Chavanco
New member
I am writing this to warn others about Gezonde Darmflora and its owner, Marco Kleijn. After extensive research and correspondence, I have concluded that his products are ineffective, scientifically flawed, and potentially a scam. The focus here is clearly profit over patient safety. Here is a breakdown of why you should stay away.
Stay away, and feel free to inform others about this bad FMT provider too.
1. The "Reviews" are suspicious and likely fake
The first red flag is the website's review section. I have read all of them carefully, and they follow an identical structure and wording. About 95% of them end with variations of "Thank you Marco for all your help, you're a savior!!" which feels incredibly fake and staged.- No negative feedback: The only mixed reviews are several years old, and there's only a couple of them from many years back. It's statistically impossible to have a 4.7/5 rating without recent negative reports, especially in the FMT field where success rates vary naturally. We also already know that many people are dissatisfied with his products.
- Manipulation: It is blatant that he curates and fabricates reviews to maintain a high score.
2. Critical Flaws in Manufacturing (Why the capsules are likely dead/not working)
This is the most concerning part. Marco admits to practices that kill the beneficial bacteria before they ever reach you.- A) The Blender Issue (Oxidation & Bacterial Death): The most critical bacterias for gut repair (like for instance Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) are strictly anaerobic, meaning they die instantly upon contact with oxygen.
- Marco's Admission: When I asked via email if he avoids mechanical mixing to protect these bacteria, he replied: "No, we use a blender."
- The Science: Using a blender in a normal room creates a vortex that whips oxygen into the stool. Established research dictates that processing must happen in a controlled environment to preserve viability.
- The Problem: Marco does not use a nitrogen-filled anaerobic chamber. By blending stool in open air—even "shortly"—he is subjecting the microbiome to massive oxidative stress. The specific "super-bacteria" you are paying over €525 for are destroyed before the freezing even begins.
- B) The "2-Hour" Rule is Dangerous: The website states donors have 2 hours to process the stool into capsules. This contradicts professional medical standards.
- Viability Decay: Studies on fecal preservation show that leaving stool at room temperature causes a rapid bloom of aerobic bacteria (like E. coli) and the death of beneficial anaerobes.
- Kitchen vs. Lab: In clinical studies, time from defecation to freezing is minimized to minutes. Allowing a 2-hour window in a donor's home allows for fermentation and degradation that renders the "Super-Donor" status irrelevant.
- C) "Remote Donors" & The Fake Lab: He claims stool goes "direct in a laboratory freezer (-80°C)". However, he also lists "Remote Donors" (e.g., Donor DF6 is listed as living in Germany, while Marco is in the Netherlands).
- The Reality: These donors are making capsules in their home kitchens. There is no way a donor in Germany is freezing capsules to -80°C instantly and shipping them without damage. The "lab" environment he claims is just a residential kitchen.
3. Unverified Donors & Lack of Screening
I sent Marco a list of standard strict donor criteria (vaginal birth, breastfed, never smoked, no alcohol, etc.).- Evasive Answers: His response was just a dismissive "Of course." He refused to provide proof or specifics.
- Contradictions: He claims "no medication use," yet documents show donor DF4 is vaccinated against Covid (which strict FMT protocols often flag).
- No Monitoring: He admits they do not use diet logs. You have no idea if your donor ate junk food, smoked a cigarette or drank alcohol the day before your batch was produced. You are simply told to "trust" that they are disciplined.
4. Dangerous & Profit-Driven Medical Advice
Marco is not a doctor; he is a self-proclaimed "hobby expert." His advice contradicts clinical science and seems designed to sell more pills.- The "Few Days" Myth: His website claims that if you don't feel effects in the first few days, the donor is a "wrong match." This is false. Clinical studies often require 6+ weeks to assess FMT colonization.
- The Upsell: He suggests that if symptoms return, you should buy a second or a third dose immediately. A true "super-donor" transplant usually requires one course, or maximum 2 (after several weeks has passed). This is a tactic to extract more money from desperate patients.
- Low Dosage: His standard course (24 capsules) equals approx. 17g of stool, if even that. Clinical standards are often 30-50g, or even higher. He under-doses you, then tells you to buy more because of your "antibiotic history" is making the cure less effective. It is not. He just wants you to buy more.
5. Who is Marco Kleijn? (Identity & Credibility)
- The "We" Facade: The website uses words such as "we" and "us" to sound like a professional clinic. In reality, it is a one-man operation running a "drop-shipping style business".
- The "Football Pro/News Papers" Lie: He claims to be a former professional football (soccer) player. I spent hours searching archives, news outlets, and sports databases. There is zero record of him proving that.
- No Media Presence: Despite claims of being in several news outlets talking about his FMT success stories, there are no articles about him. The only thing I found was a LinkedIn account, which is also very generic and empty, without any profile picture.
Conclusion:
Gezonde Darmflora charges premium prices (€525) for a product that is:- Oxidized (dead bacteria due to low effort blenders).
- Processed at home by unsupervised donors with little to no experience.
- Under-dosed.
- Pretty much worthless.
Stay away, and feel free to inform others about this bad FMT provider too.
- FMT Clinics
- I included all required info
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