The GI primer supplement, which contained functional blends of prebiotics, grasses, postbiotics, digestive enzymes, fruit and vegetable concentrates, spices and select vitamins and minerals, was associated with rapid improvements by day two of the study.
Other improvements included increased satiety, improved stool consistency and increased perceived energy levels, wrote scientists from Amway Innovation and Science, the National University of Natural Medicine and the University of California, La Jolla.
“These data indicate that after daily use of the GI primer supplement, participants’ attitudes toward food and eating generally improved, with participants more frequently reporting attitudes related to physical or interoceptive awareness-related satiety as opposed to attitudes related to sensory or motivation-specific satiety, although the actual energy intake was not considered,” they wrote in the journal Nutrients.
The supplement and funding for the study were provided by Access Business Group International (Amway’s contract manufacturing sister company).
What is a GI Primer?
According to background information in the new paper, a GI primer supplement functions through a mechanism of priming the gut through exposure to certain dietary components.
This may “help build microbial and enteric resilience by providing beneficial substrates for microorganisms and host cells to utilize in support of key functions related to gut health (e.g., immunoregulation, nutrient metabolism, intestinal barrier integrity, response to pathogens, etc.), which in turn could mitigate disruptions to mucosal health and subsequent gastrointestinal symptoms, ultimately impacting local and systemic health,” the researchers, led by Amway’s Elena Nekrasov, explained.
Study details
Study participants were between the ages of 18 and 65 (average age of 42.57) and had self-reported mild digestive issues such as bloating and occasional constipation or diarrhea. People with pre-existing stomach conditions such as IBS were excluded.
Over 14 days, all 13 primary outcome measurements improved, with many improving by day two. The percentage of participants with normal stool consistencies increased by 41% over the study’s duration. These improvements may be attributed to bioactive phytochemicals and nutrients in the fruit and vegetable extracts and/or the digestive enzymes.
There was a significant increase in the average vitality/energy scores over the two weeks, with the average score increasing just over 40%. Two of the vitamins in the supplement, B1 and C, have been shown to improve energy production. Fermentation of plant ingredients, such has the fermented grasses and fermented spices, can also increase nutrient availability, and it is possible the supplement helped to enhance nutrient absorption.
Satiety improved as well, meaning that participants felt full after eating a planned amount of food and did not continue to think about food after eating. This improvement could be due to the total dietary fiber and individual fiber sources in the supplement.
Self-consciousness and decreased food appeal both significantly decreased over the 14 days, suggesting participants experienced self-consciousness around food and eating less frequently while taking the supplement.
The major drawback of the study was the lack of a placebo group to compare the results to. The authors also stated that a longer-term study would be beneficial to assess long-term effects of the supplement since this particular one was only 14 days.
Source: Nutrients
2024, 16(18), 3173; doi: 10.3390/nu16183173
“Changes in Digestive Health, Satiety and Overall Well-Being after 14 Days of a Multi-Functional GI Primer Supplement”
Authors: E. Nekrasov, et al.