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Atopic Eczema Forum
Proliferating Demand for Probiotics
The consumption of probiotics has been well-known to eastern cultures for centuries. Even the Europeans accepted this concept long before Americans did and incorporate a good dose of friendly bacteria religiously into their diets. While Americans were slow in catching up, we’ve made up for lost time. In 2006, just about 20 percent of the American population knew what “probiotics” meant. In 2007, this figure rose to 31 percent; in 2008 it rose to 48 percent. And today our knowledge of probiotics has reached even greater enlightenment with the advent of the probiotics pizza!
What’s Proliferating the Probiotic Market?
So how did we get from being probiotic-ignorant to being probiotic-savvy so quickly? Here are seven trends that are pushing the probiotics market to greater heights:
- Research indicates the efficacy of probiotics as a solution to many of man’s modern digestive problems including acute diarrhea, indigestion, IBS, lactose intolerance, and other gastrointestinal complaints.
- Substantial advertising campaigns launched by probiotic manufacturers themselves. Massive advertising for probiotics done mostly by probioitc manufacturers teaches us the benefits of probiotics in our diet, specifically to improve digestive health.
- More people are finding that probiotics work! Glance through some of the major forums related to IBS and you’ll find people talking about probiotics. It may be safe to assume that since the sales are up, people are finding an improvement in their digestive health by supplementing their diets with probiotics.
- Innovation drives the market. Innovations in products by probiotics manufacturers have created more consumer awareness with products that appeal to the public. According to a Frost & Sullivan report, "Product innovation is a key factor for increasing market share. The introduction of diverse products with new probiotic strains has had a significant impact on the growth of the yogurt market in recent years. For most consumers, though, taste and convenience will continue to be the most important selling points.”
- Digestive health issues among Americans are rising. People are paying attention to their health needs not just to live longer, but to live healthier lives. Good diet and nutrition are playing a major role. Since good health begins in the digestive system and a healthy digestive system can prime immune health, probiotics is perceived as a major contributor to good health.
- The increase in the use of colon cleansers and colon detoxes propagated by colon cleanse manufacturers and big-time celebrities have created a craze for colon cleansing. Once the colon is cleansed, good bacteria need to be replenished in the system. Probioitcs supplements are part of every major colon cleanse program.
- The safety of probiotics is not doubted as probiotics already exist naturally in the digestive system. It is estimated that a 100 trillion bacteria with over 500 different species already exist in the intestines.
What’s Needed?
- The public needs to be educated on the various strains of bacteria and levels required by the body. Most people are aware of the two most common bacteria: Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. But even this is not enough. Lactobacillus is just a bacterium and there are hundreds of strains to this bacterium. Lactobacillus GG, for example, is a strain that has been extensively studied. Lactobacillus GG is noted for its positive effects on atopic eczema as well as in treating milk allergies in infants and children (The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, 2008). Different probiotics species and strains impart different health benefits.
- Most probiotics manufacturers do not include details of strain and strain levels on their product label. More transparency on product labels is required. Probiotics dietary supplements have no standard labeling requirements and hence buyers are often unable to make a sensible decision. The genus, species, and strain level should be clearly stated on labels by probiotics manufacturers.
- More research on probioitcs would be helpful in revealing which strains work for specific digestive concerns, such as bloating, IBS, indigestion, etc.
The Market Facts
- According to The Probiotics Market: Ingredients, Supplements, Foods from BCC Research, probiotics supplements is the second largest segment in probiotics sales. This segment was worth a global $1.2 billion in 2007 and is expected to increase to $1.3 billion by 2013.
- Probiotics supplements are sold as capsules, tablets and powders, with capsules accounting for about 75 percent of the supplement sales.Probiotics manufacturers have seen a rise in probiotics supplement sales in spite of the economic downturn.
- The market is ready for probiotics supplements with a scientific approach to formulation. Those interested in manufacturing their own line, whether private labeled or an original formula should contact a reputable Probiotics Manufacturer who can guide them into the more popular strains or combination of strains to create innovative probiotics supplements that will appeal to consumers.
About the Author
Nutricap Labs is a full service vitamin supplement manufacturing service. We primarily manufacture probiotics manufacturers, capsules, powders, liquids and creams, but we also offer label and packaging design services and order fulfillment services to our customers.
Benefits Of Probiotics In Infant And Adult Health
Probiotics are bacteria that help repopulate the beneficial bacteria in the large intestine when it has been damaged through illness, antibiotic use, or poor diet. It has been said that they provide a temporary effect that lasts as long as the supplements are taken. But this effect is still important in that it can give our bodies time to regrow their own natural positive bacterial population.
The benefits of these bacteria are many. They have helped babies with colic, may prevent eczema in children, and help people of all ages with gastrointestinal diseases, including colitis and IBS. This article will discuss these gastric and immune benefits.
Colic is a problem many mothers face, with up to 28% of newborn babies crying for long periods, for no identifiable cause. Yet in a study conducted at the University of Turin, the probiotic L reuteri was found to lower the crying time of babies by 74%, to only 51 minutes a day. This was achieved after the babies taking 108 CFU of L. reuteri daily for 28 days. There were actually improvements seen after only 7 days, with crying time reduced by 21%. The other babies in the study received simethicone, which is an anti-gas medication. After 7 days, this group of babies only reduced their crying time by 10%, and after 28 days, by 26%. Probiotics were the clear winner here.
Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is a chronic skin problem that is on the rise in more affluent countries. Both children and adults can develop it, although it usually appears when people are very young. For this reason, researchers in Finland decided to study the effect of probiotics on children up to 4 years of age. The mothers were given probiotic supplements whilst they were still pregnant. When they were breastfeeding, either the mothers or babies took them. Significantly, these babies had a 40% lower chance of developing eczema by the time they were 4 years old.
Yet, it's not only children who can reap the benefits of these friendly bacteria. People with ulcerative colitis, where the large intestine is inflamed, sore, and often bleeding, have been helped with probiotics also. There is anecdotal reports on many forums of the benefits of probiotics for colitis sufferers. However, the Canadian study I saw used very high concentrations of bacteria, in the order of 3,600 billion per day, for 6 weeks. Compare this with the average supplement, which at most will have around 5 billion per tablet. Still, it represents promising research.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is another gastrointestinal illness that is being studied in relation to the good bacteria in our intestines. Doctors and researchers are increasingly seeing a role for probiotic supplementation there, as they believe that certain problematic bacteria are implicated in the disease. However, despite some promising studies on individual bacterial strains, such as a non-pathogenic variety of E. coli, it is currently believed that no single strain will benefit all IBD sufferers. This is partly due to the fact that many different pathogenic bacteria may be involved, and also because our understanding of exactly what good bacteria should naturally be there is not complete.
Thus probiotic supplementation can be seen to have many uses, for people of all ages. No doubt more work will be done to unearth new friendly flora, that may allow more precise improvements particularly in relation to gastrointestinal disease. Despite the specialized nature of some studies, with very high doses that are expensive to replicate with regular shop supplies, probiotics have a place in child and adult health. And even for those without a serious illness, probiotics, in their many forms, provide serious benefits. The relationship of probiotics with the immune system is more complex, but can be understood with a greater awareness of how the various systems of our body support and mesh with each other.
References: Nutraingredients
About the Author
To discover more about acidophilus probiotics, click here. Rebecca runs a natural health site with up to date mineral and vitamin information.
