DuPont Nutrition & Health synbiotic touted to reduce health risks linked to obesity

14 Dec 2018 --- DuPont Nutrition & Health’s Howaru Shape synbiotic may help reduce health risks for overweight consumers, according to a recent clinical study on synbiotic dietary supplements. Howaru Shape combines the benefits of a probiotic with prebiotic fiber and is touted as capable of improving metabolic health and promoting weight loss.

A previous study published in Beneficial Microbes showed that a trial group that received Howaru Shape had 4.5 percent less total body fat and 6.7 percent less trunk fat than those who received a placebo supplement. 

The new study, also published in Beneficial Microbes, monitored 225 overweight but otherwise healthy individuals who consumed Howaru Shape for six months and found an improvement in their lean body mass.

Additionally, Howaru Shape was found to benefit study participants’ gut microbiota. Modifications to the gut microbiota as a result of probiotic consumption included a greater abundance of the bacterial species Akkermansia muciniphila, which is associated with improved metabolic health, according to the study.

“The favorable change in gut microbiota is positive for overweight individuals struggling with metabolic disorders, such as leaky gut and Type 2 diabetes. In particular, Akkermansia is associated with improved gut barrier function and glucose tolerance,” says Megan DeStefano, Global Marketing Manager for DuPont Nutrition & Health. 

DeStefano says that they also observed a reduction in circulating inflammatory markers which support the heart, kidneys and promote respiratory health. 

The study participants consumed a powder supplement mixed into a smoothie once a day. Four different groups were given either a placebo, the probiotic culture B420, the prebiotic fiber Litesse Ultra, or Howaru Shape which is a synbiotic combination of B420 and Litesse Ultra.

The results of the trial showed that consumption of B420 had a positive impact on the gut microbiota, but the effect was even better when B420 was combined with the Litesse Ultra that Howaru Shape contains. 

“Previously published results from this study showed that consumption of B420 alone or in combination with Litesse Ultra controlled body fat mass gain and improved obesity-related markers in overweight and obese adults. New results from this study suggest that changes in the gut microbiota and its metabolism may be linked to the clinical benefits we have observed,” Ashley Hibberd, Senior Scientist at DuPont Nutrition & Health says.