Yoptimal, Health Professionals

Probiotics according to the World Health Organization

Probiotics are live micro-organisms which, when consumed in adequate amounts, improve the health of the host (1, 3, 5-7). They can be ingested in food or in the form of a supplement.

The joint FAO/WHO* working group (1) established guidelines to identify and outline the minimum requirements needed for probiotic status. Thanks to these criteria, it is now possible to determine 1) whether an active culture is probiotic; 2) whether it is safe for human consumption; and 3) whether it has health benefits. Furthermore, to be considered beneficial to health, a bacterium that meets the first two criteria must also:

1. resist acid and bile;
2. adhere to human intestinal cells;
3. colonize the intestinal tract;
4. produce antimicrobial substances.

In addition, health effects of chosen strains must be clinically validated. The active probiotic cultures of Yoptimal^® satisfy all of these criteria.

Each 100-g serving of Yoptimal^® contains more than 1 billion probiotics of each BB-12^® Bifidobacterium lactis and LA-5^® Lactobacillus acidophilus cultures that meet the above mentioned criteria by contributing to healthy tract flora.

And, despite the absence of standards, it seems that at least 100 million to a billion living probiotic bacteria must be present per 100 g serving of a product for a clinical effect to be observed (5). These bacteria are therefore in symbiosis with humans (4). The micro-organisms most frequently used as probiotics belong to the Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains (5, 8).

There is little proof to support the hypothesis that probiotic lactic bacteria are capable of permanently colonizing the bowel. It seems rather that they are eliminated in the feces without adhering to the intestinal wall or multiplying in significant numbers. According to clinical pharmacokinetic studies, it appears that for a continuous exogenous probiotic effect to be obtained, the probiotic culture must be ingested continuously (6). As a result, Yoptimal^® should be eaten every day.

* FAO/WHO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations / World Health Organization.

References