Sun Genomics and NZMP expand partnership to further research on gut health and mental well-being

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Sun Genomics (San Diego, CA), creator of the fully customized precision probiotic Floré, and NZMP (Chicago, IL) have announced an expansion of their existing partnership aimed at better understanding the health benefits of probiotics. In addition to their ongoing goal of conducting in-depth consumer research, the two companies are launching the second phase of a joint clinical trial known as “Project Happy.”

Beginning on September 1, 2022, the six-week trial is designed to validate findings from the brands’ first consumer pilot study that tested NZMP’s LactoB HN001 strain with 52 Floré customers to determine if there were any significant improvements in mental wellness and happiness. That study found that after 60 days of consumption with the probiotics, ratings of psychological well-being on the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire increased significantly. The follow-up study will gather additional data on the link between gut health and happiness, this time with a larger cohort of 120 participants.

“We are proud to work on developing the next generation of probiotics, all while discovering new functionalities and health benefits,” said Neal Gidvani, chief operating officer of Sun Genomics, in a press release. “By uncovering powerful responses to novel probiotic strains, such as a boost in happiness levels, we are adding significant value to our current approach. Ultimately, this allows us to grow our consumer offering and help more people than ever before.”

“After analyzing the results of our first pilot study, we knew that it would be beneficial to expand our relationship with Sun Genomics and build upon that success,” said Chris Ireland, U.S. Probiotics business manager of the Active Lifestyle division at NZMP. “Since nothing of this scale has ever been done before, we are looking forward to sharing our findings with researchers and consumers alike.”

According to the 2022 World Happiness Report, the U.S. ranks 16th on a list of 146 countries. For additional information on consumer’s stress levels, mood, and probiotics usage, NZMP surveyed over 1,000 U.S. adults through CARAVAN, and found that of the 37% of respondents who reported having stress and mood issues, 18% said they currently take probiotics to help, and 65% said they would consider it.