Gut-brain axis: AB-Biotics’ probiotic blend found to boost digestion and mental health

26 Oct 2022 --- A combination of three probiotic strains from AB-Biotics, a Kaneka Group company, has been found to reduce diarrhea-related symptoms in individuals routinely exposed to modern life’s stressors. This is according to a recent Kaneka study that unveiled the probiotic blend may also positively affect mental well-being. 

“This study shows that specifically-selected probiotic strains can impact healthy subjects that regularly suffer from digestive issues due to stress,” Miquel Bonachera, CEO and co-founder at AB-Biotics, tells NutritionInsight.

The study involved a probiotic combination made up of the strains P. acidilactici KABP 021 (CECT 7483), L. plantarum KABP 022 (CECT 7484) and L. plantarum KABP 023 (CECT 7485). The blend was accessed in treating people with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms similar to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) brought on by frequent stress.

“Moving the focus toward healthy subjects hugely increases the target population that can take advantage of precision probiotics to improve their quality of life,” he adds.

“The study also shows that gut modulation can impact mental health, highlighting the relevance of the gut-brain axis and showing the potential of this axis to promote emotional well-being.”

Gut-brain axis benefits
AB-Biotics highlights that IBS affects 4% of the world’s population. The company adds that this figure does not include the millions of people worldwide who have milder or undiagnosed ‘IBS-like’ illnesses, which are frequently associated with stress, depression and anxiety.

The participants reported higher health-related quality of life ratings on questionnaires.The study’s findings imply that the probiotic blend was influential in supporting the demands of people who were otherwise healthy but had stomach discomfort brought on by stress. Additionally, the probiotic positively impacted people’s productivity, mood and quality of life.

“Furthermore, these results will allow a continuation of research into the role probiotics play in different health areas,” Bonachera says. 

The findings of the month-long study revealed that the AB-Biotics probiotic blend reduced stress-related diarrhea and total diarrhea scores in the probiotic group compared to the placebo group, as measured by Izumo scale scores.

These findings were intriguing, as Bonachera explains that seeing statistically significant results in clinical trials performed with healthy subjects is usually difficult.

“The fact that the probiotic blend was able to improve productivity and symptoms associated with stress and diarrhea enlightens a key therapeutic path that should be studied further,” he adds.

Mental well-being improvements
During the study, researchers examined the possibility of a probiotic formulation for people within the “IBS-like” category who have symptoms like diarrhea but do not meet the criteria for an official IBS diagnosis.

Japan was chosen for the study because it has a high frequency of IBS-like medical problems, highly competitive workplaces and quick-paced modern lifestyles.

“Although quite a lot of probiotics are already claiming benefits on the gut-brain axis, only a few (including our probiotic formulation) have been able to prove these benefits both in the gut and brain, as this latest study shows,” details Bonachera.

Twenty-six female and thirty-four male volunteers between the ages of 20 and 65 were chosen for the study and paired randomly into the probiotic or placebo groups. Both groups were advised to take one capsule each day for four weeks.The study findings revealed that the AB-Biotics probiotic blend reduced stress-related diarrhea.

Additionally, these participants reported higher health-related quality of life ratings on the SF-8 questionnaires, indicating improved mental health and well-being during the study. 

The researchers postulated that these specific bacterial strains produced metabolites like polyphosphates, acetylcholine, or acetate, which are known to lessen intestinal permeability and gut inflammation – with positive GI benefits – to counteract the harmful effects of stress on the intestinal mucosa.

Future outlook
Existing research using the same probiotic formulation, which has shown improvements in visceral hypersensitivity, a factor in IBS associated with changed perceptions of GI symptoms, supports the findings of this study, the company notes.

This new research indicates that the gut-brain axis is modulated by probiotics, with positive effects on both gut health and emotional well-being.

These probiotic strains have produced compelling scientific evidence for treating complicated gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhea brought on by stress, IBS and food intolerances like fructose and lactose intolerance. Significantly, these outcomes have been seen across different food habits and ethnicities, supporting the value of these strains.

“This study is just the beginning – we aim to support further research into probiotics and the benefits they bring to our lives,” concludes Bonachera. 

By Nicole Kerr