DuPont launches prenatal probiotic to support mood, vaginal and immune health

21 Jun 2019 --- Microbial biotechnology, health, and nutrition expert DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences (DuPont) has released a probiotic formula touted as delivering mood, vaginal and immune health benefits for women during pregnancy and beyond. Coined Howaru Protect Prenatal+, the launch adds to the company’s Howaru range of innovative science-based solutions for improved health and wellness.

“There is a growing global demand for personalized health care that addresses individual needs and wants. Gone are the days of a one-size-fits-all approach and now is the time for the ‘make it mine’ solution. At DuPont, we are meeting this need by developing products that are increasingly focused on stages of life rather than broad generic categories. HOWARU Protect Prenatal+ is an example of DuPont meeting the demand for condition-specific formulations,” a DuPont spokesperson tells NutritionInsight.

Pregnancy is a period where a woman’s body is under great strain as it nurtures new life. Nutritional solutions are increasingly targeting this life-stage, especially as clinical research continues to uncover the positive health outcomes of certain ingredients for mothers to be. Probiotics are one such area, while nutrients such as iron and folic acid are also surfacing in prenatal NPD.

“An expectant mother’s nutrition and diet are essential to a healthy infant. As we understand more and more about how things like a mother’s gut bacteria can impact the health of her unborn child, we expect to uncover additional insight into the role probiotic supplements may play in proactively supporting prenatal health,” the spokesperson continues.

DuPont notes the range of studies that support the efficacy of probiotics for pregnant women. One such trial, which involved over 400 pregnant women, “Probiotics in Pregnancy Study”, examined whether infants experienced immune benefits if their mothers took the probiotic supplement Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001. Additionally, the trial observed the effect of HN001 supplementation on the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and postnatal depression. The results showed that women who consumed L. rhamnosus HN001 had lower rates of GDM, as well as postnatal depression and anxiety.

Other clinical trials revealed further benefits, including a balanced immune system function in both mothers and infants who consumed L. rhamnosus HN001 daily during the first two years. Women who received the supplement also demonstrated better levels of immune markers in cord blood and breast milk than those in the placebo group, signifying immune support for pregnant women. Some of these effects continued to impact the child’s immune health through the age of 11, which was the latest time of evaluation.

The probiotic was also found to be beneficial for fighting children’s eczema, with the rates being significantly reduced in 11-year-olds in the probiotic group when compared to the placebo group. In 6 and 11-year-olds, there was a significant reduction in allergic sensitization scores.

There were further benefits found for the mothers, with the combination of L. acidophilus La-14 with L. rhamnosus HN001 found in Howaru Protect Prenatal+ proven to aid healthy vaginal microbiota and help fight recurrent bacterial vaginosis and vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Rising NPD for mothers-to-be
According to Innova Market Insights data, probiotics continue to be a rising trend, with more than a 40 percent rise in NPD when global launch numbers are compared with a probiotic claim from 2012 to 2017. The fastest growing area is baby and toddlers’ nutrition at 19 percent in terms of CAGR from 2012 to 2017.

“The trend for probiotics correlates with consumers becoming more focused on natural ways to be proactive about their health. Leading a healthy lifestyle has become a form of self-expression and showing others that you care for your wellbeing has become something of a status symbol. To meet this demand, we plan to continue to develop clinically-proven, condition-specific products that enhance the overall wellbeing and health of our customers,” explains the spokesperson.

This week, Probi launched a prenatal probiotic coined Probi FerroSorb – which contains Lactobacillus plantarum 299v and a mix of vitamin C, folic acid and iron. The supplement was found to significantly improve iron levels in a trial of 326 pregnant women. This resulted in a significantly reduced prevalence of anemia in the final trimester of pregnancy.

The importance of other prenatal supplements has also been recently highlighted, with a study finding that folic acid supplements reduced the chances of pregnancy-related diabetes by 22 to 30 percent. Meanwhile, simply consuming folate-rich foods had no effect on the risk of diabetes, as the body cannot absorb the folate naturally occurring in foods as easily as folic acid.

Maternal undernutrition contributes to one-third of child deaths under the age of five, according to data from the UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Therefore, a focus on achieving optimal nutrition for women during this time is a platform worth further exploration.

By Katherine Durrell