Kaneka Probiotics and Floré target gut-heart axis and women-specific health needs

31 May 2024 --- The personalized nutrition space continues to grow as consumers are increasingly focused on solutions that are specific to their health needs. To meet this growing trend, producers and suppliers are innovating ingredients and products that can address consumers’ individual supplement and nutraceutical demands.

Continuing our conversation on the topic, Nutrition Insight sits down with experts from Kaneka Probiotics and Floré.

“Personalized nutrition is the largest market segment of precision medicine,” says Sunny Jain, the CEO and founder of Floré. “If we consume the correct ingredients, we can modulate our biology to support our wellness.” 

“It is no surprise that the standard American diet has led to a 42% obesity rate in the US. With this in mind, we need to start swapping out high saturated fats and simple carbohydrate meals for fiber, complex carbohydrates and whole foods.”

Jordi Riera, the chief business officer at Kaneka Probiotics, agrees, noting that the company partners with universities and research institutions for studies and clinical trials. Riera explains that by doing so, the company is able to stay “ahead of the curve” in innovation in the personalized nutrition space.

“In today’s market, increasingly informed consumers look for specific characteristics, such as vegan and allergen-free, along with the desired health benefits in the products they buy,” Riera explains. “On top of targeting specific health areas, our probiotic strains are suitable for individuals following vegan or vegetarian diets and are also free from the top nine allergens identified by the US FDA.”

“This ensures that individuals with dietary restrictions or food sensitivities can safely incorporate our probiotics into their wellness routine. What consumers are looking for from nutritional supplements can greatly vary from person to person, so nutritional supplements should be tailored for specific needs. With personalized nutrition, consumers can choose supplements that support their unique health goals.”

Determining individual needs
Innova Market Insights data suggests a market shift from the “one-size-fits-all” model to the creation of customized formulations and solutions. Innova data also suggests a 5% CAGR in supplement launches between 2019 and 2023 and a growth in claims for immunity, cognition, sleep support and sexual health.

To meet these demands, Kaneka Probiotics says it offers a diverse range of precision probiotics developed to meet specific health needs such as digestive health, cardiometabolic health and immune health.

“At Kaneka Probiotics, we focus on precision probiotics as we believe probiotics can do so much more than just restoring the natural balance of the gut microbiota,” Riera explains.Sunny Jain, CEO and founder of Floré.

“Traditionally, probiotics on the market have been a combination of strains, brought together in one offering in an attempt to benefit overall health by replenishing the gut microbiota, however, with precision probiotics, strains are specifically selected following scientific research for the purpose of precise targeting of different health areas.”

“This ensures that each offering is designed to meet consumers’ nutritional needs, helping them to achieve their own unique health and wellness goals. All of our strains are also subjected to rigorous testing for quality, potency and purity to ensure that our products meet the highest standards of safety and efficacy, providing peace of mind to individuals with dietary restrictions or health concerns.”

Floré uses the test results of a customer’s gut microflora to determine which probiotics, fibers, resistant starches, polyphenols and other plant-based botanicals are best suited to support their gut diversity. 

The company’s gut health test was recently featured in the Netflix documentary “Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut.”

“We hope it is through documentaries like these and educational content that more and more people will take control of their health from the inside-out and we look forward to translating the discoveries made in the lab and bringing them to doctors, patients and consumers,” Jain reveals. “We all need to become CEOs of our own health, as standard medical care today is reactive and focused on treating diseases with medicines.”

“Preventative practices have always been in the control of consumers and customers — when they’re equipped with the knowledge of their gut microflora, they can be empowered to make informed choices customized to them.”

Zeroing in women-specific needs
Riera highlights that one segment of personalized nutrition the company is focusing on is women’s health. Specifically, the company is developing solutions to address the many symptoms and health needs of women as they go through menopause.

As consumer awareness grows and as scientific and educational insights deepen, we are seeing an increase in people on the hunt for nutritional supplements that can reduce common menopausal symptoms,” Riera emphasizes.Kaneka Probiotics reveals that study results on the efficacy of its menopause probiotic blend will be published in June 2024.

“Kaneka Probiotics offers a clinically researched menopause blend, featuring Levilactobacillus brevis KABP 052, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KABP 051 and Pediococcus acidilactici KABP 021 — marketed within the Gyntima women’s health brand as Gyntima Menopause — which modulates the gut microbiota and has been shown to maintain healthy estrogen levels, providing a suitable option for women concerned about common menopausal symptoms.”

He further notes that the results of clinical study on the performance of these strains for menopausal health is due to be published in June 2024.

“By channeling our team’s expertise into educational materials like whitepapers, speaking at industry events and digital outreach, we’re committed to educating manufacturers, other businesses and consumers about how our products target specific health areas, empowering them to make informed decisions that support long-term wellness goals.”

The gut-heart axis
Floré spotlights metabolic health as a significant trend in the US as people become more aware of the gut-heart axis and the ways in which gut microflora affects heart health.

“Gut health tests and personalized probiotic programs like the ones offered at Floré have made it simple for people to understand what is going on in their gut and then make more informed choices about their nutrition based on the results,” Jain adds. “Sometimes it is just one bad bug in our gut that is holding us back from optimizing our own health microflora — other times, it may be a group of bad bugs or a loss of good bugs.”

“Starting with a gut health test allows consumers to know what needs to be supported and what needs to be reduced in the gut,” he concludes. “Through precision probiotics, you can now take something that is customized exactly to what you have going on in the gut and, since we are 90% unique from the gut microflora, it makes sense to personalize this solution with probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics.”

By William Bradford Nichols