As perhaps the most dynamic, swiftly burgeoning dietary supplement categories, probiotics continues to fascinate everyone from researchers to bloggers. And such a phenomenon brings myths and misconceptions. As retailers, you likely experience quite a few misguided consumers seeking straight, fact-based responses.
Steven Williams, science liaison for Texas-based LifeSeasons, pointed to two widely held misconceptions.
The first misconception, he said, is that all probiotics do the same thing. He likens the term “probiotics” to the term “medicine,” wherein it is understood that there are thousands of different types of medicine, and so too, hundreds of different species of probiotics (e.g. Lactobacillus acidophilus vs. Lactobacillus rhamnosus) and thousands of species-subtypes called strains (e.g. Lactobacillus acidophilus LPC-37 vs. Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM vs. Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5). There are literally hundreds of different species of probiotics. “Science has shown us that different strains within the same species can have different effects on the body. Consumers should understand that each strain is different and should match the strain to the benefit that they want,” he said.
The second widely held misconception is that more is always better. There is a pervasive perception that higher amounts of probiotic (CFUs) means that it is more effective. The truth, he noted, is that the amount needed to confer a health benefit varies from strain to strain. Some strains are more susceptible to the degrading environment of the stomach, necessitating higher doses to ensure that sufficient numbers of live microorganism reach the colon, while lower doses may be needed for highly resistant strains (i.e. some spore-formers). “Optimal doses for each probiotic can only really be determined via clinical trials,” he remarked.
Most sources agreed that the link between CFU content and superior quality is a common misconception. William Schoor, president of Essential Formulas/Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics observed that marketing messages and some health care advisors have convinced consumers that a probiotic must contain a very high CFU count to be effective. “This information is, in fact, false and misleading.” he said. “It has been proven that high quantities of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) contained in freeze-dried products can and most likely will elicit a hyper-immune system response exasperating any gastro-intestinal condition instead of offering relief, especially when those LAB strains are not native to the host microbiome.”
Jason Mitchell, ND, CEO of Kansas-based Probulin, asserted that research has demonstrated that as little as 1 billion CFUs, or even less in certain circumstances, can provide significant health benefits. But the greatest benefit doesn’t come from the CFU content, he emphasized, but from consistency of taking the supplement. Consistent supplementation (compliance) is how your customers may restore and help maintain healthy balance of the gut microbiome, “which is a journey, not a single event. Sometimes the restoration takes far longer than what may have caused the challenge. Think about an injury. It may have happened in an instant, but the healing process took time.”
A related misconception, according to Williams, is that a multi-strain probiotic is superior than those supplements with one or fewer strains. The belief is that a large variety of strains increases the spectrum of efficacy. Taking numerous different strains may also increase the chances of synergies between them. Opponents of this view point out that synergies between these strains is often purely hypothetical and that there may even be competitive or antagonist activity between them. A scientific paper published this May clarified that there is not enough evidence currently available to support the views of either camp.
