The overall goal of the study was to determine if various cardiovascular parameters in healthy adults could be altered by probiotic supplementation.
Indeed, the research team found that Bacillus subtilis DE111 supplementation of one billion CFU per day resulted in significant reduction in total cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol relative to baseline measures. The team also observed a strong trend toward reduction in LDL cholesterol, as well as improvement in endothelial function; reactive hyperemia index (RHI), an indicator of blood flow and heart health.
“Notably, these effects were observed in a population of healthy individuals, and the results strongly suggest that B. subtilis supplementation may help support cardiovascular health,” explained John Deaton, PhD, Deerland’s vice president of science and technology.
“Gut-brain [axis], people are starting to talk about that. For women's health, the aging population, there’s overall broad applications and benefits, but there’s also specific areas that can be vastly benefited from taking certain probiotics.”
This new research was based on findings from previous studies that found correlations between certain probiotic strains and healthy vascular function, reduced systemic inflammation and glucose tolerance, as well as evidence that the species Bacillus subtilis can support healthy cholesterol levels with positive cardiovascular effects in animal models.
“In terms of how this impacts the industry, probiotics have really only been looked at in only two major areas -- digestion and immunity. This gives us an opportunity to start thinking outside the box,” said Deaton, who agreed that we’re just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we’re learning about probiotic capabilities.
