness and value.
Leaky Gut Syndrome
“Leaky gut” is garnering a great deal of attention in medical blogs and social media of late. The term applies to increased intestinal permeability, or holes in your intestinal linings that allow dangerous particles, like bacteria and waste to pass through.
A healthy intestinal lining forms a barrier that controls what gets absorbed into the bloodstream – intestinal permeability in the gut lining is due to cracks or holes, allowing partially digested food, toxins, and bugs to pass into the bloodstream, resulting in gastrointestinal distress.
What is Total Restore?
Total Restore™ is a nutritional supplement, in vegetable capsule form, combining sixteen all-natural ingredients in a proprietary formula designed to promote a strong, healthy gut lining. The product is artificial sugar-free and manufactured in the U.S. in a cGMP facility.
The company recommends taking three Total Restore™ capsules per day with eight fluid ounces of water at your biggest meal of the day. The significant benefits include helping your body fight bloating, digestive troubles, embarrassing gas, fatigue, unwanted body weight, and even hard-to-tame cravings.
We understand the purported benefits to support a healthy gut but will need to do a deeper dive into the ingredient profile to find evidence supporting the fatigue, body weight, and cravings claims.
Total Restore Key Ingredients
Total Restore™ contains sixteen all-natural ingredients, including two patented formulas, PepZin GI®, a 19 mg blend of Magnesium and two types of Zinc, and VitaBerry® a 22mg blend of organic berries including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, tart cherry, elderberry, and cranberry. Our research would indicate that both these ingredients are severely underdosed versus their recommended dosages. Perhaps the combination of these two ingredients, when combined with the other fourteen compounds, has some synergistic effect.
Other ingredients include:
- L-Glutamine, one of our favorite amino acids, known to aid in muscle recovery and proven effective for gut health. Here again, the dosage at 213 mg gives us the reason for pause as a typical dosage for a post-workout product would include five to ten grams!
- N-acetyl D-glucosamine is a favorite ingredient in joint supplements. Dr. Gundry claims this compound is also useful in absorbing lectins in the gut. PubMed has studied this claim and finds mixed results.
- Grapeseed, to protect the gut from a high fat/high carbohydrate diet
- Licorice, the anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties of Licorice help to heal the lining of the stomach
- Wormwood is used to combat various stomach disorders in addition to numerous other conditions
- Cinnamon is used for general stomach upset (dyspepsia), as well as other issues such as flatulence and diarrhea. Cinnamon also appears to have certain antimicrobial effects.
- Maitake Mushrooms act primarily through their pre-biotic components, encouraging healthy and attacking unwanted bacteria in the gut.
- Cloves contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which can help prevent constipation and promote regularity.
- Black Pepper, in addition to enhancing absorption of nutrients, black pepper is believed to add to the healthy bacteria in the stomach
- Grapefruit, shown to protect the stomach from alcohol and stress, also attacks harmful bacteria which cause inflammation in the gut
- Marshmallow root has the potential to treat a wide range of digestive conditions, including constipation, heartburn, and intestinal colic.
- Berberine, a popular compound in supplementation used to enhance absorption
Dr. Gundry researched this formula extensively and included many ingredients noted for their contributions to gut health. He is an expert in diet and nutrition, with a major focus on prebiotics and probiotics. The only less than a favorable issue with the formulation centers on the efficacy of these ingredients and sub-optimal levels.
Total Restore Recommended Dosage
The company recommends taking three Total Restore™ capsules per day with eight fluid ounces of water at your biggest meal of the day. You can also take a single capsule with each meal if you’d prefer.
Benefits of Total Restore
The primary benefit of Total Restore™ is to protect and support gut health. As a result of a healthier gut, additional benefits cited include reducing gas and bloating, increased energy and focus, improved mood, and reduced cravings.
How Does Total Restore Perform
Again, we believe that the Total Restore™ formulation gets high marks for the number of ingredients related to gut health. As a result, we are quite confident that the product delivers on its primary gut health claims. However, we are skeptical regarding additional benefits and attribute this to aggressive internet marketing:
When asked who should use Total Restore™ on its website, the answer is, “anyone who wants help achieving”
- Easy, regular, comfortable digestion √
- A flatter stomach and healthy body weight – questionable
- More comfortable, mobile joints – we doubt the minimal dosage of glucosamine will result in any joint relief.
- Youthful energy and improved mood – better utilization of nutrients will improve energy and science shows there is a gut – mind correlation
Stated differently, we think Total Restore™ will achieve its primary objective related to gut health, however; don’t believe the product to be the panacea promised on the web site.
Potential Side Effects of Total Restore™
Ironically, many of the ingredients found in Total Restore™ can cause adverse side effects, such as bloating, gas, and nausea.
And, even Dr. Gundry recommends consulting with your health care provider before taking a new supplement, to ensure this product doesn’t interfere with any other medications or supplements you may be taking.
Where to Buy Total Restore
Gundry MD Total Restore can be purchased on the company’s official website. The product starts at $69.95/bottle, with discounts for orders of 3 or 6 bottles.
The company will run the occasional sale that may bring the cost down to as low as $49.99 for a 1 bottle order. Use this link for the latest discount specials.
You can save a lot of money by buying in bulk. The 6-bottle pack is on sale for $254.70, bringing the cost of each bottle down to about $42.
Save up to 40% on Total RestoreWe scour the web for the best deals on supplements. Want to save up to 40% on Total Restore? Click the button below to get this deal!GET THE DEALIs Total Restore Worth the Money?
Gundry MD’s Total Restore is definitely worth the money, especially if you stock up with the multi-bottle packs. The supplement is well-formulated and contains many high-quality ingredients. Furthermore, it is manufactured in America and backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee.
In Summary
We are favorably impressed with GUNDRY MD™ and its Total Restore™ product. They are very transparent in their ownership, labeling, and packaging. They use an independent third-party facility for testing of all products and stand behind their product with a 90-day, money-back guarantee. The product contains only natural, organic ingredients, all identified on the package, with no proprietary blends. We give Total Restore™ excellent grades for efficacy in supporting a healthy gut, but less than a perfect score due to additional unsubstantiated product claims.
