CapsCanada
Wakunaga

Probiotics: More Than Just For Digestive Health

by Shari Barbanel | May 1, 2011

In the past, when most Americans heard the word “bacteria,” they went running for their antibacterial lotion. But American consumers are slowly coming to the understanding that there is a difference between “good bacteria” and “bad bacteria.” Probiotics (good bacteria) have been widely accepted in Europe and Asia for some time now, but only recently have taken off in the U.S. market. In the last few years, probiotics have gone from a lesser-known category to a major player in the market.

According to the 2010 Nutritional Business Journal annual report, probiotics are a $527 million market, up 24 percent from 2008. “The probiotic supplement market is healthy and growing,” said Tim Gamble, senior vice president of Nutraceutix, Inc. (Redmond, WA).“It has not only survived through the economic downturn, but has, from our perspective, flourished. Probiotics, as part of the vitamin and dietary supplement category, is projected to be one of the top growth segments, right along with omega-3 fish oils, eye health supplements and vitamin D. Industry measures and analyst commentary indicate that the probiotic dietary supplement category will continue to be strong for the foreseeable future.”

So what made Americans focus their attention on probiotics? A television commercial.

“The biggest turbo booster for the probiotic boom was when Dannon launched Activia (yogurt),” said Brian Peeters, strategic sales manager for Chr. Hansen, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI). “If there is a point and time, that is it.” In a commercial, Dannon invited consumers to take the “Activia Challenge,” promising that after two weeks the product “will help relieve temporary symptoms of bloating and irregularity” or it’s free. This sparked an interest in many consumers who decided to accept the challenge.

“The introductions of the yogurt brands, Activia and DanActive, both by Dannon in the last five years have brought tremendous awareness to the category, especially due to the advertising spent on print/TV/online campaigns using the term ‘probiotics,’ and bringing it to the forefront with the benefits of digestive health and immune support,” added Brenda Watson, president and founder of ReNew Life Formulas (Palm Harbor, FL). However, Dannon was fined $21 million by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and was ordered to scale back the health claims on its products. But since then, companies such as Phillips and P&G have launched large marketing TV/print/online campaigns to support Align and Colon Health, with other companies like Culturelle and Florastor following suit, Watson added.

Digestive & Immune Health

Americans do not eat as well as they used to and their diets are causing all sorts of digestive issues. Many other factors such as age and stress can also disturb the digestive system.

Probiotics are probably best known for aiding to regulate the digestive system. “Unfortunately, what has impacted the market most is the standard American diet,” said Mindy Barrrows, director of business development/ Texas and educator for Essential Formulas (Farmers Branch, TX). “People have succumbed to the convenience of fast foods, which have high sugar and fat content. As a result, many people are experiencing digestive issues. Incorporating probiotics into their diets have helped people find relief.”

Probiotics are bacterial organisms that protect the body against microorganisms that may harm the body. In the documentary, Microwarriors: The Power of Probiotics (www.Microwarriorsmovie.Com), an informative look at the world of probiotics, Peeters stated that, “People are looking for natural ways to improve their health. Probiotics help fulfill that health.”

Probiotics can appeal to everyone; men and women, both young and old can all benefit from using probiotics. With more than 400 different species of bacteria inhabiting the digestive tract, the most common forms of intestinal probiotics are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteria bifidum. No two people have the same mix of bacteria; it varies from person to person.

At a glance, the correlation between digestive and immune health may not be apparent, but 70 percent of the immune system is located in the digestive tract. To stay healthy, the recommended ratio of good to bad bacteria should be 85:15. Probiotics help boost the immune system while regulating the digestive system by restoring healthy bacterial levels. This creates a barrier against harmful substances. When the bacteria in the system are balanced, the body is more likely to be protected from bad bacteria, free radicals and pollutants.

ReNew Life’s Ultimate Flora Advanced Immunity is a dual-protection probiotic formula that supports both digestive immunity and upper respiratory immunity. Ultimate Flora Advanced Immunity contains the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii for protective intestinal support, EpiCor® immunogen for upper respiratory support as well as ResistAid™, a natural antioxidant.

Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics® from Essential Formulas is another probiotic that supports the immune system. According to Barrows, “Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics are designed for oral consumption and use in our gastrointestinal (GI) tracts, however, with the improved response of the GI tract health (i.e., the immune system receptor sites), immune health, oral health and digestive health all greatly improve.”

Benefits Beyond While they are best known for aiding in regulating digestive health, recent studies have shown than probiotics can do so much more. “Probiotics support digestive and immune function,” said Dr. S. K. Dash, president of UAS Laboratories, Inc. (Eden Prairie, MN). “But its health benefits go beyond these two major health conditions. Research on probiotics reveal that they are beneficial for digestion and nutrient utilization, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, peptic ulcer, indigestion, leaky gut syndrome, lactose intolerance, constipation, allergy, urinary tract infection, antibiotic associated diarrhea, lowering cholesterol level, traveler’s diarrhea, autism, obesity and oral health.”

Although the largest numbers of probiotics live in the colon, they exist throughout the body including in the mouth, surrounding the lungs, the stomach, the intestines and the urinary tract. Taking probiotics to balance the ratio of good and bad bacteria is important, but people must remember that different probiotic strains can target different things. Some do double duty, benefiting more than one condition. So finding the right probiotic supplement that is tailored to the specific condition is extremely important.

BB-12®, Chr. Hansen’s flagship strain, is identified as Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. Lactis and has been tested in a number of clinical trials from newborn preterm infants to the elderly. The studies indicate that BB-12 can relieve constipation, restore the intestinal microbiota after an antibiotic treatment, and can have an impact on colic in infants.

“People are discovering that there are many more probiotics they can use to promote many different aspects of health,” said Rafael Avila, manager of research and development for Nature’s Plus (Melville, NY). “For example, K-12 S. salivarius is known to colonize the inner ear, nose and throat, helping to improve the health of these tissues with defensive mechanisms similar to those employed by other GI probiotics. Likewise, the M- 18 strain of S. salivarius has been shown to colonize the mouth, teeth and gums, offering yet another form of protection to these critical areas.”

Nature’s Plus provides a range of probiotics that protects the ear, nose and throat as well as the teeth and gums. Animal Parade Inner Ear Support and Nature’s Plus® Adult’s Ear, Nose & Throat Lozenges both supply the probiotic K-12 S. salivarius, which has been found to protect the inner ear, nose and throat. Animal Parade Tooth Fairy Chewables and Nature’s Plus Adult’s Dental Care Probiotic Lozenges both deliver M-18 S. salivarius, which protect the teeth and gums.

Women, in particular, can benefit from taking probiotics when it comes to vaginal health. Probiotics can help balance the bacteria in the vagina, prevent yeast infections and urinary tract infections, as well as balance pH levels. ReNew Life’s Ultimate Flora Vaginal Support 50

Billion is a high-potency, 10-strain, high- Lacto probiotic formulated to help balance yeast, promote vaginal health and support urinary tract health. Lactobacilli are naturally found in healthy women, so it is important to replenish these probiotics in women. Cran-Gyn DDS® from UAS Laboratories combines ingredients to aid in maintaining urinary tract health, digestive health and immune function. The formulation contains cranberry fruit extract, d-mannose and premier DDS®-1 probiotics.

Delivery, Quality and Confusion

While probiotics come in a variety of delivery methods including capsules, tablets, chewable tablets, powders, yogurt and other food products, choosing which type to take is a matter of personal preference. Beyond the delivery method, consumers should consider the quality of the product first and foremost. “The most important aspect of probiotic delivery is the quality standards of the manufacturer,” said Nature’s Plus’s Avila. “Poor quality manufacturers pay no attention to relative humidity, room temperature, equipment temperature, etc. Consumers should be on the lookout for independent laboratory verification of quality. When an independent lab, with its own reputation on the line affirms a probiotics quality, then you know it’s good.”

Potency and shelf stability are two other important factors. For someone who is in good health, most experts recommend between six to 10 billion colony-forming units (CFU) each day. For a specific minor health problem, a dose of around 20 to 30 billion CFU is recommended.

Another consideration is that because probiotics are very sensitive to heat and
light, some delivery methods will last longer than others. Gamble offered that the patented BIO-tract® caplet delivery format exclusively from Nutraceutix is seeing significant interest, new formulations and expanding production. “BIOtract delivers more live probiotic organisms to the digestive tract than other forms and also benefits from patented LiveBac® processing for greatly extended shelf-life, even at room temperature,” he said. “LiveBac processing is also applied to chewable products and non-BIO-tract formulations that don’t need acid protection or controlled intestinal release, but benefit from better shelf life.”

Preparing the Retailer

Though American consumers now seem to be willing to delve into the world of probiotics, many of them do not know what they are looking for. Consumers are visiting local retailers asking for help to choose the right product for them. It is up to the suppliers of the product to give retailers the information they need to truly help their customers.

“We have such a wide variety of probiotics that customers get confused,” said Michael Allagreen of Coral Springs, FL-based Tunie’s Nutrition Market vitamin department. “If the suppliers did more staff trainings and sent more literature, then we would be able to direct the customer to the right one for them.”

The retailers finding the most success are those who receive the best tools to help their customers. “In my opinion, ReNew Life provides the best training and literature I have ever worked with,” said Tim O’Brien, owner of Apple Wellness (Fitchburg, WI). “A lot of people have heard about eating yogurt for their probiotic needs. They often think they are getting enough simply from their yogurt. So for me, I must overcome that misunderstanding. However, ReNew Life is doing a great job in getting the word out on proper supplementation.”

Other consumers are doing research on their own and are buying with confidence. “The good news is that savvy consumers and quality conscious brands are now starting to see the light when it comes to properly delivering probiotics,” concluded Gamble. “A combination of both education about what makes a good probiotic, and the requirement for accurate labeling has helped bring about this renewed focus on the development of properly delivered probiotics.”

Don't Miss Out!

Sign up for Vitamin Retailer Digital Newsletter
Digital Newsletter
Subscribe to Vitamin Retailer Magazine
Vitamin Retailer Magazine

Industry Professionals
Stay Informed!

Stay informed about the latest health, nutrition, and wellness developments by signing up for a FREE subscription to Vitamin Retailer magazine and digital newsletter.

Once subscribed, you will receive industry insights, product trends, and important news directly to your doorstep and inbox.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Stay Informed! Breaking news, industry trends featured topics, and more.

Subscribe to our newsletter today!