Gut Flora

Prebiotics in early life may boost sleep and daytime rhythms: Study

30-Jan-2017 By Stephen Daniells

Supplementing the early life diet with prebiotics may boost the growth of selective bacteria in the gut and alleviate sleep disruptions caused by stress, says a new study.

Resveratrol may improve glucose homeostasis in obese mice, study finds

25-Jan-2017 By Adi Menayang

Researchers found that the supplemented mice experienced changes in their gut microbiota that “may contribute to resveratrol’s anti-diabetic effects.”

SPECIAL EDITION ROUNDUP

Bone & Joint Health, Anti-Aging, Sports Nutrition, Pre- & Probiotics: Lessons from 2016’s special edition

22-Dec-2016 By Adi Menayang

What are the health concerns of consumers today, and how can dietary supplements help? This year, our special editions included in-depth coverage on bone and joint health, anti-aging, sports nutrition, and pre- and probiotics. This is part of a series...

Study supports safety & effects of human milk oligosaccharides in healthy adults

29-Nov-2016 By Stephen Daniells

Supplements containing specific human milk oligosaccharides from breast milk may selectively modify the gut microbiome in healthy adults, says a new study that also supports the safety and tolerability of the ingredients.

Probiotics boost athletes’ immune system defenses: Study

25-Nov-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Taking daily probiotics may help boost immune systems of training athletes and reduce their risk of upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), a study has found.

RCT supports B420 probiotic’s weight management benefits in overweight adults

08-Nov-2016 By Adi Menayang

Researchers found that consumption of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. Lactis 420, with or without a prebiotic fiber, reduced body fat mass, trunk fat mass, waist circumference, and energy intake in 224 overweight adults, compared to a placebo.

To persist or not persist: Personalising probiotics

05-Oct-2016 By Will Chu

Personalising probiotics could result in a greater chance of long-term alterations to the gut microbial ecosystem, according to a study, even six months after administration.

Prebiotic purveyor offers test kit to measure shift in microbiome

23-Aug-2016 By Hank Schultz

Isothrive, the manufacturer of a new prebiotic finished product, has teamed with gut flora testing firm UBiome to offer a consumers a way to gauge the product’s effects in their own bodies.

Gut microbiome linked to dietary compound found in heart disease

17-Aug-2016 By Will Chu

The gut microbiome may play a major role in the onset of heart disease as a study details its role in converting nutrients into a compound that is strongly associated with the condition.

Endurance exercise and gut microbiota? A review explores the relationship

27-May-2016 By Adi Menayang

There have only been a couple dozen studies since 2007 that look at how gut microbiota and endurance exercise relate. A meta-analysis reveals promising benefits, but calls for more research in the area.

Experts react to ‘waste of money’ headlines against probiotics

11-May-2016 By Adi Menayang

A recent article posted on The Daily Beast went with the headline “Probiotics Are a Waste of Money for Healthy Adults.” The story itself is based on findings from a Danish study. We reached out to some people in the industry and academia for a second...

Synbiotics show anti-eczema potential for kids: Meta-analysis

09-May-2016 By Stephen Daniells

An international team of researchers report that synbiotics are most effective against eczema in children when multiple probiotic strains are combined with prebiotic fibers.

Breaking news

Gut flora composition linked to health, diet, and lifestyle, pioneering population study reveals

28-Apr-2016 By Will Chu

In one of the first population-wide studies on gut flora variation, a distinct link between gut bacteria and health, diet, and lifestyle, has been established.

Resveratrol’s heart health benefits linked to gut microbiota changes

18-Apr-2016 By Stephen Daniells

The potential cardiovascular benefits of resveratrol may be linked to its ability to preferentially alter the gut microbiome, suggests a new study with lab mice.

Canada approves Lallemand’s probiotic gut-brain axis health claim

31-Mar-2016 By Adi Menayang

The company boasts its Probio’Stick as being the “first and only probiotic with approved health claims in the gut-brain axis area in Canada.”

Probiotic effective in treating gum inflammation: Study

21-Mar-2016 By Will Chu

Probiotics can benefit inflammation of the tissue around the teeth, a meta-analysis suggests.

Gut microbiome uses breast milk to promote healthy infant growth: Study

22-Feb-2016 By Will Chu

Sugars found in breast milk promote healthy infant growth driven by interactions with gut bacteria, a study has found.

Gut microbiota sensitive to iron replacement say scientists

19-Feb-2016 By Louisa Richards

Iron replacement therapy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease alters gut microbiota depending on how it is administered, suggest scientists. 

IPA challenges article's assertion that science behind probiotics is 'shaky'

29-Jan-2016 By Hank Schultz

A recent online article that labeled the science backing probiotics as “shaky” was criticized by the International Proibiotics Association as lacking context and a basic understanding of the industry and the evidence behind it.

Gut microbe damage from low-fibre diets may be inherited - and irreversible

19-Jan-2016 By Will Chu

Adopting a high-fibre diet may not only benefit the microbial profile of the person consuming the diet but also their future children, according to a study in Nature.

Navigating health conundrums: Nutrients, probiotics and nutrient-microbiome interactions

08-Jan-2016 By Mark J. S. Miller, PhD, MBA, FACN, CNS

The general public is just beginning to learn about the true potential of probiotics and the concept that microbes can provide health as well as drive complications previously assigned to germs. The challenge is how do we effectively manage these microbes...

What’s on NutraIngredients-USA's special edition calendar for 2016?

04-Jan-2016 By Stephen Daniells

From transparency to an in-depth look at the Ayurveda, omega-3s, probiotics, contract manufacturing, and the latest trends in sports nutrition and minerals, Nutraingredients-USA’s 2016 editorial calendar of special editions spans the hottest trends in...

Peek inside Probiota 2016: Amsterdam, February 2-4

What’s fermented food and can it help make probiotics sexy?

16-Dec-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

When we say ‘fermented’ you say beer? Bread? Sauerkraut? But one start-up is coupling the concept with probiotics for a much needed sector make-over.

Platform launched to push digestive health beyond probiotics

15-Dec-2015 By Lynda Searby

DSM is ramping up its focus on digestive health with the launch of a new ‘platform’ to help manufacturers develop products that target specific gastro-intestinal health concerns.

First study of its kind: Synbiotics may control excess weight in obese kids

14-Dec-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Daily supplements containing prebiotics and probiotics may improve oxidative stress and enhance weight loss in obese kids, says a new study.

Multi-strain probiotic milk shakes may protect against weight gain: Human data

01-Dec-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Consuming a milk shake with eight different probiotic strains may protect against weight gain in young healthy men consuming a high fat, high energy diet, says a new study.

IPA welcomes development of technique to distinguish between bifidobacteria subspecies

25-Nov-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

A recent study highlighting potential quality issues in select probiotic products raises a concern, says the International Probiotics Association, which also welcomed further development of the appropriate quality control techniques.

Probiotic combination shifts intestinal microbiota toward a healthier (and younger) profile: Study

06-Nov-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Supplements containing Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1, and Bifidobacterium longum MM2 may shift the microbiota of elderly adults to those of healthier and younger people, says a new study.

Childhood microbiome shows distinct & functional differences to adult gut

09-Oct-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

The gut microbiome of pre-adolescents has distinct differences to the adult microbiome, says a new study from Texas that may enhance the development and efficacy of childhood microbiome interventions.

Probiotics can change infant gut bacteria to prevent cow milk allergy: Study

23-Sep-2015 By Eliot Beer

Infants with allergies to cow’s milk can become tolerant after treatment with hydrolysed casein and a probiotic formula which alters their gut microbiome, according to a new study.

Omega-3 could help support ‘friendly bacteria’ in the gut

25-Aug-2015 By Nathan Gray

The omage-3 fatty acid EPA may help to support the growth and tolerance of probiotic bacterial strains in the human gut, according to new preliminary research.

Prebiotics improve gut microbiota in obese kids: Study

03-Aug-2015 By Stephen Daniells

A prebiotic-rich diet may shift the gut microbiota profiles of obese children to a more beneficial profile, regardless of whether the obesity was related to lifestyle or genetics, says a study from an international team of researchers.

Putting the probiotics where your mouth is: Probiotics may help oral thrush

31-Jul-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Probiotics may help older people tackle antibiotic-induced oral Candida, says industry backed research.

Prebiotic boosts healthy elderly immune systems: Study

30-Jul-2015 By Shane STARLING

A proprietary prebiotic blend can deliver immune system benefits to the healthy elderly better than placebo, an industry-backed study in the UK has found.

Agave extracts show ability to shift gut microbiota: Ingredion study

29-Jul-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Prebiotic extracts from agave may shift the gut population and activity of Bifidobacterium in healthy adults, says data from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

LGG may ‘transiently’ boost anti-inflammatory functions in the gut microbiota: Human data

14-Jul-2015 By Stephen Daniells

The probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG ATCC 53103 may not change the host’s gut microbiota but may stimulate anti-inflammatory activities of microbes already resident, says a new study.

High-fat diets may change gut microflora and signals to the brain: Rat data

13-Jul-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

A high-fat diet may affect the bacterial populations in the gut and detrimentally affect satiety signaling to the brain, says a new study using lab rats.

Flaxseed beats probiotics for improved insulin sensitivity & altered microbiota

06-Jul-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

A study comparing fibrous flaxseed with probiotics has questioned the latter’s ability to alter gut microbiota and improve obesity-related metabolic diseases. 

Medical Nutrition

Tailored gut microbiota holds promise for lethal ammonia in liver disease: Mouse data

24-Jun-2015 By Nathan Gray

Altering the bacterial make-up of the gut could help to reduce potentially lethal high circulating levels of ammonia in people with liver disease, say researchers.

Probiotic Bifidobacteria may boost cognition in anxious mice: Study

15-Jun-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Select strains of Bifidobacteria may positively impact cognition in anxious lab animals, says a new study from Ireland that deepens our understanding of the gut-brain axis.

Review takes probiotics for preterm infants ‘another step forward’

10-Jun-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Supplementing enteral nutrition with a probiotic strain may reduce the risk of bowel tissue death and other serious health risks in premature infants, says a systematic review.

Fermented food intake linked to fewer anxiety symptoms: Study

10-Jun-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Increased intakes of fermented foods may be associated with fewer symptoms of social anxiety, particularly for people at higher genetic risk, says a new study. 

Probiota Americas

Biomakers of resilience could elucidate structure function claims for probiotics, experts say

08-Jun-2015 By Hank Schultz

How do probiotic researchers and suppliers best communicate with customers?  And what should they be trying to tell them, anyway? Having a clear picture of what gut and blood parameters a dietary intervention is meant to affect and having a clear mechanism...

Probiota Americas Quiz: Do you know your probiotics, prebiotics and microbiota?

03-Jun-2015 By Stephen Daniells

Do you know who first proposed that lactic acid could prolong life? When was the Human Microbiome Project started? Or which strain is considered the 'Yakult strain'?

Chinese breast milk discovery strengthens case for probiotics in infant formula: Chr Hansen

11-May-2015 By Mark ASTLEY

Chr Hansen has confirmed the presence of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in breast milk from Chinese mothers - a discovery it claims strengthens the case for adding probiotics to infant formula.

Western lifestyle may limit gut bacteria diversity: Study

17-Apr-2015 By Nathan Gray

A modern Western diet and lifestyle is linked to a lower diversity of bacteria in the gut, say researchers.

Forget about your woes? Probiotics may lower focus on bad feelings and experiences

16-Apr-2015 By Nathan Gray

Supplementation with a multi-species probiotic may be associated with lower feelings of sadness and less focus on bad feelings and experiences from the past, say researchers.

"This is a new idea - that some probiotics may work by affecting the overall ecosystem of the gut"

How do probiotics work? Previously unknown 'facilitator' mechanism revealed

15-Apr-2015 By Niamh Michail

The popular probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG may work by acting as 'a facilitator' that modifies and promotes the activity of other gut bacteria, say scientists.

Can fermented kimchi alter the gut microbiota and influence metabolism?

30-Mar-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Consuming fermented kimchi, a source of lactobacilli, may alter the composition of bacterial populations in the gut and affect metabolic pathways for obese women, says a new study from Korea.

Cultured views from Probiota 2015 in Amsterdam

Expert insights: What is the future for probiotics and prebiotics?

26-Feb-2015 By Nathan Gray

Probiotics, prebiotics, and microbiome science are big business, and already generate a great deal of scientific and commercial interest. But what does the future have in story for the sector?