Lallemand sports nutrition probiotic granted Canadian health claims

24 Apr 2018 --- Lallemand Health Solutions (LHS) has announced a regulatory breakthrough regarding Health Canada granting two new health claims for the probiotic strain, Lactobacillus helveticus Laftil 10 for sports nutrition. Claims such as “promotes gastrointestinal health in physically active adults” and “helps reduce the incidence of cold-like symptoms in adults with exercise-induced stress” are now available for the probiotic strain.

Such health claims can help confirm the value and benefit of a product, and in this case, for active adults and in sports nutrition. The claims will especially aid consumers in differentiating LHS products from other ones on the market, Ms Lucie Lingard, Product Manager, tells NutritionInsight.

Furthermore, LHS supplies more than 60 countries with probiotic formulas and, Lingard asserts, the Canadian authorities are well known and respected around the world for their scientific advancement. Therefore, this recognition will resonate in other countries.

Active in the probiotic industry since 1934, LHS offers a full line of ready-to-market probiotic formulas and helps its partner's design custom and complex formulations.

There is a growing interest in probiotics for sports nutrition market. The athletic population is recognized as a viable model to document probiotic effects on natural defenses in adults in general and in athletes in particular.

“Intense physical activity is linked to many physiological changes (lower immunity, increased body temperature, increase in heart rate and changes in blood flow…) and it has recently been shown that the gut microflora is also modified,” says Lingard.

“Probiotics have been described for their ability to modulate the immune response, restore the microbiota balance and improve gut health. The four trials specific to sport nutrition that were conducted with the strain L. helveticus LAFTI L10 indicate specifically a positive effect on immune response in physically active adults/athletes.” 

Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti 10, with four clinical studies and several in vitro and in vivo mechanistic studies, is the first clinically tested probiotic strain demonstrating support for athletes’ immune health.

Speaking to NutritionInsight last year on the entry of Lallemand into the probiotic sports nutrition sphere, Lingrand said: Probiotics can “complement the current range of sports nutrition options because they target overall well-being.” They can thus boost workout sessions but also help athletes avoid missing competitions due to fatigue or sickness, as well as respiratory tract infections, to which athletes are particularly sensitive.

Furthermore, “probiotics are a scientifically-backed solution to target immune as well as digestive issues in athletes,” Lingrand explains. “At LHS, we have two clinical studies on immunity in athletes, so we have conducted clinical trials which show that one of our strains of probiotics, which is called Lactobacillus helveticus Lafti L10, has a strong ability to boost the immune response in exercising athletes.”

Speaking about application forms, Lingrand says that the capsules are the most common when it comes to probiotics for sports nutrition. However, there are options for mixing probiotics with whey protein, which is a convenient way of incorporating probiotics into an athletic diet through, for example, protein shakes.

“The probiotic market for sports nutrition is really new, but for now the main application forms are capsules and powder,” Lingrand says.

By Laxmi Haigh