Swedish probiotic specialist Probi says the results of a clinical trial that applied a new probiotic concept in the area of bone health announces a “new era for probiotics”.
The randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 250 post-menopausal women. The company says that study’s findings show that “bone loss is significantly reduced with Probi’s probiotic supplement”.
The product tested in the study contains a combination of three patent protected strains and was given daily for one year. The effect was measured on bone mineral density using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The subjects in the placebo group suffered significant bone loss over the study period in contrast to the subjects treated with the three probiotic strains, who were protected against bone loss.
“We are very excited about the results showing an opportunity to delay the progression of bone loss by using our probiotics in this healthy population, which potentially may lead to a reduced risk for osteoporosis.” says Ole Søgaard Andersen, CEO of Probi.
The number of new product launches with a bone health position is increasing, but Probi’s probiotic strains will be one of the first probiotic products to be launched in this segment. The new concept will target both the consumer healthcare and functional food market segments and will be launched later this year.