Bioniq GO Review: As A Nutritionist I’m Left Unconvinced

Nutritionist James Hudson is unconvinced by this personalized nutrition supplement, even if the ingredients and product design are sound.

It was moments before my online ‘lifestyle consultation’ with the lead nutritionist Oliver Motisi from Bioniq which came as a free add-on after ordering my supplements. I sat thinking, how have they managed to create a personalized nutrition supplement without a blood test?

I am a performance nutritionist with a background in product development – including supplements for muscle growth – and, a week earlier, Men’s Fitness had approached me to write a review. They were looking for me to test Bioniq’s GO product, which claims to be a 100% personalized daily supplement made up of granules that ‘give you an edge’.

But, I thought, how can they truly personalize a supplement based on a short form? Is this a gimmick? Curious to find out, I agreed to the review.

First impressions of Bioniq GO

When opening the parcel it was immediately clear this brand is going for the premium market. There was a metal serving scoop in a fancy sheath, and a seven-portion stacking travel container.

I followed the instructions, opening the glass jar and using my new scoop to pour the granules into a small glass of water, before gulping it down. The granules washed around my mouth and many got lodged around my gums and teeth as I swallowed, requiring another go with the water to get them down. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed this experience, and would liken it to a memory I had as a child: falling off my bodyboard in the shallow sea in Devon and accidentally swallowing a mouthful of sandy water. 

I mentioned this to Oliver during our live session and he suggested pouring the granules straight into my mouth and then chasing them down with the water. When this idea was met by my raised eyebrows he also suggested adding it to yogurt, which (fearing another gritty gulp) I’ve done moving forward. 

So, initially getting the product into me was slightly less enjoyable than I had anticipated, but would it be worth it? Why were these granules so much better than a traditional tablet?

The science of Bioniq GO

Oliver explained how the granules work and, to be honest, they sound like a great idea. Some vitamins interact with each other during digestion which reduces absorption. Bioniq has overcome this issue by having each ingredient individually wrapped in a fibre allowing that nutrient to reach the gut for unhindered absorption.

This fibre also acts as a barrier to shield the ingredients from our stomach acid, allowing each element of the supplement to reach the small intestine. Here the moisture and bacteria in our gut unravel the fibre, turning it into a gloop-like substance, making it easier for the ingredients to coat the inside of our seven-meter-long digesting pipe (AKA our small intestine) for improved digestion.

So the granules get a thumbs up from an absorption perspective, but do I need the ingredients and is this product actually ‘personalized’ to me?

How is Bioniq GO personalized?

It’s great that the ingredients are well absorbed, but do I need them? Surely to definitely answer this question I would need to geta bloods test. Then review the results, and take the appropriate nutrients to ensure I am in the optimal range. Well, that is the other Bioniq product which is called PRO (not to be confused with GO).

With PRO you get a blood test, and then Bioniq personalize a supplement based on your results. You then retest after six months and update if needed. This sounds like a great product, and in my view warrants the ‘personalization’ tag.

Now, GO (the product I am reviewing) has been created using the four-and-a-half years of data generated from sales of Bioniq PRO. Oliver explained that they had over six million data points and they have done some very smart maths using AI technology to create personalized recommendations.  

When buying GO you complete a relatively short form, including gender, height, weight, DOB and your goals. Then the smart system calculates up to 51 vitamins/minerals (soon to be up to 120), which it thinks you need to reach your goals based on all the data of people who have had blood tests done, who are similar to you and trying to achieve similar goals. Are you with me? 

I guess you can call this personalized nutrition, but I am not sold on the concept of completing a form and letting some fancy algorithm determine what I need when there are so many other variables at play e.g. the quality of diet, genetics and the microbiome… to name a few. 

Is Bioniq GO worth paying for?

I am sure lots of people will gain value from taking Bioniq GO, as they will likely be low in some of the ingredients in their personalized formulation, therefore consuming it will bring them up to optimal and get them feeling better.

However, I also think there will be lots that are not getting any value from the personalized element, other than it acting as a placebo, which means they are paying for very expensive urine.

So my final thoughts are that Bioniq PRO warrants the title of personalization and seems like a great product, whereas I won’t personally be recommending Bioniq GO to clients.

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