The as yet unpublished King’s College (London) research found a significant reduction in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among 186 patients with moderate to severe forms of the ailment when they consumed Symprove.
King’s College is running a second trial with Symprove focused on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). A Symprove spokesperson said the company had no plans to submit a health claim application the European Union until the IBD study concluded, which was not for another two months.
It is estimated IBS affects more than 10 million people in the UK, with women more than twice as likely to suffer from it than men. Typical symptoms include stomach cramps and pain, diarrhoea, constipation and bloating.
One of the researchers, professor Guy Sisson, from the Department of Gastroenterology at King’s College Hospital, will tell the ‘New pharmacological treatment options for lower GI diseases’ congress that blends like Symprove represented “next generation” products due to, “its preparation.”
“Furthermore, there is now scientific data to show the efficacy of Symprove to improve the overall symptoms of IBS.”
Symprove contains Lactobacillus rhamnosus, acidophilus and plantarum and Enterococcus faecium.
Pickled grain
Symprove developed out of work using germinated grain which was fed to livestock as an alternative to other feeds that typically contained artificial supplements and hormones.
Pickling the germinated grain with lactic acids extended its shelf life and it was then noted that a beneficial side effect was the growth of probiotic strains drawn from the Lactobacillus genus.
Animals on this diet also exhibited greater lean weight gain and less digestive problems.