UAS Labs licenses BNR17 probiotic strain for weight management
L. gasseri BNR17 is a weight management probiotic and the flagship product of AceBiome, which recently spun off from biotechnology company Bioneer (South Korea). The strain is supported by numerous pre-clinical analyses and it is the subject of three published human clinical trials. The probiotic is approved by the Korean FDA (MFDS) as a functional ingredient used to help to reduce body fat.
“We are thrilled to formalize this partnership with AceBiome,” said Kevin Mehring, President and CEO of UAS Labs.
“We recognized early on the strength of the Lactobacillus gasseri BNR17 strain and the impressive clinical work AceBiome has completed around weight management and IBS. This strain delivers in meeting a growing consumer need while also leading in terms of the latest probiotic clinical research in the area. Our team of experts are eager to continue the development and promotion of this promising strain.”
Finished products formulated with BNR17 are expected to hit shelves within the next five months, Jenna Nelson, Sr. Marketing Manager, UAS Labs told NutraIngredients-USA.
The science
The strain’s efficacy is supported by three placebo-controlled clinical trials. The first included around 60 overweight adults. After 12 weeks, the BMI and waist and hip circumferences of subjects who took two capsules of L. gasseri BNR17 before meals had decreased significantly (Korean Journal of Family Medicine, 2013, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 80–89).
The second clinical trial, which was published in the Journal of Medicinal Food earlier this year (2018, Vol. 21, No. 5, pp. 454-461), repeated the first study’s findings in obese and overweight adults. Subjects in the BNR17 arm experienced reductions in BMI and waist and hip circumferences. The researchers also reported significant reductions in visceral adipose tissue, compared to placebo.
The third trial, published in the Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition (2018, Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 179–186), assessed the strain’s effectiveness on digestive wellness. This study linked BNR17 to the normalization of bowel habits in people with irritable bowel syndrome.
“Our team is now preparing for a well-powered protocol for a clinical trial that will target relevant weight management biomarkers,” added UAS’ Nelson.
Manufactured in the USA
Myeong Hee Kim, Founder and CEO of AceBiome, stated: “We are very pleased to partner with UAS Labs in our mission to deliver the weight management benefits of BNR17 to more people in North America and other countries.
“UAS Labs was selected as the trusted manufacturer of BNR17 based on their commitment to producing the highest quality, probiotic-based solutions for over 35 years. In addition, their enthusiasm and entrepreneurship are well suited to make this new product an industry-leading weight management probiotic. BNR17 will be manufactured in UAS Labs’ state-of-the-art fermentation facility located in the state of Wisconsin, USA,” she added.
NutraIngredients-USA Awards success!
Lactobacillus gasseri BNR17recently won the weight management ingredient of the year category at the inaugural NutraIngredients-USA Awards.
UAS Labs CEO Mehring said the company is proud to have won award with Lactobacillus gasseri BNR17.
“The BNR17 strain delivers in meeting a growing consumer need while also leading in terms of the latest probiotic clinical research in the area. This award is testament to our business model of putting science first while continuing to advance the probiotic industry with clinically proven, condition-specific solutions,” he said.
