High multispecies probiotic doses may lead to more reliable health benefits, DuPont study finds

22 Mar 2019 --- Ingesting higher doses of multispecies probiotic formulations may permit higher, earlier and longer recovery of probiotics in feces of healthy adults, according to a study published in the journal Nutrients. The study’s aim was to understand the effect of bacterial count on the colonization in the human intestinal tract of four different DuPont probiotic strains administered in a single, commercially available, formulation.

“Higher doses of probiotics result in higher levels of fecal recovery; this has been shown before. What is fascinating with the Taverniti study is they show a higher dose also leads to an earlier and longer detection of the consumed probiotics; suggesting a more stable “colonization.” This begs the question if a higher probiotic dose also leads to earlier and more reliable health benefits,” stated Arthur Ouwehand, Ph.D., Technical Fellow, DuPont Nutrition & Health.

The findings could inform the production and design of probiotic formulations.

“Since we are experiencing a clear trend toward multi-strain and higher potency probiotic formulations in many markets around the world, it is encouraging to see study results which may assist in better understanding the benefits of these formulations from a consumer perspective,” says Valerie Delahaye, Global Leader of Dietary Supplements for DuPont Nutrition & Health.

The study
The four DuPont strains under investigation were Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04, Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14, Lactobacillus plantarum SDZ-11 and Lactobacillus paracasei SDZ-22. The study compared the formulation at two different doses; 7 billion and 70 billion colony forming units (CFU), with the goal of measuring cell recovery in feces after oral administration. 

Graph from DuPont depicting the dose-responses.In the study, 40 healthy adults aged between 18 and 60 were randomly divided into two equal groups. A single-blind, two-arm parallel microbiological pilot study was then conducted in which the volunteers, depending on which group they were assigned to, consumed either the 7 billion or 70 billion CFU formulation daily for two weeks.

They were then monitored for a follow-up period of an additional two weeks. For the duration of the study, the volunteers were instructed to follow their usual diet (without the intake of any other probiotic products) and to collect 19 fecal samples in total, in accordance with the study design. These samples were then tested for probiotic recovery.

The study found the first day of detection of the four probiotic strains was earlier in the high dose group when compared to that of the low dose group. On the last day of probiotic consumption, viable cells of all four probiotic strains were recovered from those consuming the 70 billion CFU dose, whereas recovery was not successful for five volunteers who consumed the 7 billion CFU dose.

“We intend to continue to investigate the benefits of higher dosages beyond those provided by standard dosages,” Ouwehand tells NutritionInsight.

Although the use of probiotics for gut health has proliferated among consumers, the complexity of these microbes and the microbiome can leave researchers unsure of how to produce predictable and long-lasting changes for the better. 

A University of Wisconsin-Madison study hoped to address this complexity through the development of a microbe community named THOR which should enable the researchers to understand the microbiome better by investigating the close relationships between strains, for example.

More research into this field is likely to increase in the near future as the role of the microbiome in general well-being becomes ever clearer.