New Biopolis probiotic mix helps reduce topical steroid use by atopic dermatitis patients

07 Dec 2017 --- Biopolis, majority owned by agricultural processor and food ingredient provider Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), has introduced a new probiotic mix designed to reduce the need for topical steroid use by Atopic Dermatitis (AD) patients. The clinical research recently published in JAMA Dermatology, an international peer-reviewed general medical journal, shows the benefits of consuming a mix of probiotics in reducing the need for topical steroids by AD patients.

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease that affects 20 percent of children worldwide. It’s the most common form of eczema and typically involves symptoms such as redness, dry skin and an intense itch.

The disease of AD can significantly reduce the quality of life for patients and their families. Furthermore, children suffering from AD have an increased risk of other atopic disorders, including asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis. Steroids are the most commonly prescribed medication for the treatment of AD and often have undesirable side effects.

Benefits of probiotics mix
The research was conducted by Dr. Vicente Navarro-López and coworkers and involved 50 AD patients aged 4 to 17. The study involved a probiotic mixture in the form of a bulk powder that was made from three different Biopolis proprietary culture strains.

The culture mix was provided to the patients as a supplement, in capsule form, taken orally. It was designed so that the probiotics were administered together with topical corticosteroids, given the supplementary nature of the probiotic treatment. The study was randomized, double blinded and placebo controlled.

In summarizing the outcomes of the 12-week study, the researchers stated: “The mixture of probiotics was effective in reducing SCORAD (Scoring Atopic Dermatitis) index and reducing the use of topical steroids in patients with moderate AD.”

“These results illustrate the tremendous potential of probiotics used in this study to really make a difference to the quality of life for these young AD patients,” says Daniel Ramón Vidal, VP R&D, ADM Bioactives. “This study was directed at children with moderate Atopic dermatitis, and given the success and positive results we’ve seen, we are now planning future studies amongst children with both mild and severe Atopic dermatitis, as well as in adults with similar symptoms to continue to evaluate the potential of this mixture.”

The potential of probiotics to treat allergies was also recently reinforced by a study suggesting that modifying the gut microbiome may eventually prevent asthma in infant boys. The wider benefits of a healthy microbiome were also suggested by study results showing that the “ridiculously healthy” had the same microbiome as healthy 30-year-olds.