Novel probiotic combination may improve amino acid absorption from plant protein

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A study recently published in Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins¹ found that supplementation with certain probiotic strains improved amino acid absorption from plant protein. In the study, 15 physically active men ingested 20 grams of pea protein, and were randomized to either receive placebo or AminoAlta (from SOFAR Americas Inc., Petaluma, CA), a multi-strain probiotic containing 5 billion CFU Lactobacillus paracasei LP-DG (CNCM I-1572) and 5 billion CFU L. paracasei LPC-S01 (DSM 26760), for two weeks. Following a four-week washout period, the groups crossed over. Blood samples were taken at baseline and at 30-, 60-, 120-, and 180-minutes post-ingestion and analyzed for amino acid content.

Results showed that probiotic administration significantly increased area under the curve for methionine (+ 20.0%), histidine (+ 40.4%), valine (+ 21.5%), leucine (+ 23.3%), isoleucine (+26.0%), tyrosine (+ 16.0%), total BCAA (+ 22.8%), and total EAA (+ 16.0%) concentrations. “These physiologically significant gains suggest an attractive potential for administering probiotic organisms to optimize amino acid absorption following pea protein consumption,” said Ralf Jäger of Increnovo, scientific lead on the study, in a press release. “Taken together, this clinical study illustrates what could be an important nutritional strategy, not only to improve post-prandial changes in blood amino acids, but also to overcome compositional shortcomings of plant proteins.”

“As plant proteins often lack the robust amino acid profile of animal proteins, the accelerated transition to plant proteins has created concerns about the adequacy of the amount of amino acids available for the body to absorb,” Gregory Bonfilio, president and CEO of SOFAR Americas. “There are many subjects, primarily athletes, but also the elderly, pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, some vegetarians or vegans, who may need greater protein supplementation for different functions of the body. The diet, however, is not always able to supply adequate amounts of these macronutrients. As seen in our study, probiotic strains can help by acting as ‘boosters’ in the absorption of amino acids from plant proteins.”

References:

1. Jäger R et al. “Probiotic Administration Increases Amino Acid Absorption from Plant Protein: a Placebo Controlled, Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter, Crossover Study.” Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins, Published online ahead of print on May 1, 2020