There are numerous probiotic strains that serve different functions in the body; and the same goes for the products stocking retail shelves. Probiotic products, no matter whether they are delivered via a supplement, yogurt or bar, are either multipurpose or targeted at a specific health benefit, including immune, digestive or oral health. “There is much confusion in the public regarding which strains are both stable and beneficial to humans,” said Justin Marsh, director of marketing and CEO of Arthur Andrew Medical. “Blending an efficacious probiotic formula is not an easy task.”
Silvano Arnoldo, probiotic consultant at Jarrow Formulas, agreed: “There is a lack of knowledge and lot of confusion in regard to what a species is, what a strain is and what a clinically documented strain is. Scientific studies have shown that not all strains within a species are the same. The efficacy of a particular strain does not necessarily apply to another strain within the same species.”
Many companies have a passion for probiotics and their advantageous effects on health and choose their probiotic strains based on the specific health benefits they want to address. “ReNew Life is passionate about improving digestive care awareness through education and outstanding consumer support,” said Brenda Watson, president of ReNew Life Formulas. “For this reason, we rely on our retailers to help us communicate the message that vibrant health and wellness begins in the digestive tract.”
No matter if customers are looking to improve gut health, immune health or treat specific gut conditions, many companies have a method to their probiotic “recipe,” versus a random concoction of probiotic strains. For example, Natren offers several probiotic products, but its flagship product, Healthy Trinity has 30 billion CFUs (colony-forming units) of three specific strains designed to enhance the GI system. “We chose three specific strains to target each part of digestion: small intestine, large intestine and the transient flora,” said Natasha Trenev, owner and founder of Natren. “For the small intestine, we feature the NAS L. acidophilus strain, which helps regulate immune function and maximizes food absorption. For the large intestine (colon), we feature Bifidobacteria bifidum malyoth strain, which is considered by Japanese researchers the most important bacteria for human health. It finalizes absorption, helps to flush out toxins and stimulates regularity. The final strain is Lactobacilus bulgaricus LB-51, which travels with the food producing enzymes to break down the food in the proper nutrient size, without adversely affecting the immune system.” Trenev referred to LB-51 as the “crowd control” organism because it travels with the food throughout the entire intestinal tract. “Up to 40 percent of dry-weight fecal matter is hundreds of species of bacteria, and therefore, this strain is very important to prevent other types of bacteria from taking hold and interfering with proper absorption.”
Greg Jacobson, senior marketing director, Garden of Life, noted the company carefully selects the probiotics for all of its Primal Defense products. “They must be resistant to both acid in the stomach and bile acids in the duodenum. By choosing hardier, more resistant probiotics, we do not need to use special enteric coatings and, therefore, our probiotics are readily available to colonize in the small intestine,” he said. “We give our consumers a choice of powder or caplets.”