Howaru Shape: 'A new way of looking at weight management'

Six months of supplementation with Bifidobacterium animalis ​ssp. lactis ​420 (B420)in combination with Litesse Ultra prebiotic fiber also reduced trunk fat by 6.7% and waist circumference by one inch (2.6 cm), versus placebo.

“This is a new way of looking at weight management,”​ said Dr Mark Cope, applied nutrition manager, DuPont Nutrition & Health. “This a big opportunity for industry to lead the conversation on this. Consumers are getting smarter, and our customers are asking us what we can do to communicate these results to consumers.”​

Dr Cope will present results from the study, and the earlier in vitro and animal data at the upcoming IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas 2017 in San Francisco, June 7-9.​

Gut microbiota and obesity​

The link between the gut microbiota and obesity was first reported in 2006 by Jeffrey Gordon and his group at Washington University in St. Louis, who found that microbial populations in the gut are different between obese and lean people, and that when the obese people lost weight their microflora reverted back to that observed in a lean person. This suggested that obesity has a microbial component (Nature​, Vol. 444, pp. 1022-1023, 1027-1031​).

One of the potential mechanisms is associated with a so-called leaky gut, which is an undesirable situation when toxic bacterial components can pass from the gut into the blood.

Dr Cope told us that there is evidence from in vitro​ studies showing that the B420 strain may increase epithelial integrity, a key function of the digestive tract. In addition, data from clinical trials has indicated that Litesse Ultra may reduce energy intake, increase satiety and decrease after-meal feelings of hunger. However, the precise mechanism(s) of action still needs to be elucidated, said Dr Cope.

Study details​

The study, which was published in EBioMedicine​​, divided 225 overweight adults into four groups: Placebo, 10 billion CFUs of B. lactis​ B420 per day, 12 grams of Litesse Ultra per day, or a combination of the probiotic and the prebiotic for six months.

The results showed that both B420 and its combination with Litesse Ultra helped to regulate body fat mass, waist circumference and energy intake.

“Our findings are of special interest to populations who struggle to control their weight in a Western cultural environment,” ​wrote the study authors in EBioMedicine​​. “Additionally, B420 and LU seem to have synergistic effects in increasing lean body mass. LU alone had no effect on the parameters tested. ​

“Mechanistically, the reduction of body fat mass might be related to circulating zonulin, a potential marker of gut barrier function, and attenuated low-grade inflammation, which both support previous findings from experimental animals. ​

“Further clinical trials are warranted to confirm these effects in larger participant populations and to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms.”​

DuPont funded this study and Dr Cope confirmed that the company is planning a follow-up study.

The recent study included young, healthy but overweight to obese individuals and looked at weight management, but the strain’s benefits may also extend into the sports and healthy aging categories where body composition is an issue, said Dr Cope.

IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas 2017​

Dr Cope will present the full study’s results, and the earlier pre-clinical data, at the upcoming IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas 2017 ​in San Francisco. For more information and to register, please click HERE​.​

Source: EBioMedicine​​
Volume 13, Pages 190–200, doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2016.10.036
"Probiotic With or Without Fiber Controls Body Fat Mass, Associated With Serum Zonulin, in Overweight and Obese Adults—Randomized Controlled Trial"​
Authors: K. Lotta et al.