George Paraskevakos
Executive Director
International Probiotics Association
Website: http://internationalprobiotics.org/
Facebook: http://internationalprobiotics.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IP_Association and https://twitter.com/probiotic_man
Instagram: www.instagram.com/probiotic_man
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/george-paraskevakos-a1035a7

George Paraskevakos, MBA, is executive director of the International Probiotics Association (IPA) whose mission is to promote the safe and efficacious use of probiotics throughout the world while being “The Global Voice of Probiotics.” As a probiotics expert and scientific strategist, he has developed international outreach programs for regulators and education platforms for health care providers and consumers. Since his designation as executive director, Paraskevakos has grown the association from 40 to 110 companies worldwide; hosted numerous international probiotics conferences; published extensive probiotic papers and articles; and collaborated with fellow probiotics associations to further knowledge on probiotics effectiveness and safety. Paraskevakos is also an advisory council member for the Center for Digestive Health at Rutgers University, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences and Alliance for the Education of Probiotics (AEP).

Question: What is the mission of the International Probiotics Association?

Answer: IPA’s mission is to promote safe and efficacious use of probiotics worldwide. Our goal, as the “Global Voice of Probiotics,” is to provide a unique forum for the exchange of research, science and the latest breakthroughs in probiotic technology and new product development. IPA works with government bodies and industry to assist in establishing regulatory and scientific standards for probiotic supplements and functional foods. IPA also educates health care professionals and consumers on the scientifically proven health benefits of probiotics, while supporting access to safe, effective and high-quality probiotics. IPA is an international not-for-profit organization with members coming from all segments of the probiotic sector and includes the majority of the world’s responsible manufacturers of live microorganisms and probiotics.

Question: You have stated that probiotics are one of the safest supplements on the market. Why is that?

Answer: Probiotics have been clinically proven for many conditions and have a long record of safety for traditional GRAS (generally recognized as safe) strains. They have such an impressive history of safe use, that they are used in space travel to support astronauts. Probiotics have been administered to healthy people, pregnant women, critically ill patients, premature infants and are included on hospital formularies, which have their own unique criteria for safe products. They are also manufactured under GMP (good manufacturing practice) and other standards within specific government regulations to ensure safe products are available for consumers. As with any supplement, people with immunodeficiency or multiple health issues should be advised to consult their health care professional.

Question: With the public focused on proper hygiene and antibacterial cleansing, they have become microbe phobic to avoid coronavirus. With this in mind, how should retailers discuss probiotics with consumers regarding immune defense?

Answer: Due to the lack of typical exposure to a variety of everyday good and bad microbes, our immune systems are forgetting how to deal with them. More than 70 percent of the body’s immune system is located in the intestines, so digestive health is more important than ever. Based on hundreds of studies in humans, probiotics can be a great tool to support immunity, from helping individual cells to modulating the entire system. Retailers can assist their customers by offering evidence-based probiotics that are appropriately labeled, to encourage informed decisions about which high-quality products deliver sought-after benefits. Labeling should include the following: the strain or strains in the product; the number of colony forming units contained through the expiration date; dosing instructions based on evidence for the benefits claimed; and storage instructions for the specific product.

Question: What is the latest news regarding probiotic trials?

Answer: In a study funded by IPA, after reviewing just two data bases out of the many that exist, we found more than 1,600 clinical studies registered in these clinical trial registries with more than 700 different areas of study and indications for probiotics. During the pandemic, interest in probiotic impacts on immunity is high, given their established effects. Numerous clinical trials and meta-analyses have shown that probiotics have a place in reducing the duration of upper and lower respiratory tract infections, sepsis and ventilatory-associated pneumonia, likely through immune modulation. One of the more timely probiotic clinical trials to date is being conducted by Dr. Paul Wischmeyer and colleagues at Duke University Health System to investigate the effect of probiotics on transmission of COVID-19 in households already exposed to the virus. Wischmeyer’s team previously found that specific probiotics can improve the lung and intestinal barrier function and have positive effects on immune cells and reduce inflammatory impacts during respiratory infections and infections throughout the body. Although most research for the coronavirus has been focused on a vaccine to date, this research is centered more towards working with the body’s natural defenses in improving the immune system and its response.