Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Transcription

1 + 1 Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Overview - Details of an independent study carried out by University College London to establish if 8 leading probiotics are effective as they claim 1

2 + Irritable Bowel Syndrome 2 1 in 5 households contain someone with IBS Despite the high prevalence of IBS, recent research reveals that the condition is extremely poorly managed Sufferers try an average of 5 products each month but around half are still left battling the symptoms long-term These people are in persistent pain - they need to know if a product is effective 2

3 + IBS Sufferers 3 Lack of understanding about internal organs leads to the use of wrong products IBS is multi-faceted - predominately only single symptom products available Many brands do not understand the IBS sufferer leading to broken promises 3

4 + The Probiotic Market The probiotic market is worth $32 billion globally thought to rise to $42 billion by % of UK households regularly purchase them A wide variety of probiotics on the market that claim to work 4

5 + Probiotic consumers 5 Prevention Treatment Those with no functional GI disorder or diagnosed health condition Those with chronic, debilitating disorders such as IBS Want to offset negative side effects relating to poor diet and lifestyle View probiotics as a form of daily insurance against ill health Looking for a safe and effective way to relieve symptoms long-term Often dissatisfied with conventional treatments 5

6 + Probiotic efficacy 6 In order to be effective, a probiotic product has to reach the gut in good condition AND do something beneficial when it reaches there Seductive marketing campaigns often include claimed research and data to support this, but have limited facts available The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have previously rejected health claims relating to probiotics, due to a lack of robust scientific evidence Many claim to work" or survive", but they all use different strains, tests and conditions Most manufacturers have avoided comparisons with realistic tests 6

7 + So do they work? 7 In a bid to help address this confusion, scientists at University College London (UCL) have independently conducted one of the first studies comparing some of the leading probiotic brands available in the UK. The study investigated which of these popular products actually arrive, survive and thrive in the gut environment - enabling them to do as they claim. 7

8 + So do they work? 8 Do they contain the claimed number of viable organisms stated on the label? Do they possess the robustness to transit through to the gut? Scientists at University College London (UCL) independently conducted compared leading probiotic brands to find out the truth 8

9 UCL SCHOOL OF PHARMACY Independent Research Carried Out By Dr Simon Gaisford UCL School of Pharmacy

10 Study aims To compare 8 commercial probiotic brands: 1.Actimel 2.Align 3.Symprove 4.Biobalance 5. Probio7 6. Yakult 7. VSL#3 8. Bio-kult 10

11 To subject the products to three challenge tests to assess if the bacteria: ARRIVED In a live state SURVIVED Stomach acid transit THRIVED In the target area of the gut 11

12 1. Enumeration Test Were the claimed number of bacteria recoverable? 2. Tolerance Test Do the bacteria survive exposure to gastric Juices? 3. Real-time Growth Test Are the bacteria able to grow after exposure to gastric juices? 12

13 Did the bacteria arrive? Results showed that not all probiotic products deliver state content of live bacteria Freeze-dried products lose many of their bacteria as they attempt to recover to an active state 13

14 Only dairy-based (Actimel, Yakult) or waterbased (Symprove) probiotics delivered 100% or more than the claimed content Delivers at least 75% of the amount claimed for the product Symprove Arrived Actimel Yakult 14

15 Did the bacteria survive? PGF (Porcine Gastric Fluid) was demonstrated to be the best simulation of human gastric fluid The initial acid shock after only 5 minutes was dramatic on almost all products, with some showing almost complete collapse. 15

16 Only two products survived stomach transit time (120 minutes), with one of these continuing to decline Only one product seems stable Survived After exposure, are the surviving bacteria still concentrated enough? Symprove VSL#3

17 Did the bacteria thrive? A product must be able to grow quickly, to establish a strong colony before travelling too far along the gut and being ejected from the system After only a 30 minute exposure to gastric acid, the products showed very different abilities to grow 17

18 Only three products showed signs of strong growth within 10 hours. Others showed very slow, or even no growth Thrived Colony starts growing strongly within 10 hours to hit the target areas in the gut Actimel VSL3 Symprove 18

19 Summary To be successful probiotic product needs to beat all three challenge tests Safely arrive, survive stomach acids, and thrive in the target area of the gut Only one product met all three challenges - with several products failing all three challenges 19

20 Overall results 20

21 The big probiotic scam There is a lack of truly independent and comparable probiotic data Many popular products do not deliver what they promise and are not robust enough for the human GI tract The vast majority of UK consumers are wasting millions on bacteria that simply die in the stomach Live liquid bacteria offers new hope for long-term sufferers by outperforming all other probiotic drinks and supplements tested 21

22 Is your probiotic dead or alive? 22