Lab4 Probiotics

Probiotics for athletes

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 09:52:21 +0000

Probiotic supplementation with variety of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains showed the improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms during exercise training and competition in athletes. The most beneficial effects to reduce frequency and severity of gut symptoms and improve gut barrier function were demonstrated with multi-strain probiotic consortia. The efficacy increased with duration of probiotic supplementation.

For more information on the efficacy of Lab4 consortium reported in this review, click HERE

Link: View the Study 1
Link: View the Study 2
Link: View the Study 3

References

Miles MP. Probiotics and Gut Health in Athletes. Current Nutrition Reports 2020 May 25. doi: 10.1007/s13668-020-00316-2.
Roberts JD, Suckling CA, Peedle GY, Murphy JA, Dawkins TG, Roberts MG. An Exploratory Investigation of Endotoxin Levels in Novice Long Distance Triathletes, and the Effects of a Multi-Strain Probiotic/Prebiotic, Antioxidant Intervention. Nutrients 2016; 8:733.
Pugh JN, Sparks AS, Doran DA, Fleming SC, Langan‑Evans C, Kirk B, Fearn R, Morton JP and Close GL. Four weeks of probiotic supplementation reduces GI symptoms during a marathon race. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2019; 119 (7): 1491-1501.

Probiotics for depression and anxiety

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 15:02:00 +0000

recent meta-analysis of 34 placebo-controlled clinical trials evaluated the effects of probiotics and prebiotics on depression and anxiety. The supplementation with probiotics showed small but significant effects on depression (23 trials, P<0.01) and anxiety (22 trials, P=0.03). The duration of probiotic intervention ranged from 8 days to 45 weeks. A significant effect was observed in the studies with probiotic use longer than a month. There were no significant differences between prebiotics (GOS, FOS, or short-chain FOS) and placebo supplementation for depression or anxiety.

Link: View the Study

Reference:
Liu RT et al. Prebiotics and probiotics for depression and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled clinical trials. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019;102: 13-23

Probiotics for the endurance athletes

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 15:00:04 +0000

Two recent reviews showed the beneficial effects of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in the reduction of upper respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms in endurance athletes. These benefits may play a role in performance and exercise recovery. The effects are dependent on the probiotic strain, dose, supplementation period and form of administration (capsules, sachets, functional foods).

Link: View the Study 1
Link: View the Study 2

References:
1. Leite GSF et al. Probiotics and sports: is it a new magic bullet? Nutrition 2019; 60: 152-160
2. Vitale K and Getzin A. Nutrition and Supplement Update for the Endurance Athlete: Review and Recommendations. Nutrients 2019; 11(6), 1289

Our latest intervention study with marathon runners showed that four weeks of supplementation with Lab4 probiotics reduced the incidence and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms prior to and during a marathon race. The runners supplemented with Lab4 probiotics maintained their running speed during the latter stages of the race.
For more information visit click HERE

Link: View the Study

Reference:
Pugh JN et al. Four weeks of probiotic supplementation reduces GI symptoms during a marathon race. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2019; 119 (7): 1491-1501

Probiotics may help in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 14:30:40 +0000

Dr. Tom Davies and Dr. Giulia Masetti, research scientists from Cultech Limited, present the findings of an exciting new study at the MicrobiotaMI 2018 scientific conference in Milan. Working in collaboration with academics from Cardiff University, they have found that the ProVen Lab4b consortium improved cognitive performance showing greater recognition in the probiotic-treated population. Dr. Davies believes that this research “strongly supports the growing awareness of the potential for probiotics to impact upon the gut-brain axis” and therefore help in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

Probiotics and antibiotic use

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 10:50:47 +0000

The antibiotic use with Infants and children who received probiotics to reduce the risk of acute respiratory tract infections, acute lower digestive tract infections or acute otitis media have a 29% lower relative risk of being prescribed antibiotics (RR=0.71, 95%CI 0.54-0.94, P=0.02, 3953 participants, 12 randomised control trials).

The probiotic interventions included Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains.

Link: View the Study

References: King S et al. Does probiotic consumption reduce antibiotic utilization for common acute infections? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Public Health 2018; doi: 10.1093/eurpub/cky185.

Probiotics and NAFLD

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 12:41:50 +0000

This review assessed the efficacy of probiotics, prebiotics or synbiotics in the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A total of 1309 patients with NAFLD from 25 studies (11 probiotic, 9 prebiotic and 7 synbiotic) were included in the meta-analysis.

All three treatments combined significantly reduced BMI (-0.37 kg/m²), hepatic alanine aminotransferase (−6.9 U/L), aspartate aminotransferase (−4.6 U/L) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (−7.9 U/L), serum cholesterol (-10.1 mg/dl), LDL-cholesterol (-4.5 mg/dl) and TAG (-10.1 mg/dl).

Link: View the Study

References: Loman et al. Prebiotic and probiotic treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews 2018; doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuy031.

Probiotics and atopy prevention

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 15:32:00 +0000

Probiotics significantly reduced the risk of atopic sensitisation by 29% when administered prenatally to the pregnant mother and postnatally to infant (RR 0.71; 95% CI, 0.57 to 0.89) and the risk of food sensitization (RR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.98)¹.

The meta-analysis of 17 studies with 4755 children showed that probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and early infancy significantly reduced the risk of eczema by 22% compared to placebo (RR 0.78; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.89). The effect was most evident when a combination of probiotic strains was administered (RR 0.54; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.68)².

Link: View the Study ⁽¹⁾

Link: View the Study ⁽²⁾

References:

¹Zhang GQ et al. Probiotics for prevention of atopy and food hypersensitivity in early childhood. Medicine 2016, 95(8):e2562

²Zuccotti G. et al. Probiotics for prevention of atopic diseases in infants: systematic review and meta-analysis. Allergy 2015, 70: 1356-71

Probiotics for the airways

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 14:35:59 +0000

Probiotics showed improvement of the clinical symptoms and quality of life in allergic rhinitis patients. The results from the studies investigating the potential of probiotic supplementation in the treatment of patients with asthma are promising. Probiotics can modulate nasal epithelial barrier via the expression and regulation of tight junctions and adherence junctions resulting in the restoration of mucosal barrier integrity. The immunomodulatory properties of probiotics in airway disease are also discussed.

Link: View the Study

Reference: Martens K et al. Probiotics for the airways: Potential to improve epithelial and immune homeostasis. Allergy 2018; https://doi.org/10.1111/all.13495

Probiotics and respiratory allergies

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 16:08:41 +0000

Respiratory allergies caused by house dust mites are one of the most common triggers of allergic rhinitis and asthma.

This review summarises the current evidence for the use of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of respiratory allergic conditions. Probiotics appear to improve the symptom scores and quality of life in patients with allergic rhinitis caused by pollen and house dust mites in children and adults.

The studies investigating the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of house dust mite related respiratory allergies and as potential adjuvants in sublingual allergen-specific immunotherapy are promising.

Link: View the Study

Reference: Fassio F and Guagnini F. House dust mite-related respiratory allergies and probiotics: a narrative review. Clin Mol Allergy 2018; 16: 15

Gut microbiota and aging

Dr Iveta Garaiova — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 13:18:51 +0000

The age-related changes in the human gut microbiota, potential implications on immune and inflammatory health and targeted therapies for healthy aging are presented in this review.

Link: View the Study

Nagpal R et al. Gut microbiome and aging: Physiological and mechanistic insights. Nutrition and Healthy Aging 2018; 4: 267-285.