OLIPOP
Pros
- Contains Prebiotics
- Convenient to drink on the go
Cons
- No listed dosages
- Not as effectively dosed as real prebiotics
- Expensive for a can
This is our OLIPOP review, a prebiotic soda that claims to help promote:
- Digestive Health
- Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
- Gut Health
- And more.
But just how effective is OLIPOP? In this review, we look closer at this prebiotic tonic to see how effective it can be for both your body and your gut.
Here’s what you need to know…
What is OLIPOP drink?
OLIPOP is a carbonated soda drink that contains prebiotics, plant fiber and botanicals to support digestive health and your microbiome. OLIPOP is one of the few soda beverages to focus on digestive benefits.
In this review of OLIPOP soda, we’re going to look closer at this beverage to see how effective it really is.
You’ll learn how effective the ingredients in OLIPOP are and if you should use it as a prebiotic.
OLIPOP Ingredients: What is OLISMART?
OLIPOP is formulated with water, fruit juice and stevia. All the ingredients are completely natural and claimed to promote digestive health.
Below is the full list of OLIPOP’s natural ingredients:
- Cassava Root Fiber
- Chicory Root Inulin
- Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin
- Nopal Cactus
- Calendula Flower
- Kudzu Root
- Marshmallow Root
- Slippery Elm Bark
These ingredients do offer some kind of benefit in OLIPOP, but there’s a problem. All of them are part of a big proprietary blend known as OLISMART. This is OLIPOP’s own proprietary blend and is a formula made up of all these ingredients.
Why is this a problem? Because you don’t know how much of each ingredient you’re getting or how effective it is overall.
Below, we’ll analyze the ingredients and tell you what you need to know about them:
Cassava Root Fiber
Cassave Root is mainly used in cooking, and works well as a prebiotic fiber. The fiber in Cassava Root is insoluble meaning that it does not get broken down by your stomach acid.
Instead, the fiber goes towards feeding the healthy bacteria that already exists in your gut, promoting stronger natural gut bacteria and better overall digestion.
However, we do not know the dosage of Cassava Root fiber in OLIPOP due to it being a proprietary blend. This makes it difficult know how effective it will be overall.
Chicory Root Inulin
Chicory Root Inulin is a great ingredient for the OLISMART in OLIPOP. The benefit of chicory root inulin is that it may help improve gut health, digestion and weight loss.
It’s one of the better prebiotics out there in the industry – and we’re glad to see it in OLIPOP as it can effectively feed the bacteria in your gut to make them stronger and more supportive.
Chicory root inulin is taken from the chicory plant known as cichorium intybus, and when it’s not in supplements it’s usually baked, roasted or ground. You should avoid chicory root inulin if you have IBS, have any allergies to flowers or are pregnant / breastfeeding.
Jerusalem Artichoke Inulin
Jerusalem Artichoke contains a good supply of inulin, and in doing so puts it up there as one of the best ingredients in OLIPOP for delivering effective prebiotics.
It naturally has a high content of fiber which can help reduce constipation and improve your overall immune system.
Jerusalem Artichoke has also been linked to reducing blood sugar levels, which can make it a beneficial food to those who have diabetes. In short, it’s a good ingredient in OLIPOP OLISMART if you’re looking for a nutrient which can support as a prebiotic.
Nopal Cactus
Nopal Cactus is not really a prebiotic in OLIPOP, however it does have other benefits which can help you in this supplement.
Nopal cactus has been seen in some cases to help with fighting viruses, protecting nerve cells, being rich in antioxidants, while also regulating blood sugar and reducing cholesterol.
However, like all of the ingredients in OLIPOP, it’s not clear how much of each ingredient you’re getting – and by extension, you don’t know how much of each ingredient you’re getting overall.
Calendula Flower
Again, this is another ingredient in OLIPOP that doesn’t function as a prebiotic in this soda – but can help in other ways.
This flower is mainly used to help with muscle spasms, menstrual cramps and fever. In some cases it has even been used for sore throats and stomach ulcers.
However, these are mainly herbal medicine uses – it is not as potent as actual medicine. It may give a mild health boost to those who are drinking OLIPOP, but it’s unlikely to have a big impact when it comes to prebiotic help or general health.
Kudzu Root
Kudzu Root is another nutrient in the OLIPOP OLISMART formula that has zero prebiotic benefit. It does have some health benefits – but it also comes with some downsides and risks as well.
Some of the benefits with kudzu root is that it may help with conditions such as alcohol dependence, liver damage and reducing menopausal symptoms. However, these claims have not been investigated extensively enough to be proven at the moment, they just show signs that they may be able to help with these issues.
Kudzu root may also help with inflammation as well as heart health and headaches – again more research is needed but it does seem promising.
The main issues with Kudzu root is that it may increase the risk of liver injury as well as interact with medications such as birth control. It’s also thought that it may also cause blood clotting in some individuals.
In short, it’s a heavily under-researched ingredient in OLIPOP and would potentially be better not being in this soda.
Marshmallow Root
Another non-prebiotic in OLIPOP. However, it does have some other benefits. Marshmallow root has some links to helping pain relief, and may support digestion with issues such as constipation and heartburn.
However, the dosages needed to achieve this is high. 2 – 5 ml of liquid marshmallow extract has been seen to have some benefit when taken 3 times daily.
We predict this is an awful lot more than what you would get in the OLIPOP OLISMART considering it is a proprietary blend and the values are not disclosed.
Slippery Elm Bark
Yet another ingredient in OLIPOP which does not function as a prebiotic. However, it does have some redeeming qualities.
Slipper Elm Bark is a demulcent, which means it can help sooth the lining of your stomach. This may help people with symptoms from Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and IBS.
It also has some suggested benefits for helping with a sore throat, and even heartburn.
However, like with many ingredients in OLIPOP’s OLISMART formula – much more research is needed to confirm this when it comes to these nutrients.
Not only that, you don’t know how much of each ingredient you’re getting due to this being a proprietary blend.
OLIPOP Side Effects: Is it safe?
OLIPOP should not cause side effects when you drink it. All the ingredients in the prebiotic soda OLIPOP are completely natural and should help towards delivering digestive health benefits.
Although some of the ingredients in OLIPOP are linked to side effects – this is typically in larger amounts, which is unlikely to be the case in OLIPOP due to it being in a smaller proprietary blend called OLISMART.
Does OLIPOP cause gas?
OLIPOP has the potential to cause gas, bloating and cramping if you drink too much of it. The high fiber content in the soda may lead to these issues. However, drinking OLIPOP in moderation should reduce the overall possibility of it causing gas, bloating and cramping.
For example, one can of OLIPOP a day should not cause side effects. However, if that’s all you’re drinking the high fiber content in these cans can lead OLIPOP to causing you gas.
Does OLIPOP taste like soda?
OLIPOP doesn’t taste exactly like soda. OLIPOP doesn’t have that heavy, sugary texture that regular soda tastes have. Their Orange Squeeze tastes like Orangina, and Vintage Cola does taste like a lighter Coca Cola.
OLIPOP has a more refreshing, lighter tasting feel to it compared to soda.
OLIPOP Caffeine: Is there Caffeine in OLIPOP?
OLIPOP does not contain caffeine. However, OLIPOP Vintage Cola contains 50 mg of green tea which contains a small level of caffeine. All other flavors of OLIPOP do not contain any caffeine.
Is OLIPOP actually healthy?
OLIPOP is healthier than regular soda. Where normal soda is high in sugar, OLIPOP is a healthier option being low sugar, low calories and beneficial to digestive health. OLIPOP is actually healthier than normal soda.
Does OLIPOP make you poop?
OLIPOP is unlikely to make you poop after consuming. However, it may help to soften your poop via its fibrous properties. OLIPOP may help improve the condition of your stool due to its prebiotic properties.
However, the overall benefit of OLIPOP may not be as effective as it is perceived to be. The ingredient dosages in this soda are a proprietary blend. You don’t know how much of each ingredient you’re getting or how effective it may be overall.
It may help improve stool consistency, but possibly not to any great extent.
OLIPOP Price: Where can I buy OLIPOP?
OLIPOP’s price tag is set at an MSRP of $2.49 in stores. OLIPOP launched in late 2018, and the brand has always remained around this price. OLIPOP is available at this price or similar at stores such as:
- Kroger
- Whole Foods
- Safeway
- Wegmans
- Sprouts
OLIPOP Walmart
An OLIPOP 12 Pack sells at Walmart for $39.99
OLIPOP Amazon
An OLIPOP 5 pack sells at Amazon for $20.57
OLIPOP Kroger
One can of OLIPOP sells at Kroger for $2.00
OLIPOP Sprouts
A single can of OLIPOP sells at Sprouts for $2.49.
OLIPOP Review Conclusion: Is it worth trying?
OLIPOP soda is not the most effective prebiotic that we’ve come across on the market. However it is the most effective prebiotic soda – as there is no competition.
Does that mean you should use OLIPOP as your go-to prebiotic? No. It just means it has more prebiotic benefits than actual soda.
None of the dosages in this prebiotic supplement are disclosed. You don’t know how much of each ingredient you’re getting or how effective it may be overall.
Not only that, some of the ingredients in this drink have been linked to causing side effects when used in high amounts.
If you’re looking for an effective prebiotic solution, it’s not with a soda like OLIPOP it’s with a fully dosed prebiotic supplement.
Brian Johnson is current Editor of Vagarights.com and a long-time writer for VAGA. A former psychologist, Brian is passionate about improving mental health and finding ways to stave off cognitive decline. He is an expert on nootropics, cognitive enhancement and biohacking more broadly. You can see his work on Google scholar.
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