New clinical data confirms prior research demonstrating the effectiveness of Benicaros, the precision prebiotic from NutriLeads BV, in consistently promoting a healthy gut microbiota.
Published in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, the research shows 300mg of Benicaros daily promote growth of beneficial gut bacteria in healthy subjects.
Benicaros is a soluble prebiotic carrot fibre known as Rhamnogalacturonan-I or cRG-I. Clinical results show Benicaros increased the relative abundance of common beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium spp. (mainly B. adolescentis and B. longum), independent of varying baseline gut microbiota compositions.
“Benicaros consistently modulates the composition of the gut microbiota, despite the natural differences between individual gut microbiomes,” said Joana Carneiro, NutriLeads CEO. “The complex molecular structure of this prebiotic fibre selectively nourishes beneficial bacteria prevalent in most. Remarkably, these beneficial effects were evident with daily servings as low as 300mg.”
This research paper marks the third publication focusing on Benicaros’ health benefits, outlining the results of a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled study of 146 healthy human subjects.
The study
In the trial, subjects were randomised across three groups: a placebo group, a low dose of Benicaros (300 mg) group or a high dose of Benicaros (1500 mg) group. Participants consumed their assigned dietary supplement every day for eight weeks on top of their regular diet habits.
The earlier publications based on this study described how Benicaros accelerated immune responses in subjects who had the common cold after eight weeks of supplementation and significantly reduced the severity and duration of symptoms, while helping maintain quality of life. Following on from this, the new publication describes the effects of eight-week supplementation on the gut microbiota. Both the immune and gut health benefits were dose-dependent.
“The increase in abundance of other beneficial bacterial species known for their short chain fatty acid production indicates that Benicaros increases the metabolic capacity of the gut microbiota,” said Willem M. de Vos, Professor of Human Microbiome at the University of Helsinki and Emeritus Distinguished Professor at Wageningen University and co-author of the study. “This suggests that Benicaros contributes to a healthy gut environment thereby supporting overall health.”