Probiotics Picking Up Pace

Industry by Rosemary Tambini on December 6, 2017

Yogurt, cheese, miso, apple cider vinegar. These are all popular sources of probiotics, microorganisms known to aid digestive and gut health. New research is now showing the many other little-known benefits of probiotics. Aside from these benefits, worldwide, sales of probiotics accounted for $39.9 billion in 2016, up from $30.4 billion in 2010 (nutraceuticalsworld). According to KGK Science, current projections predict the global probiotic market to be worth nearly $100 billion by 2020 (nutraingredients). If you are interested in joining the booming supplement industry, we can easily help you create a probiotic-infused product. While you can use your own formula, Makers Nutrition’s green superfood, which is available at low minimum quantity orders, contains some of the best probiotic strains for gut health. More on that later, but first…

Immunity

As we age, our gut’s supply of bifidobacteria, which inhibit pathogenic microbes, dwindles. This makes us more susceptible to the common cold, the flu, and infections. Probiotics can help restore the lost bifidobacteria. One study involved 475 healthy women and men who did not get flu shots. They received daily either a vitamin or mineral combined with either a probiotic supplement or placebo for five and a half months during the winter and spring. Results: Participants taking the vitamin/mineral/probiotic combination experienced 25% fewer flu symptoms, 19% fewer cold symptoms, and 50% fewer days with a fever than those on the placebo (drwhitaker).

Obesity and Diabetes

Studies are showing that the bacteria in obese humans and animals extract and absorb more calories from food, storing them in fat cells. While probiotics are not weight loss supplements, they can help reduce inflammation and other factors that lead to obesity. Probiotic supplements have been linked to delaying “the onset of glucose intolerance in animals, and, in a 2010 human study, L. acidophilus supplements had a positive effect in insulin sensitivity” (drwhitaker).

Cardiovascular Health

Probiotics support the cardiovascular system by regulating the production and breakdown of cholesterol particles, in addition to supporting healthy blood circulation and pressure. Interestingly, “a rapid increase in the evidence base of probiotic treatments for [heart disease] heralds a future for application of combination therapies in treatment algorithms, and for lowering costs of medications for heart disease” (nutraingredients). Considering the CDC’s estimate of around 610,000 deaths a year in America, as heart disease is the #1 leading cause of death for both me and women, the development of probiotic treatments would not only hurt wallets less, but save more lives (cdc).

Gastrointestinal Health

Probiotics can help people who suffer from constipation and diarrhea associated with ulcerative colitis, Chron’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and other inflammatory bowel diseases (drwhitaker).

Probiotics Picking Up Pace

Skin

The journal Gut Pathogens published an article illustrating the links between intestinal bacteria, acne, and mood. The authors explained that there is a direct correlation between mood disorders and skin conditions. Did you know that acne is commonly affiliated with anxiety and depression? The condition is also connected to gastrointestinal problems. This builds to the conclusion that our skin, brain, and immune system “are all physiologically intertwined, mediated by gut bacteria. Other studies have [also] found links between intestinal bacteria and psoriasis” (drwhitaker). The gut sure does seem to weigh heavily on our overall wellbeing.

Beyond the Gut

The phenomenon does not end there. A whole future of probiotics is waiting to come to fruition. With Dr. John F. Cryan, Psychiatrist Dr. Ted Dinan coined the term psychobiotics in 2013 to “describe a particular branch of probiotics, specifically those that help boost mental health” (nutraingredients). Dr. Gerard Clarke of the APC Microbiome Institute at University College Cork, stated “Gut microbes seem to influence miRNAs in the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex…which are heavily implicated in anxiety and depression” (nutraingredients). He also explained that the complications with finding biologically stable compounds able to cross the blood-brain barrier could be cleared by instead targeting the gut microbiome. While larger scale clinical trials are needed to validate health claims, the potential is definitely present. In a conversation with the Huffington Post, Dr. Emeran Mayer, a gastroenterologist at the University of California and author of “The Mind-Gut Connection,” said that rigorously tested and FDA-approved psychobiotics will be available within the next 5 to 10 years (nutraingredients). If psychobiotics are proven safe in these trials, think of the thousands of people whose lives could be improved with supplementation.

In the Now

Until psychobiotics are further explored, we will just have to stick with what we know now. Makers Nutrition’s custom green superfood formula includes four of the 18 best probiotic strains according to Dr. Edward Group of Global Healing Center:

*Streptococcus thermophilus: promotes healthy tissues in the small intestine, breaks down casein, an allergy-causing protein.
*Bifidobacterium bifidum: keeps unwanted bacteria out, boosts immunity, and eases digestion, promotes healthy-looking skin.
*Lactobacillus bulgaricus: releases acids that neutralize toxins and promotes balance.
*Lactobacillus acidophilus: boosts immune system and aids digestion (globalhealingcenter).

To learn more of the health benefits of our green superfood has to offer, visit us at https://www.makersnutrition.com/news/2017-11-14-green-superfood/. Want to add probiotics to your supplement line? Request a quote today at makersnutrition.com.

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