DuPont launches probiotic formula for stress relief at SupplySide West 2019 and talks probiotic market trends

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Probiotic applications are delving way beyond digestive health. At October’s SupplySide West trade show, probiotic supplier DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences (Wilmington, DE) highlighted some of its key focus markets, including stress and brain health, women’s health, and oral health.

Stress and Anxiety

The company rolled out a soft launch of its new Howaru Calm probiotic supplement, featuring 10 billion CFU per capsule of the company’s Lactobacillus paracasei Lpc-37 strain. Megan DeStefano, global marketing director of human health, DuPont, said that the stress and anxiety market is “a leading area where consumers have an unmet need, and they’re looking for support instead of a drug. If you’re looking for daily support, this could be a fantastic opportunity.”

DuPont recently wrapped up a triple-blind, placebo-controlled study on Howaru Calm with more than 100 participants that is currently awaiting publication and that had “very strong results,” DeStefano said. "We have another study in the pipeline already happening right now for stress and anxiety," she added.

DuPont’s probiotic interest extends beyond stress and anxiety-“really all around brain health,” she said.

Women’s Health

Another active area for DuPont probiotic research is women’s health-including during menopause. In fact, said DeStefano, probiotics can play a beneficial role for women in all life stages, “anywhere from prenatal all the way through aging to menopause.”

Probiotics can address numerous health concerns associated with menopause, including vaginal health, stress and anxiety, and weight management. (For weight management, the company offers its Howaru Shape supplement.) DeStefano points to a journal paper recently published by DuPont authors on the specific benefits of probiotics for postmenopausal women.¹

In terms of menopause-related research, “we’re really just at the beginning,” said DeStefano.

Prenatal health is also a focus. This summer, the company introduced a new probiotic formula called Howaru Protect Prenatal+.

Oral Health, Children’s Health

At SupplySide West, DuPont also introduced a probiotic supplement for children as well as one for oral health.

Howaru Kids Digestive Health chewable tablets feature 2.5 billion CFU per tablet of the company’s Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 probiotic strain and supports children’s gut health. Howaru Smile features 2 billion CFU per chewable tablet of the company’s Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 strain and is designed to support gum health and a healthy oral microflora.

Moving forward, DuPont will continue exploring these new probiotic interest areas, said DeStefano. “We’re really looking at going beyond digestive health and looking holistically at where probiotics can help solve consumers’ unmet needs, and where they are really looking for a supplement to support,” she said. “At DuPont, we’re focusing on the microbiome as a whole. That involves skin, vagina, brain, and gut health. We have multiple microbiomes in our body, and all of those are important for solving consumers’ health needs.”

References:

1. Reeta AJ et al. “Specific probiotics for postmenopausal women.” AgroFOOD Industry Hi Tech, vol. 30, no. 4 (July/August 2019). Accessed at: https://www.teknoscienze.com/tks_article/specific-probiotics-for-postmenopausal-women/