Bacillus Subtilis CU1’s Effects On Immune System Raises Interest of Scientific Community

Researchers from the University of Bordeaux, Biofortis-Mérieux NutriSciences, Paris 7 University and Lesaffre Human Care, have published their results in the peer-reviewed journal ‘Immunity & Ageing’.

 

Bacillus subtilis CU1 is made of an exclusive and patented strain of B. subtilis, registered with the French National Collection of Microorganism Cultures as CNCM I-2745. It is a spore forming bacteria that helps support immune health, especially in people with weakened natural defenses.

 

Researchers recruited 100 healthy volunteers, aged between 60 and 74 years old and with a history of winter infections, to participate in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. The purpose of this trial, conducted in collaboration with Professor Philippe Marteau MD, PhD – independent expert in Gastroenterology at the University Denis Diderot Paris Cité, and Chief of the Gastroenterology Department, Lariboisière Hospital in Paris, France – was to investigate the effect of B. subtilis CU1 on winter respiratory and gastrointestinal infectious episodes in elderly people.

 

The target group was purposely selected as natural defenses weaken with age and, among other things, a decrease in secretory IgA (sIgA) concentrations can be observed. Gastrointestinal and respiratory sIgA are the first line of immune body defenses, and a deficiency can lead to increased risks of infections. Seniors are therefore a relevant population to assess B. subtilis CU1’s efficacy in boosting the immune function.

 

This trial was performed in the winter within a period of over 4 months, alternating 10 days of consumption of B. subtilis CU1 (2x109 spores of the bacteria/day) or the placebo, followed by 18-days without consumption.

 

In a sub-group of 44 participants, consumption of B. subtilis CU1 was found to significantly decrease the frequency of upper respiratory infections versus consumption of the placebo (-45%). Further analysis of the data also showed a significant and durable increase in sIgA concentrations with consumption of B. subtilis CU1 versus the placebo.

 

“Increased SIgA levels of 87% and 45% in feces and saliva respectively are most probably of physiological significance in ameliorating the health status of seniors receiving B. subtilis CU1”, the researchers concluded.

 

It is worth noting that no side effects were reported during the study. “These results provide evidence that consumption of B. subtilis CU1 may be a safe and effective prevention strategy to stimulate immune responses and provide long-term support to people at risk of sIgA deficiency such as the elderly, people suffering from chronic stress/sleep deprivation, professional athletes, etc.”, states Elodie Ruffin, Probiotics Marketing Manager at Lesaffre Human Care.

 

Thanks to its ability to form spores, B. subtilis CU1 is different from many other bacteria which are often vulnerable to manufacturing processes or gastric acid and intestinal bile.

 

B. subtilis CU1 is indeed highly stable and able to survive exposure to the human gastrointestinal tract as well as extreme conditions. It can thus be incorporated into a diverse range of food and beverage applications (e.g. hot tea, cereal bars, etc.) and deliver its health benefits no matter how harsh the environmental conditions may be.